Baltimore Ravens safety Matt Elam may have awoken the Detroit Lions' superstar wide receiver Calvin "Megatron" Johnson when he was discussing the Ravens' plan to contain him Monday night. Elam said that Johnson was "getting pretty old," and Johnson replied to those statements on Thursday.
According to NFL.com, Elam suggested Wednesday that the Ravens will get physical with Johnson due to his aging body.
It wasn't all bad as Elam paid Johnson some compliments before calling him old. Johnson spoke about the comments Thursday.
"I'm getting old," Johnson said Thursday, via ESPN. "It's all good. I'll show him what that old man's strength about, though."
NFL.com reports that Johnson, 28, said he wasn't surprised by the comment because Elam, 22, won't be matched up against him.
"So, he can talk all he wants," Johnson, who has 75 receptions for 1,351 yards with 12 scores this season, continued per ESPN. "He plays back and I don't see him every play unless I run past him. I'm not worried about it."
Johnson had some shots of his own for the Ravens secondary, suggesting that the group of players that will try to stop him are "definitely guys we can make plays on."
Johnson's teammate and fellow wide receiver Nate Burleson responded to Elam's knock on Johnson Thursday.
''I don't understand why he would throw shots at The Beast," Burleson told the Oakland Press. "[We'll] make sure we take all our medication and lube these old bones up, we'll see what happens on Monday night. From what I see out of Calvin he's physical, he's fast, he's a freak, he's unstoppable and he's definitely not old."
While Elam called Johnson old, his quarterback and coach didn't seem to happy with him ruffling the feathers of their upcoming opposition's best player.
"You just kind of look at him and say, 'Dude, what are you thinking? It's Calvin Johnson,'" quarterback Joe Flacco said Thursday, according to NFL.com.
Added coach John Harbaugh via the Baltimore Sun: "Hopefully he learns from his opportunity to speak to the media."
The Ravens (7-6) travel to Detroit to take on the Lions (7-6) on Monday Night Football this week. It'll be interesting to see how "old man" Johnson performs.
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