ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- From his catchy nickname to his sturdy performance on the field, Calvin Johnson often seems indestructible. So it was a bit startling when the star wide receiver was limited by injuries toward the end of last season, finally sitting out the finale after his Detroit Lions were eliminated from playoff contention. Johnson had surgery in the off-season on a knee and a finger, both of which caused problems for him in 2013. He still put up terrific numbers for the Lions, but he was held under 100 yards in the last three games he played and couldnt prevent the collapse that kept Detroit out of the post-season. On Tuesday, "Megatron" was out on the practice field, preparing for what he hopes will be a healthier, more successful season. "It feels great to be out here playing with the guys," Johnson said. "I missed a lot of practice time last year before games. You definitely feel like you need that practice time before a game, just to get on one accord with your quarterback." Johnson caught 84 passes for 1,492 yards last season -- great stats for almost any player, but his worst output in both categories since 2010. It was never entirely clear how much Johnsons knee was bothering him, but then-coach Jim Schwartz conceded in late December that the star receiver was nowhere near 100 per cent. "It was bad enough where I had to get it drained every week," Johnson said. "The finger, it was stuck at 90 degrees. Its good to have those things freed up." The Lions fired Schwartz and replaced him with Jim Caldwell in the off-season, meaning Detroit is implementing a new offence. Quarterback Matthew Stafford will be under pressure to limit the mistakes that plagued him last year -- and he should have an easier time if Johnson is back at full strength. Although Johnson missed only two games last season, he wasnt able to practice all that regularly. That time is valuable even for a veteran who will turn 29 in September. "You kind of lose your wind a little bit. You know the plays, but I feel that you have to go out there and practice to be able to play at your best," Johnson said. "Im a firm believer in that. I had experience in the offence, therefore I was able to go out there and still play, but Im a firm believer that being out there during the week definitely improves your performance on Sunday." With Nate Burleson no longer on the Lions, Johnson is now the elder statesmen of Detroit wide receivers, and hes always led by example. Its easier to do that, of course, when hes healthy enough to practice. "Its nice to have him back and working at full strength. Im so happy for him," centre Dominic Raiola said. "The guys so tough. Its hard to get him out of there. Hell play through anything. For him to be healthy right now and being out there with the team, thats big time." NOTES: Caldwell said injured CB Chris Houston has been excused from practice. Rookie WR T.J. Jones, the teams sixth-round draft pick, was also excused Tuesday. ... Caldwell joked a bit about his reputation for remaining even-keeled. "Theres no need for a whole lot of cussing, screaming, yelling and all that kind of stuff," Caldwell said. "Its a mini quiz out here. I never had any of my professors yelling in my ear when I was sitting at the desk filling out those multiple-choice questions." Fake Vans Old Skool .C. -- Colin Kaepernick raced into the end zone, then pretended to rip open his shirt with both hands imitating Cam Newtons Superman touchdown celebration. Fake Vans SK8 . There is no argument that the line of Pacioretty, David Desharnais and Thomas Vanek was one of the hottest in the NHL leading into the post-season, and they did combine for three goals and seven points, but it was the depth of all four lines that helped propel Montreal. http://www.fakevans.com/fake-vans-slip-on/. -- Jonathan Diaz is easy to spot in the Blue Jays clubhouse. Fake Vans Shoes . - The Oakland Athletics say they are stopping negotiations to extend their lease at the Coliseum. Cheap Fake Vans . -- Cincinnati Reds closer Aroldis Chapman is undergoing surgery to repair a broken bone above his left eye but has no other serious injuries after being hit in the face by a line drive in a spring training game.BANGKOK - The 2022 Winter Olympics will remain in the traditional February time slot and will not be moved to make way for a rescheduled World Cup in Qatar, the head of the worlds national Olympic committees said Thursday.FIFA is currently considering moving the World Cup to avoid the summer heat in Qatar, including a possible shift to January-February — a period that would clash with the Olympics.Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, president of the Association of National Olympic Committees, said the Winter Games arrangements are already locked in and the onus is on the World Cup to avoid clashing with the Olympics rather than the other way around.Sheikh Ahmad, a powerful IOC member who also heads Asias Olympic association, said the World Cup timing is an issue for FIFA and not the International Olympic Committee.The Olympics should be maintained, Sheikh Ahmad said. The IOC will maintain their time because we already have been committed, the organizers have been organized, the broadcasting, the marketing partners.The IOC has repeatedly said that it has assurances from FIFA President Sepp Blatter that the two events will not clash.FIFA said Monday it was targeting two options for moving the World Cup — January-February and November-December. The January-February option is favoured by FIFAs confederations. European soccer clubs prefer April-May.Sheikh Ahmad said he is confident that FIFA will ensure that the World Cup and Olympics do not overlap.They are the best two events in the world, he told a small group of reporters on the sidelines of ANOC meetings in Bangkok. (FIFA) will analyze this and they will try to come up with the best solution how they will make it without touching each other, achieving the interest of each.Somebody is talking about January and February before the games, somebody speaking about October and November and others asking to maintain in August. Let thee commission do their homework, but I am 100 per cent confident they will never be at the same time.ddddddddddddBeijing and the Kazakhstan city of Almaty are the only two remaining bidders for 2022 after several cities dropped out of the running. They will give formal presentations to the ANOC assembly on Friday.The opposition to the World Cup being hosted in Qatars summer heat had also been regarded as diminishing the chances of a Middle East country hosting the summer games in 2024 or beyond.Sheikh Ahmad, who is from Kuwait, said that was an issue that will be addressed as part of the IOCs Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms. The reforms will be voted on at a special IOC assembly in Monaco next month.The ANOC chief said there needs to be more flexibility over the timing of the Summer Olympics to broaden the list of candidate cities. He cited Dubai and Doha as examples of Middle East cities that could host the 2024 Games.(Dubai) is capable. They dont have to do anything, only the sporting facility, Sheikh Ahmad said. They have the airport, the hotel, the accommodation, the name, the tourism. We have capable cities in our region which can bid for the games whenever they want.This is something we have to discuss in the 2020 agenda. We have to respect the south zone of the world. When we did it in Sydney, we did it in October. We have to put two periods of time: one achieves the north and one achieves the south.He said Doha, which bid for the 2016 and 2020 Olympics but failed to make the list of finalists both times, could be successful next time.The last time (Dohas bid failed) I dont know why it was, because they had almost all the federations accept the time change. Only maybe one federation gave disapproval, Sheikh Ahmad said. In any case, Doha is now in a position better than the last few years. If ever they will go again, I think they will be on the short list. ' ' '