Rams’ Matthew Stafford Going to Canton For Calvin Johnson

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has been the talk of the offseason with optimism surrounding the Rams about what he can do in head coach Sean McVay’s high-flying offense. On Saturday, he took a steady dose of reps in the team’s joint practice against the Dallas Cowboys. But now, he'll take a short little pit stop before returning to practice at the Rams UC Irvine facility.

Following the practice session in Oxnard, Calif., McVay said that Stafford will be traveling to Canton, Ohio, to attend former teammate Calvin ‘Megatron’ Johnson’s Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony.

While Stafford and Johnson never won a playoff game together in two trips to the postseason, the duo was a force to be reckoned with. A successful wide receiver can only go as far as his quarterback takes him, and the pair consistently lit up the stat sheet alongside one another.

Surely, Johnson had the ability to be Canton-bound even if Stafford wasn't the one delivering his passes. At 6'5", 237 pounds, Johnson's combination of size and speed presented elite traits that opposing defenses had little to no chance at slowing down.

Seven of Johnson’s nine seasons in Detroit were with Stafford as his quarterback. All but one season together, Johnson eclipsed over 1,000 receiving yards, including 2011 and 2012 when ‘Megatron’ led the NFL. He also totaled a league-high 122 receptions in 2012.

The duo orchestrated impressive feats, but none more monumental than when Stafford and Johnson connected for 329 yards — just between the two of them — against the Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 27, 2013.

"There were so many great plays in that game, but his ability to compete to the end was the best part," Stafford remembered.

Listen to Matthew Stafford relive Detroit Lions great Calvin Johnson’s 329-yard game against Dallas in 2013.

Stafford: “From day one, I knew that I was throwing to a Hall of Famer as long as he stayed healthy." pic.twitter.com/igOKSbOf4C
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) August 6, 2021

As part of the 2021 class, Johnson will give his Hall of Fame enshrinement speech on Sunday, August 8 with the ceremony starting at 7:00 p.m. ET. Johnson is due up to speak fifth among the seven Hall of Famers who are being enshrined.

Continue Reading: Hall of Famer Isaac Bruce to the scout who doubted him: “How ya like me now?”

Nick Cothrel is the Publisher of Ram Digest. Follow Nick on Twitter @NickCothrel.