Report: Calvin Johnson played with broken fingers

02/21/2013 3:51 PM ET

By Joe Auriemma

Calvin Johnson is a prolific wide receiver even when apparently injured.(AP)

The elite receiver in the NFL today is unquestionably Lions wideout Calvin Johnson, also known as "Megatron." Johnson broke the NFL record for receiving yards in a season in 2012 with 1,964, comfortably passing the old record of 1,848 set back in 1995 by Jerry Rice.

However, it was revealed on Thursday that Johnson had one of the greatest offensive seasons in the history of the game with at least two broken fingers for most of the season, according to Chris McCosky of the Detroit News.

Lions head coach Jim Schwartz was asked about the report on Thursday at the NFL Scouting Combine and he declined to confirm or deny the claim. Schwartz did, however, lead on that the story might actually be fact.

"I am not going to comment on any of our players' health," Schwartz said. "But that's not uncommon for a wide receiver. We don't have any injury reports this time of year and you know how I am about injuries."

If the story is accurate, that makes Johnson's accomplishment even more special.

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