Cris Carter may not agree, but Calvin Johnson is the best at what he does. Even the NFL Network checked in this week ranking him No. 3 among all NFL players. Here are three reasons that Calvin Johnson is the best receiver in the NFL.

1. Despite double- and sometimes triple coverage he comes down with the ball. His height, strength, concentration and athletic ability put him heads above most everyone else.

2. Johnson remains humble. He says with a straight face that he knows he can get better and puts in the work to make that happen.

3. He’s got a great quarterback in Matthew Stafford to get the ball thrown his way. The best receivers still need someone to get them the ball. This best receiver has one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks throwing to him.

(Until the start of training camp, the Lowdown lists will appear daily, Monday through Friday. Follow @PaulaPasche on Twitter. Email her at Paula.Pasche@oakpress.com.)

Last season Matthew Stafford became one of only five quarterbacks in NFL history to surpass 5,000 passing yards in one season. He finished with 5,038.

Here are three reasons Stafford might not reach the 5,000-yard mark in the 2012 season. (Hint: It has nothing to do with his health.)

1. The Lions don’t particularly like the word “balanced” to describe their offense, but they want to have a better running game which will give them more offensive choices. If Jahvid Best, Mikel Leshoure and Kevin Smith stay healthy this should happen. Big if, but even if two of the three could stay healthy the running game will get a huge boost.

2. Don’t get me wrong, I think Stafford will have another excellent season — was going to say Pro Bowl season but remembered he was overlooked. He will just have more options.

3. This season perhaps the Lions won’t be in so many situations where they are so far down that they are forced to throw to catch up. They will be too talented to fall in a deep hole early.

(Until the start of training camp, the Lowdown lists will appear daily, Monday through Friday. Follow @PaulaPasche on Twitter. Email her at Paula.Pasche@oakpress.com.)

Quarterback Shaun Hill was a perfect fit for the Lions from Day One. Entering his third season in Detroit, he’s a solid backup. Here are three reasons he is one of the best backups in the NFL.

1. He knows his role will always be as Stafford’s backup. There’s no drama that comes along with Hill. Of course he wants to be the best, but he knows Stafford is the franchise guy. Attitude is everything in an NFL backup quarterback. He and Stafford seem to be good buddies even away from the football field.

2. Hill is a darned good quarterback. He proved it in the 2010 season when Stafford missed most of the season with shoulder issues.

3. Hill prepares as if he’s going to start every game. Some guys say that, but Hill does it because he never knows. Because he’s got more experience than Stafford, he’s helped in his development too.

(Until the start of training camp, the Lowdown lists will appear daily, Monday through Friday. Follow @PaulaPasche on Twitter. Email her at Paula.Pasche@oakpress.com.)

Matthew Stafford had his day at ESPN a few months ago. Tuesday it will be Calvin Johnson’s turn.

The Lions wide receiver will appear on most ESPN shows Tuesday starting with SportsCenter at 10:45 a.m. and ending with NFL32 at 6 p.m., per information from Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com.

Stafford had some fun, throwing to ESPN staffers from the roof of one building down to the field.

“It was fun, it was a good time. I spent a day out there in Bristol (Conn.), they had me doing the dog-and-pony show all around,’’ Stafford said on Monday. “It was fun, it was a blast.’’

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Stafford, Ndamukong Suh and Nate Burleson have reportedly restructured their contracts to create more cap space before the start of free agency on Tuesday. Actually the Lions must be under the $120.6 million cap by then and were over by $11.5 million on Sunday.

These moves were not unexpected. Players can turn salary they were to be paid this year to signing bonuses which can, for cap purposes, be spread over the length of the contract.

Suh’s agent told Fox Sports Detroit that the deal would save “a significant amount” of cap space.

For this season Stafford was due $11.5 million, Suh $9.25 million and Burleson was due $4 million in base salary.

The Lions want to sign LB Stephen Tulloch and LT Jeff Backus to new deals and keep them off the free agent market. The restructuring should help.

