DETROIT –  Calvin Johnson shrugged his shoulders when asked about the only two passes thrown his way, both of which he caught, giving a glimpse of what’s to come from the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft.

Johnson had two receptions for 45 yards late in the first half to set up a score and the Lions rallied late to beat the Bengals 27-26 on Thursday night in the exhibition opener for both teams.

The 6-foot-5, 239-pound receiver displayed his speed and savvy on his first catch, sprinting and settling into a spot behind a cornerback and in front of a safety. On the next play, Johnson used his body and leaping ability to shield first-round pick Leon Hall for a 21-yard reception that was the second and final ball thrown to him.

“That’s my job — go get the ball,” he said. “People expect me to make plays.”

Detroit has been expected to lose since 2001, when Matt Millen took over the franchise and the Lions went on to lose a league-high 72 games over the next six seasons.

But the players sense things will be different this year with Rod Marinelli on the sideline for a second season.

Cincinnati led 26-17 midway through the fourth quarter, then the Lions’ third- and fourth-string players won out.  Dan Orlovsky threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Kasper with 50 seconds left after Detroit recovered an onside kick following Kenny Byrd’s field goal.

Cincinnati got in position to win the game, stopping the clock with one second left, but Shayne Graham, who made four field goals, was wide left on a 48-yard attempt.

The Lions celebrated by jumping, hugging and screaming.

“Coach Marinelli came in here last year and preached winning, whether it was a 1-on-1 route in practice or a preseason game,” Orlovsky said. “Losing is going to be wiped out as a culture around here.

“Cincinnati is a good team. I think it was really important that we won and showed excitement.”

(AP NEWS  The Associated Press News Service)

Well lets not get carried away but it is nice to get off to a good start.  The most important thing is that there were no major injuries.   Next up is Cleveland on 8/18 where we should get a look at Brady Quinn and the Dog Pound. 

-Canon

Bottom line: Calvin Johnson needs to be in camp.  With the lofty team expectations of a 10+ win season (we will get into that later) combined with the expected production from the rookie wide out, makes it very important that he signs on the dotted line and reports on time.  I know there is always money issues involved.  I’m sure once #1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell signs and sets the bar, it will lead to several signings around the league. 

The learning curve for rookie wide receivers is two to three years before they reach their full potential.  Last year one of the exceptions was the Saints Marques Colston.  He posted over 1000 yards receiving and 8 touchdowns.  The projections for Johnson this year are around 800 yards receiving with 6-8 TD’s.  This should be reachable due to the Mike Martz pass happy offence and the Lions playing most games from behind heading into the forth quarter.  I do know this, everyday Johnson is not in camp those projections should get lower and lower.

From a fantasy standpoint, I personally don’t like to waste draft picks on rookie receivers.   Yes they may have upside, but usually are very streaky.  I would rather take my chances on a second or third year player that may have a break out year.  If a rookie gets hot during the season, chances are he will be available on your leagues waiver wire.

So here it is July 16^th the stretch run to the playoffs for MLB baseball. Damn it’s so much more exciting when your team is in it to win it! Eat ‘em up Tigers, eat ‘em up! I’ll be the first to admit that it’s really hard to think football when your baseball team is one of the best in the league. That’s ok because this is a true Detroit Lions Fan Blog! There will be plenty of Lions talk to go around.

I know all you fantasy football fans are getting geared up for the new season, so I’ll throw in a little fantasy football action as well. Its nice to have something else to talk about when your favorite team is brutal.

Just a little note to get us going. The Lions resigned defensive tackle Corry Redding to a multiyear deal. This should be a good move as long as he stays motivated after getting his big payday. If there is one thing Rod Marinelli knows it’s defense. With an injured line last year, Redding was one of the bright spots. If he can top his eight sack performance it will be money well spent.