Generally speaking, NFL teams can’t double-cover one receiver for an entire game. It takes a complicated defensive scheme to assure one particular person is double-covered from start to finish, so there are bound to be a few plays during a game where guys like Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald find themselves one-on-one with a defender. As you already know, Megatron tends to seize the moment when those instances occur.
The Cowboys did a decent job of covering Johnson in the early part of Sunday’s game, but they may have gotten complacent in the second half. When Terrence Newman lined up by himself across from Megatron at the goal line before the most important play of the game, Calvin knew the ball would be coming his way.
“If we get that single coverage, it’s automatic it’s coming up to me,” Johnson said according to Pro Football Talk. “When I went out there I was surprised (the Cowboys had me single-covered). I knew it was coming from the get-go.”
Rob Ryan did a lot of talking leading up to Sunday’s game and then ended up learning the hard way. If he had listened to Todd Haley he would have been better prepared to deal with No. 81. While Megatron’s comments can be construed as boasting, I don’t doubt what he says is 100 percent true. When Matthew Stafford sees Calvin in single-coverage there’s no need to call an audible. Everyone on the field should know what’s coming.
