Calvin “Megatron” Johnson was a wide receiver for the Detroit Lions from 2007 to 2015. Standing at 6’5”, weighing 240 lbs, and still managing to run a 40 yard dash in 4.35 seconds, it was like he was designed in a lab. He also had insane strength, body control, and leaping ability, boasting a 42.5-inch vertical jump and an 11 foot 7 inch broad jump. Not only that, but his catching radius has been widely described as the size of a two-car garage. He made dominating defenses look second nature.
Compare this godly blend of size, speed, strength, and control to the Mongolian warriors riding around on horseback. In a fight, the whole Mongolian army would have almost no chance against Megatron, simply because of his ability to be quick and flexible despite his size, his high intelligence, and his determination to win.
The Mongolian army mainly attributed its success to its incredibly specific organizational structures and tactics, but would be caught with their pants down when facing an irregular Megatron. Their largest unit, the touman, consisted of about 10,000 men. They relied on simple organization and communication, to make them surprisingly agile for 10,000 men.
The Mongolian army has fought enemies with more boots on the ground than they did, yet the Mongols ended up winning. Their depth, synchronization, and agility made them defy the physical odds. They used fake retreats, circling enemies, and arrows to dominate over anyone else. They were geniuses for their time, but not anything like modern day Megatron.
Beyond the physical traits Johnson possessed, he was also incredibly focused and smart. He scored an unreal 41 on the Wonderlic test, which is a 12-minute, 50-question, timed test used by employers to measure a persons, learning speed, problem-solving, and cognitive ability. Keep in mind, the highest score you can get is a 50, and the average score is a 20.
Not only was he highly intelligent off the field, he was incredibly intelligent on the field too. He was known to read defensive coverages on the fly, and oftentimes used that to adjust or change his route completely, just to get open. Even though he faced double or even triple teams routinely, he still found where he could gain leverage, and attacked that area with as much force as he could. Simply put: he could dominate physically as well as mentally.
Megatron led the Detroit Lions in pass receptions and receiving yardage for multiple seasons and holds the team’s career records for receptions with 731 and receiving yards, with 11,619. He also set the NFL season record for receiving yards in 2012 with 1,964 yards, set the record for the most consecutive games with 100 or more receiving yards with 8, and had a 329 yard receiving game, the second most in a single game in NFL history.
For his whole career he was dominant, and almost always was he considered the best player at his position in the entire league. He has all of these records not just because he was physically superior to everyone else, but because he knows how to exploit every advantage his opponents hand his way.
If the two were to face today, the great Mongolian army and the almost godly Calvin Johnson, it wouldn’t even be fair. But he wouldn’t be fighting alone, he’d be fighting with the brilliance of a seasoned NFL player who understands how to exploit complex defenses and weaknesses. Any planning the Mongol army tried to do would be rendered completely obsolete.
