Calvin Johnson, the Lions record-breaking wide receiver nicknamed "Megatron" set the NFL record for receiving yards in a season with at least two broken fingers, according to the Detroit News. Lions head coach Jim Schwartz would not confirm but did not deny that Johnson has three broken fingers on one hand.
Reports say he has been seen in Detroit frequently with his fingers wrapped, lending credence to speculation that he has been dealing with injuries for a while. He also dealt with knee and ankle woes during the season, frequently missing practice in order to be as healthy as possible for games.
While Johnson caught 122 passes for a single-season record 1,914 yards he was tied for second in the NFL with 10 dropped passes with Victor Cruz of the New York Giants, Brandon Marshall of the Chicago Bears, and Demaryius Thomas of the Denver Broncos. The only player ahead of them was New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham. Johnson's drops briefly became an issue during a short stretch of shaky numbers, but the recent revelation about his broken fingers may explain the butter fingers. The fingers likely tamped down his touchdown total, which dipped from a career-high 16 in 2011 to five last season. It stands to reason that had he been healthier, Johnson's historic season could have been even more legendary. Even with the injuries, he topped his career high in receptions by 26 catches.
Johnson also claimed to have sustained a concussion and nerve damage during a September 30th game against the Minnesota Vikings. He eventually backpedaled away from that statement, in speaking to Anwar Richardson of MLive.com. "I would like to clarify some of my comments from yesterday. I am aware that I did not suffer a concussion in our game against the Vikings earlier this year. I misused the terms 'nerve damage' and 'concussion."
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