Rudi Johnson did two things last year I still find hard to believe: He had his bags stolen by Tatum Bell and he got paid for 16 weeks of NFL football.

On Wednesday, the free-agent running back dropped by Sirius NFL Radio's “The Sirius Blitz” show. Host Adam Schein asked him how close the Lions are to turning things around.

“Years away,” said Johnson, who ran for 237 yards in 14 games last season. “Definitely. I would say years away from being a competitive team in the NFL. So I wish them the best of luck.”

Asked to elaborate, if it was the players, the mindset or the mess Matt Millen created that has the Lions in such a hole, Johnson said, “Everything you just said.”

“When you get that far off there's not just one thing that plays a part in it,” Johnson said. “If you go 0-16 it's not just the players, it's not just the coaches, it's not just the organization. It's everything from top to bottom. It's not just one thing, it's everything.

“Everything you just named are all the things that are wrong with the team, with the organization. So you know there are a lot of things that need to be fixed for them to be successful and get to winning football games. Like I said, I wish them the best of luck but sometimes people got to move on and that's what the situation is, but they're definitely a long shot away from being competitive and winning football games.”