Containing Lions' 6-5 Johnson no easy task

The Bears realize Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson presents all kinds of problems.

Most noticeably is that there isn't a cornerback on the planet who can match up physically with the 6-foot-5, 236-pound focal point of Detroit's passing attack.

He also runs pretty well, not just for a big guy but for anyone, any size. Johnson consistently ran 40-yards in the 4.3s leading up to the 2007 draft, when he was the second overall pick.

"I don't think you can compare him to anyone," Bears free safety and nickel back Danieal Manning said. "I don't know if there's any one person that has his size, his speed, his strength. You have some guys who may be faster, you may have guys that are quicker, and there might be guys that are stronger. But he has the total package that you want in a receiver."

Playing with rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford, Johnson has 13 catches for 190 yards this season after catching 78 passes for 1,331 yards and 12 touchdowns last season.

"We know what he's capable of doing," said Kevin Payne, who takes over at free safety when Manning moves to nickel in passing situations. "We know he's a great athlete. He's a deep guy. He's very fast, very tall, very strong. We have to be conscious of (all) those things."

So what is the biggest problem he presents - preventing him from catching the ball or trying to get him on the ground after the catch?

"I think the biggest problem is if you keep thinking about him all the time like this," Manning said. "But he's human. The guy can play, I'm not taking anything from him, but I feel like you just have to play your technique and contain him the best way you can."

Last year at Soldier Field, Johnson's 17-yard TD catch was part of a 23-point second quarter that propelled the Lions to a 23-13 halftime lead, which the Bears barely overcame. He finished with 8 catches for 94 yards. But four weeks earlier, Johnson had just 2 catches for 16 yards in a 34-7 Bears victory.

At 6-foot-1 and 198 pounds, Bears cornerback Charles Tillman has the size to compete with Johnson. So does 6-1, 193-pound Zack Bowman, but Tillman has the experience, and he has been asked to shadow the opponent's go-to guy in the past.

The Bears aren't saying how they'll go about defending Johnson, but most teams prefer a double-team, using a safety over the top to bracket the big guy.

"I don't think that's what we're going to do (every play)," Manning said. "As a matter of fact, I know that's not what we're doing. We're going to play him the way we play ball, tough and hard, stripping balls, making tackles and playing harder than the other team.

"They've got another guy who's 6-3 (Bryant Johnson), so I think it'll be a great matchup."

Bryant Johnson has 8 catches for 118 yards, giving Stafford another option.

Spreading the ball around has worked for Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, who has compiled back-to-back passer ratings of 104.7 and 124.6, completing 73.8 percent of his passes for 483 yards, 5 touchdowns and 1 interception the past two weeks.

Five Bears have are averaging at least 3 catches per game, which presents a matchup problem for Detroit as well. Devin Hester and Earl Bennett are tied for the team lead with 13 receptions, followed by Matt Forte (11) and then Johnny Knox and Greg Olsen with 9 each.

Bears wide receivers coach Darryl Drake doesn't subscribe to the theory that a team must have a "No. 1 receiver."

"I never heard of a No. 1 'til I started hearing it around here, and I've been coaching for 30 years," Drake said. "What is a No. 1? You have to have playmakers. You either have playmakers or you don't. No. 1, No. 2 or No. 32.

"I was (coaching) on a team when I had Hines Ward (at Georgia). Was he our No. 1? No, he was a playmaker. We had four or five of them, so I don't get caught up in No. 1 or No. 2 or No. 3, I just get caught up in guys that have the ability to make plays when their number's called, and to me that's what it's all about."

Sounds a lot like he's describing Calvin Johnson.