SAN FRANCISCO -- Detroit Lions fans were heartbroken when Barry Sanders retired at age 30. It appears they're about to be heartbroken again, now that Calvin Johnson is reportedly telling people he intends to do the same.
The parallels between the two icons are unmistakeable.
But when asked about it by MLive.com, former Lions great Herman Moore drew this important distinction: Detroit is a lot less talented now, and will be a lot worse off without Johnson than it was without Sanders.
"I don't think the team has enough talent and enough players to all of a sudden make up overnight the loss of a guy like Calvin Johnson," said Moore, who was promoting Quicken Loans on radio row at the Super Bowl.