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In a quieter ceremony during Super Bowl week, Matthew Stafford won a prestigious honor when he was named Quarterback of the Year by the NFL Alumni Association. He beat out two elite quarterbacks — Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers — for the honor.

The show aired on the NFL Network on Monday night.

“Any time an award like this is given out it's an individual award, but really it’s won by the team. I couldn’t have done it without the teammates and the coaching staff in Detroit. I'm just happy to be part of that team and be part of this,’’ Stafford said when he accepted the award.

Calvin Johnson was nominated for wide receiver of the year but that was won by Hakeem Nicks.

Stafford, who became one of only four quarterbacks ever to pass for more than 5,000 yards in a season, was named the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year on Saturday night. That's the award he's holding in the photo.

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This and that, tying up loose ends from the Super Bowl:

— Good to see Matthew Stafford get some recognition as Comeback Player of the Year. It’s not an award you aim to win, but it put him in the spotlight briefly which he deserved after a Pro Bowl snub.

— Not a huge Madonna fan, but thought she was awesome. In interviews on Friday and Saturday she was legitimately nervous about pulling everything off. No wonder, it was such a spectacle. Hope “the finger incident” doesn’t take away from such a tremendous show. It shouldn’t. She’s 53 and, as my friend Jennifer Hammond pointed out, after 30 year she’s still relevant.

— Don’t blame Gisele Bundchen for standing up for her hubby, Tom Brady. it’s not like she initiated it. She was provoked and it was the heat of the moment. Give the super model a break.

— Don’t count out Tom Brady. The Patriots are the favorites at 11-2 odds to win Super Bowl XLVII.

(In photo, Matthew Stafford with girlfriend Kelly Hall at NFL awards show on Saturday.)

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Dan Patrick nearly stumped Lions’ quarterback Matthew Stafford on his show Thursday morning by asking him what would come first: Winning a Super Bowl ring or giving his girlfriend an engagement ring

“Hopefully a Super Bowl ring,’’ said the 23-year-old Stafford who might have some explaining to do to his girlfriend.

Stafford is in Indianapolis with many NFL top players for Super Bowl activities. He’ll be coaching in the Celebrity Beach Bowl on Saturday afternoon against Cam Newton’s team. Barry Sanders will also be involved as will Kurt Warner and Joe Montana.

Patrick didn’t stump him when asked about how close the Lions are to winning it all. Patrick said now that the Lions have made it to the playoffs they expect them back next year.

“I think we’re real close, I think we’re right there. Obviously, with free agency and the draft it’s always exciting to see who your new teammates are going to be. We’re as excited as anybody. I think our team is poised and ready to make that next step,’’ Stafford said.

Saints quarterback Drew Brees was in the waiting room — actually waiting gym — along with Stafford who had nothing but praise for the quarterback who knocked the his Lions out of the playoffs.

“I’m happy for him he’s a great guy. He’s a fellow Texan, I’m happy for him, happy for his career. Obviously I would’ve liked to win the game we played in. I have a lot of respect for him. He does some unbelievable stuff on the field and he’s a great guy off of it,’’ Stafford said.

He also had praise for the Saints’ offense, said it was a great offense for a quarterback to run and if he had to choose ... “Aside from the one I run in Detroit, probably the one he’s running,’’ Stafford said.

We’ve been over this before, but not sure I’ve heard this story. Stafford’s high school team won the state championship 59-0 his senior year. He said he knew he had something special early on in high school.

“My sophomore year, first game of the year I was going to split time with this other quarterback and the first quarter he started the game, I came in the second quarter and played well and ended up finishing the game out. Got offered by SMU the next day. I was like, ‘OK now maybe I’ll be OK,’’ Stafford said.

Wednesday was national signing day and Stafford remembers his because he was already enrolled — or as he said enlisted — at Georgia. That was his plan because he wanted to play his senior season without being distracted.

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Matthew Stafford has a friend in Kurt Warner, a retired four-time Pro Bowl quarterback who was the MVP of Super Bowl XXXIV.

Stafford is a nominee for the NFL comeback player of the year award which will be awarded on Saturday night, Super Bowl eve.

Warner, who spoke in Indianapolis Wednesday, thinks Stafford is just getting started.

