RENTON -- It's not often the subtraction of a future Hall-of-Fame player still at the top of his game results in only a small drop-off for a team, but that seems to be what happened with the Detroit Lions after the retirement of Calvin Johnson this offseason.
Johnson, aka "Megatron," stepped away from the game at the age of 30 after a nine-year career that included six Pro Bowl berths and three first-team All-Pro selections. But Johnson's retirement, which came after a season in which he caught 88 passes for 1,214 yards and nine touchdowns, didn't have a huge effect on the Lions offense.