ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Almost from the moment the Lions named Bob Quinn their general manager back on Jan. 11, Quinn was bombarded with questions about the player who then was the franchise’s biggest star.
Have you talked to Calvin Johnson? Any idea when Calvin Johnson will retire? How do you replace Calvin Johnson?
The volume with which that final question flew Quinn’s direction only intensified after Johnson announced his retirement in early March. Quinn’s general message never really changed: Calvin’s a great player and no one can take his spot, but the only way the Lions can succeed—at wide receiver and elsewhere—is to have a better roster from top to bottom.