"I think we saw this year his potential. Everybody knew he was talented; it was just, can he stay healthy for 16 games? If he can, let's see what he can do. Well, he can throw for 5,000 yards and 40 touchdowns,’’ Warner said, according to quotes on the Lions’ web site.

“Along with the weapons he has, I don’t know what the limit for him is. That was a great year, a great year under the radar because of everyone else. That’s an MVP year in most seasons and he’s 23 years old. If he can continue that, and improve in some of those other areas, he’s going to be really, really impressive,’’ Warner said.

Stafford completed his first 16-game season in 2011 after being hampered by injuries in 2009 and 2010. He only played in three games in the 2010 season due to shoulder injuries which is why he's nominated for comeback player of the year.

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The strangest question hit me out of the blue the other day: Is Matthew Stafford the Lions’ equivalent of Red Wings’ Hall of Famer Steve Yzerman?

We really won’t know the answer to that for several years. Yzerman won three Stanley Cups so Stafford has some catching up to do.

Still, there are plenty of similarities early on.

Yzerman was the fourth overall pick in the 1983 draft and immediately was on the Wings’ roster. He was smart, a good leader and the hardest worker — always.

Covered the Wings and Yzerman for many years later in his career. The day in 2003 that the Red Wings beat writers told him we’d nominated him for the Bill Masterton Memorial award he was profusely sweating while riding an exercise bike, don’t think he even slowed down when we asked for comments. It just seemed fitting. He won the award after coming back from radical knee realignment surgery that could have ended his career. The award is given to the NHL player who best represents perseverance, sportsmanship and a dedication to hockey.

Stafford, of course, is early in his career. Already he’s had a chance to show how tough he is — that win over Cleveland in his rookie season was the first major indication. He truly got up off the turf on the sidelines with a dislocated shoulder, bolted past the medical personnel and back onto the field to win the game. Since then repeatedly he’s been knocked around and gets up and goes back to work. He had a tough sophomore season playing in only three games due to injuries, but came back in 2011 and played them all. He’s a nominee for the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year which will be awarded on Super Bowl Eve.

Like Yzerman, Stafford is smart, hard-working and very much a student of the game. His teammates respect him, even at a young age. He’s a natural leader. Stafford is just 23. Yzerman first became captain of the Red Wings when he was 21.

Both started when their teams were in the dumps. Yzerman joined a group not so fondly known around town as the Dead Wings. In 1982-83, the season prior to Yzerman’s arrival, they were 21-44-15. In his fourth season they lost in the Stanley Cup Conference Finals to the Oilers. In Yzerman’s 14th season he won his first Stanley Cup with the Red Wings.

Stafford was drafted following the 0-16 season in 2008. He had just turned 21 but had little trouble handling the immense expectations placed on his shoulders because he was the No. 1 overall pick.

It’s difficult to compare NFL and NHL playoffs, they are such different animals. In Stafford’s third season he got the Lions to the playoffs. More will be expected each year. If Stafford and the Lions create a dynasty of sorts like the Red Wings did (three Stanley Cups in six years) with Yzerman, then the comparisons will be stronger.

It should be interesting to watch.

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Matthew Stafford is not going to the Pro Bowl, while Carolina Panthers rookie Cameron Newton will be in Hawaii on Sunday filling in for the Giants’ Eli Manning who dropped out to prepare for the Super Bowl.

It’s a shame for Stafford who was the third Pro Bowl alternate. He deserved better. Many think he should have been in the Pro Bowl over Eli Manning in the first place.

Between Stafford and Newton the numbers aren’t even close.

Matthew Stafford had 5,038 passing yards, (only the fourth quarterback in the history of the NFL to pass 5,000 yards) 41 touchdowns, 16 interceptions, a 97.2 passer rating and a 63.5 completion percentage.

Cam Newton finished with 4,050 passing yards. 21 touchdowns, 17 interceptions, a 84.5 quarterback rating and a completion percentage of 60.

The Pro Bowl voting was done before the Lions (10-6) had made it into the playoffs, but they were on their way and the Panthers who finished 6-10 were not.

