Johnson Signs, Suits Up And Gets Lions Career Under Way

ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) _ Calvin Johnson knows exactly why he just became a very wealthy man. <br/><br/>Moments after signing a six-year contract with the Detroit Lions, the rookie wide receiver found himself

Friday, August 3rd 2007, 5:34 pm

By: News On 6

ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) _ Calvin Johnson knows exactly why he just became a very wealthy man.

Moments after signing a six-year contract with the Detroit Lions, the rookie wide receiver found himself on the first team during a two-minute drill.

``I wasn't surprised _ I was expecting to be out there with the first team,'' Johnson said. ``That's why they picked me at No. 2.''

Johnson's eight-day holdout ended in the wee hours of Friday morning when he, agent Bus Cook and Lions chief operating officer Tom Lewand reached an agreement. The final details were hammered out a few hours later, and Johnson signed the deal just in time for an 8:30 a.m. practice.

``I had tried to stay patient at the beginning of this, but the last few days have been nerve-racking,'' he said. ``I'm just glad that I'm out here playing football again, not worrying about the contract.''

Lewand declined to give financial details of the deal, and a message was left for Cook. But NFL.com reported the deal was worth $55.5 million, including more than $27 million in guaranteed money.

``We just kept working at it and working at it,'' Lewand said. ``We found some common ground in the last couple days, and we were able to finish it off with some late, late nights. I'm just happy that we can stop talking about Calvin's contract and start talking about his touchdowns.''

Johnson's arrival came at a perfect time for the Lions. The team was holding their first workout that had been open to the general public, and will have an open practice at Ford Field on Saturday.

``We choreographed that pretty well, didn't we?'' Lewand joked.

A large cheer went up once the 500 fans in attendance realized that Johnson was on the field, and more applause followed every catch he made in the two-hour practice.

``I thought today went pretty well,'' he said before signing autographs. ``I made some mistakes, but I was able to retain a lot of what I picked up in the (offseason team activities). That helped.''

Johnson is expected to team with Roy Williams and Mike Furrey to give the Lions the triple-threat receiving corps that was originally supposed to include first-round busts Mike Williams and Charles Rogers.

``I have a very good feeling about this group,'' Lions coach Rod Marinelli said. ``We've got some very special players on this field.''

Furrey and Williams are equally as confident after working with Johnson during offseason practices.

``No one is going to be able to stop us when we are all out on the field,'' Furrey said. ``People are excited about Calvin, but they don't even know what they've got yet. He's going to be one of the top receivers in the league in a couple years.''

While the passing game should shine, especially under offensive guru Mike Martz, Marinelli thinks Johnson will have as big an impact on Detroit's rushing attack.

``When we have those three men on the field, and especially when we add Shaun McDonald as a fourth receiver, it is going to force defenses to spread themselves wide,'' he said. ``That's going to open up a lot of room for Tatum Bell or Kevin Jones.''

NOTES: To make room for Johnson on the roster, the Lions placed second-round pick QB Drew Stanton on injured reserve with a knee injury. ``It's disappointing, but the decision is out of my hands,'' the former Michigan State star said. ``I just have to go from here.'' ... McDonald sat out most of the morning practice with an icepack on his left knee, but said he was OK. ``It's just sore from all these two-a-days,'' he said. ``I'll be fine tomorrow.'' ... The Lions had a special teams practice in the afternoon. They will hold an open practice at Ford Field on Saturday, then have their first off day on Sunday.