Furrey played safety for the St. Louis Rams in 2005 before signing with the Lions in 2006 and being converted back to his former position of wide receiver. All Furrey did was catch 98 passes (second in the NFL and first in the NFC) for 1,086 yards and six touchdowns.

After playing the last four years for the Rams, McDonald signed a two-year deal with Detroit in March. Less than halfway through the season, he has given every indication the team made a wise choice. Granted, McDonald may not catch as many balls as Furrey, but through Detroit’s first five games he was second on the team with 25 grabs for 287 yards and three touchdowns. That puts him in position to break his career high for most receptions in a season when he caught 46 passes with the Rams in 2005.

What makes McDonald’s accomplishments all the more noteworthy is that quarterback John Kitna has a host of talented wide receivers to choose from (Furrey, McDonald, Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson).

Of course, McDonald isn’t exactly a stranger when it comes to playing behind wide receivers with a knack for giving cornerbacks a good look at the back of their jerseys. On the Rams he was part of a receiving corps that included Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt.

“That was a great four years for me,” said McDonald, who wrapped up his ASU career second on the Sun Devils’ all-time list with 2,867 receiving yards — 126 short of the school record set by John Jefferson from 1974-77. “I definitely got to learn a lot. It definitely brought my game to a new level. All you can do [when playing with guys like Bruce and Holt] is try to remember some of the things they’ve done and how you can incorporate them into your game.”

McDonald’s “game” is being helped because Detroit’s offensive coordinator is Mike Martz, who was the Rams’ head coach from 2000-05.

“This is a perfect fit for me,” said McDonald, who made an impressive debut with Detroit by catching six passes for 90 yards and a touchdown in a 36-21 victory over the Oakland Raiders Sept. 9. “Mike likes to do a bunch of different things that make the game fun.”

McDonald’s situation with the Lions is also different in that at the ripe “old” age of 26 he’s considered a veteran, whereas he was one of the younger guys with St. Louis. But that doesn’t mean he’s about to apply for membership in AARP.

“This gives me a chance to teach some of the younger guys just like I was helped with the Rams,” McDonald said. “I like it. There are more than one or two ways to do things. The more you learn the better you can get.”