Stafford could have joined his teammate Calvin Johnson at the Pro Bowl.

A look at Twitter shows how upset Lions fans are today. Who could blame them?

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Other than his arm strength, accuracy, football smarts, work ethic and poise under pressure, there is something else that makes Matthew Stafford special.

The 23-year-old Lions quarterback is a likable and humble guy.

Wide receiver Nate Burleson chatted about it this week, saying Stafford doesn’t walk around with his chin up. He’s one of the guys, he fits right in. It’s a little thing, but it’s important that a quarterback be liked by his teammates. That hasn’t always been the case with Lions quarterbacks — remember Joey Harrington.

While passing for 5,038 yards in just his first full season sets him apart, Stafford let the praise roll off his shoulders saying it was a team effort.

There is no bigger deal in this town right now than Stafford as the Lions head to their first playoff game since 1999. Reports on Twitter Thursday night said he was eating dinner out and approached by kids and their moms for pictures and not only complied but he was smiling and laughing while doing so.

When asked last week about being recognized out and about, he said it was all part of the deal. He appreciates the kind words offering him good luck.

When the Lions drafted Stafford with the first overall pick in 2009, they did their homework on him. They did a good job.

Matthew Stafford is the complete package.

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ALLEN PARK — There are people out there who are writing off the Lions’ playoff chances against the New Orleans Saints on Saturday night.

Yes, it was just a month ago they lost 31-17 to the Saints, but this is a different Lions team now.

They’ll have three starters on defense that they didn’t have that game — Ndamukong Suh, Louis Delmas and Chris Houston.

Plus since the 11 penalties that cost them 107 yards in that game, they have become more disciplined especially when it comes to after-the-whistle situations.

Drew Brees is on fire and the Saints haven’t lost at the Superdome this season.

But Matthew Stafford and the Lions’ offense have found a rhythm in the last few games. Stafford has averaged 428 passing yards in the last three games with a total of a dozen touchdowns and just two interceptions. They were 5-3 on the road this season.

I’m not saying it’s a lock, but the Lions should not be overlooked. They could win this game.

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If you think Matthew Stafford is nervous about his first playoff game, you don’t know the kid. He can’t wait.

He knows full well that playoffs are what separates good quarterbacks from great quarterbacks. In his explanation he may have been referring to a certain Denver Broncos quarterback, although he never said Tim Tebow’s name.

“Win, that’s what you have to do that’s what people are judged by this time of year, quarterbacks. And a fun thing for me is this offense, a lot of it’s on me getting able to throw the ball around, that’s awesome,’’ Stafford said on Tuesday.

“I’d rather have it that way then go out there and throw eight passes in a game and have us win. it’s fun to go out there and sling it around and see what happens,’’ he added.

In the Broncos’ loss to Kansas City Sunday, Tebow was six of 22 for 60 yards and an interception.

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Overlooked a bit in the Lions’ 34-28 nail-biter of a win over the Vikings on Sunday was the performance of quarterback Matthew Stafford.

His numbers weren’t gaudy — 20 of 29 for 227 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His rating was a respectable 115.2.

Since his broken index finger has healed, he’s thrown just one interception and that was late in the loss at New Orleans when he was trying to make something, anything happen.

Stafford has been consistent saying he doesn’t care about his stats as long as they win.

“We need to play as good as we need to play to win every week,’’ Stafford said Sunday. “You know, that’s the way it is. Some games are going to be prettier than others. You look at the first-half stats of this one, we played well. We didn’t play as well as we could in the second half but we got the win.’’

The defense pitched in with two touchdowns — one on a fumble recovery and one on an interception return. In this win the defense was the story.

But the Lions can’t get to the playoffs without a well-oiled, smooth-running offense.

“I thought we made some big plays, we made some plays when we needed to, one third down to Titus (Young) for a long one, another third down that Titus caught a quick little slant and you know made a big play for us there,’’ Stafford said.

Stafford was pressured all day long by Jared Allen and the Vikings’ defensive line. But he hung in there and made smart decisions.

