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          NFL Nation

          Lions Mailbag: Smart to irritate Johnson?

          • Michael Rothstein, ESPN Staff WriterSep 7, 2014, 09:00 AM ET
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              Michael Rothstein is a reporter for NFL Nation at ESPN. Rothstein covers the Atlanta Falcons. You can follow him via Twitter @MikeRothstein.
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          ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- It is almost here. Finally.

          All of the questions about the Detroit Lions will begin to have real, meaningful answers starting Monday night, when the Lions open up the season against the New York Giants. With that knowledge available, let's just get right to the questions this week.

          Remember, the mailbag is only as strong as the questions you ask. To ask a question, use the hashtag #LionsMailbag on Twitter or email me at michael.rothstein@espn.com. Or you can come chat with me here on Facebook.

          Let's get it going.

          @mikerothstein: I think you're jumping on the "Green Bay is not good" bandwagon a little bit fast here. The Seahawks were extremely impressive Thursday night and cut off half the field with Richard Sherman. Not many teams in the NFL have the capability to do that, which is part of the reason the Packers looked how they looked the other night. Still think they are the class of the division and until we see the Lions on Monday night, we won't know exactly what they'll look like, either. It gave me a little bit more pause about whether or not Green Bay will win in Detroit, but not totally sold on the fall of the Packers just yet.

          @mikerothstein: Calvin Johnson will say it doesn't if you ask him. History would suggest otherwise. When Dez Bryant kind of indicated he felt he could do everything Johnson could last season, Johnson went out and had the best regular-season receiving game in history. Rob Ryan, then the Dallas defensive coordinator, said the Cowboys' receivers were better than Johnson. He responded with eight catches for 96 yards and a touchdown. There are other examples, but it would be wise for opponents to steer clear of criticizing Johnson too much. He won't say anything about it. He'll just make plays to make you regret it.

          @mikerothstein: We won't know for sure until Monday night, however all indications are carries and catches will be spread at least among Joique Bell and Reggie Bush with Theo Riddick being somewhat involved. An indication the Lions might run something different than the New Orleans offense, though, comes with the team only carrying three true running backs on the roster (and two fullbacks). I'd expect you'll see a lot of short throws to Bush and Bell out of the backfield -- and a lot of targets to Calvin Johnson, Golden Tate and Eric Ebron -- but I don't know if it'll be quite as focused on the running backs as New Orleans was, at least to start.

          @mikerothstein: I believe the situation to be fluid right now. Kevin Ogletree took a lot of first-team snaps during practice and I anticipate him receiving them Monday night as well, but Ryan Broyles and Corey Fuller are both going to push him throughout the year. I anticipate all five of them eventually being used in some form or fashion this season in various roles. I think unlike in the Scott Linehan offense, you won't see any receiver (other than Johnson) particularly outside or in the slot. One of the goals for Joe Lombardi is to mix it up enough to leave defenses guessing where they are. But as far as a pure No. 3 receiver, that's still an open competition.

          @mikerothstein: Interesting question and while I'm going to shelve it for now, I'd say at this point -- no. Injuries could change that, as could TJ Jones' development while he is out. But as of right now, I don't see him as a contributor this season. Next year, though, he'll have a shot.