Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant caused a Rock-sized eyebrow raise earlier this week when he said he can do whateverCalvin Johnson can do.
Bryant's comments were relayed to injured Detroit Lions wide receiver Nate Burleson -- who still aims for a Nov. 10 return date after breaking his arm.
"Listen, I like Dez," Burleson said, per the Lions' official website. "I think he's one of the best receivers in the game right now. Very talented. Fast, big, strong. He possesses all the tools to possibly be as good as Calvin. But he's not Calvin Johnson. No way, no how. Sorry, Dez. Keep it real."
Of course Burleson, who has a future in the media after he is done playing, is going to side with his teammate. However, his opinion does hold more weight considering he also played with Randy Moss while a member of the Minnesota Vikings.
On Sunday, Megatron somehow caught a 50-yard bomb while being triple covered. Johnson's ability to consistently beat double coverage is part of what makes him the best receiver in the league.
"There's no better guy in the league going up and getting footballs than Calvin Johnson," Matthew Stafford told NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport on Monday. ... "He's done it before. He'll continue to do it. The more he does it, the more trust I have in him to put up a ball that he can go up and catch, let him do his thing."
We pointed out yesterday that, through the first 50 games of their careers, Bryant's stats actually are better than Megatron's. Burleson absolutely is correct that Bryant has the tools to be like Calvin. However, Bryant needs to improve in several aspects in order to transform like Megatron did after his first 50 games.
One aspect of Johnson's game that Bryant might be looking to copy is being more mindful of his comments. Maybe Diddy can help with that.
The latest "Around The League Podcast" recapped every Week 7 game.