It seems like we’re seeing this offense grow up week after week. And even though he never made a big deal about it, Stafford is a much better quarterback now that his broken finger has healed.

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For the third time this season Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford has been nominated for the NFL’s Air player of the week. In the 49-35 comeback win over the Panthers on Sunday he connected on 77.8 percent of his passes for 335 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions.

Also nominated are Miami’s Matt Moore and Dallas’ Tony Romo.

In just his second game of the season, Lions running back Kevin Smith was nominated for Ground player of the week. He tallied 140 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries in the Lions’ 49-35 victory over the Carolina Panthers.

His yardage total and 8.8 yards per carry were the highest of any back on the weekend.

Also nominated are Cleveland’s Chris Ogbonnaya and Baltimore’s Ray Rice.

To vote go to NFL.com/FedEx.

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ALLEN PARK — Quarterback Matthew Stafford (ankle) and running back Jahvid Best (concussion) did not practice today (Wednesday). Stafford was on the field watching. He did not appear to be limping. No sign of Best who has missed two games.

DT Nick Fairley, who was inactive Sunday because of his injured foot, was back at practice.

Also not practicing were S Amari Spievey, RT Gosder Cherilus (knee), CB Eric Wright, S John Wendling and WR Rashied Davis (foot).

The Lions have a bye on Sunday. The players are off Thursday through Monday. They’ll return to practice on Tuesday to prepare for the Chicago Bears game on Nov. 13. The game time has been moved to 4:15 p.m.

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ALLEN PARK — Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford left Ford Field wearing an orthopedic boot after Sunday’s loss to Atlanta.

But his ankle injury is not serious according to coach Jim Schwartz.

In his Monday presser Schwartz said Stafford is day to day, nothing more.

Following the game his ankle and knee were a concern, but the knee is not an issue per Schwartz.

Stafford didn’t address the media on Monday, but Ndamukong Suh did and he had plenty to say about accusations that he and Cliff Avril taunted or kicked quarterback Matt Ryan when he was down. Stay tuned, writing as fast as I can.

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ALLEN PARK — How much help were the fans on Monday night in helping the Lions beat the Bears?

Enough that coach Jim Schwartz is awarding the fans a game ball from the Monday Night Football game. It will be painted up with the details and displayed at Ford Field.

“(The fans) did a heckuva job. That kind of atmosphere is something we need week in and week out,’’ quarterback Matthew Stafford said on Wednesday.

“They did a great job being quiet on offense and loud on defense which we appreciated, it’s going to be a ton of fun,’’ he added.

Sounds a little strange, but Lions fans had forgotten their Ps and Qs over the long stretch of mediocrity. At times last season they were loud when the Lions’ offense was on the field.

The Lions (5-0) host the 49ers (4-1) on Sunday in a key NFC contest. San Francisco’s only loss came to Dallas in overtime. The Lions are 5-point favorites.

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Here are five things we’ve learned about the Lions following their remarkable 34-30 comeback win over Dallas at Cowboys Stadium:

1. The Lions are resilient. Last week at Minnesota they were down 20-0 at the half and came back to win in overtime. It was quite the effort, but nothing compared to Sunday when they were down 27-3 in the third quarter. Their mantra in such situations is just make a play, then make another. And then they are confident enough to go out and do it. Unbelievable.

2. Depth helps. Linebacker Justin Durant, who led the team in tackles the first three games, was out with a concussion. In stepped Bobby Carpenter who made the first big play of the game. Same thing in the secondary when Amari Spievey and Erik Coleman missed time with injuries. With the heavy rotation on the defensive line they were able to stay somewhat fresh even though they were on the field for 12-plus minutes in the third quarter.

3. Matthew Stafford is all that. He and the offense struggled in the first half, but his teammates said he remained calm, cool and collected. They take on his personality on the field, so maintaining his cool is essential. One cool cat.

4. Calvin Johnson doesn’t need to say anything to Cris Carter or Rob Ryan, he just lets his play do his talking. We’re only four games in and I’m running out of adjectives to describe the big guy.

5. These Lions are for real. Period.

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