Aug. 14, 2005
by Paul Newberry, Associated Press
ATLANTA – Calvin Johnson has played himself on a new college football video game. Made some pretty good catches, too.
Almost as good as the ones he makes in real life.
Georgia Tech’s sophomore receiver is poised for greatness after a brilliant rookie season, one in which he turned the improbable into the routine with one-handed, behind-the-back, twist-this-way, turn-that-way catches.
No less an authority than Chan Gailey, who once coached a guy named Michael Irvin, can recall a receiver with Johnson’s gifts.
“I’ve never had one like this – big, fast, great hand-eye coordination,” said Gailey, heading into his fourth year as the Yellow Jackets coach.
Not even Irvin?
“Never,” Gailey repeated.
One of Johnson’s teammates, fellow receiver Damarius Bilbo, turns up the hype meter by throwing another hallowed pass catcher into the mix.
“He’s the closest thing to Randy Moss, but he’s bigger and faster,” Bilbo said. “When he’s not catching the ball, he’s out there blocking on every play. I don’t know Randy Moss. I don’t want to say anything bad about him. But I think he takes some plays off. Not Calvin. He’s a humble guy and he gives it everything he’s got, even in practice.”
Johnson is the sort of player who inspires a range of nicknames – from the obvious (C.J.) to the admiring (Spiderman, which he was dubbed by an opposing cornerback after several improbable catches) to the witty (Consensus, as in consensus All-American).
“He’s a freak of nature,” Bilbo said. “He can catch the ball with one hand better than most guys can catch with two.”
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound phenom broke all of the school’s freshman receiving records – 48 catches for 837 yards and seven touchdowns – but the numbers, as good as they were, only tell part of the story.
There was his coming-out at Clemson, where Johnson caught two jump balls for TDs in the final two minutes of a stirring comeback victory.
There were his two spectacular third-down catches on a game-winning drive against North Carolina State, including a one-handed grab on a ball thrown well behind him that ranked as one of the best plays of the year by any player and even left Johnson saying, “Wow!”
There was the brilliant finale against Syracuse in the Champs Sports Bowl, when he made a diving catch in the end zone, jumped over a Syracuse defender to haul in a 51-yard pass down the sideline, and scored on a reverse.
“I just want to improve on what I did last year,” said Johnson, whose quiet, low-key demeanor is a direct contrast to the way he plays. “I had no idea what I was getting myself into. This year, I have a better idea about running routes and the matchups I’ll face.”
There was one humbling game for Johnson.
The freshman got the clampdown treatment from Miami cornerback Antrel Rolle, who has the size and speed to handle big receivers and went on to be the No. 8 pick in the NFL draft. In Georgia Tech’s 27-3 loss to the Hurricanes, Rolle limited Johnson to two catches for 10 yards.
“That one game showed me I still had a lot to work on,” said Johnson, who was matched in single coverage with Rolle most of the day. “He bumped me a few times. He was just real strong. I knew I would have to hit the weight room this summer.”
Otherwise, Johnson had a jaw-dropping, did-he-really-make-that-catch sort of season.
It’s all there. The height and leaping ability to jump over most cornerbacks. The speed to run by them. The massive hands that seem to gobble up the ball. The innate ability to play the game at a different speed, slowing things down in his own mind so he doesn’t give up on passes that are tipped or seem totally out of reach.
The Yellow Jackets knew this guy was different before he ever played a game. During preseason practice last year, Johnson pulled off a turning-around, one-handed catch in practice that might be better than anything he’s ever done in a game.
“A lot of my teammates get on me. They say I plan my catches,” Johnson said. “It’s just reaction.”
When Johnson grabs the controls of the latest college football video game, he usually plays with a team other than Georgia Tech. A few times, though, he’s checked to see how Cyber Johnson stacks up as a receiver against Calvin Johnson.
“I’ve seen myself make a lot of good ones on the video game,” he said, shaking his head and grinning.
Then it was time to head to the field, where fantasy becomes reality.
