Five Years Ago, Odell Beckham Jr. gave us this…
After one of the greatest catches in football history, Odell Beckham’s status exploded as one of, if not the, one of the greatest talents in football. Many were quick to put Odell at the top of the list, of best receivers in the NFL, and soon afterwards the production would follow.
Odell’s first three seasons in the NFL were elite. He posted three straight years of 1300+ receiving yards, with 90+ catches and 10+ touchdowns. His miraculous catch, was supposed to be a glimpse of more to come, and after three years, he became the shining hope of a deteriorating Giants team. Odell started being featured in commercials, became the brightest star athlete in all of New York (which relax he didn’t have much competition, that was still the Melo led Knicks).
But an injury would sideline Odell to just 4 games in 2017, and what followed would be a drama infused tenure in New York that would lead him to fate only suffered by a few…
... a trade to Cleveland.
Odell’s first year in Cleveland brought the same amount of hype he was used to in New York, but had a less than impactful year with Cleveland catching 70+ balls for 1,000+ yards.
Has the past 2-3 years of production, outweighed the previous three years of stardom?
Is Odell just another unfortunate product of being in the wrong place at the wrong time?
Or, did Odell, like many others before him, shine too bright, too quick, and unfortunately has his light begun to fizzle away into a planetary nebula? (I don’t know, some science term that goes along with a dying star)
The reality is, none of these questions truly matter. If Odell Beckham is going to once again become one of the preeminent receivers in the NFL, then the 2020 season is going to have to be a turning point for Odell. And just for the purpose of this article, we will assume the 2020 season will be played in full, without any need for the NFL to alter their plans because of the current COVID pandemic (You know, pretend. Just like the NFL is doing). If Odell is going to be able to regain his status, he is going to need to have another monster season to prove this last two years was merely just a bump in the road, a fluke, and possibly the dramatic version of a future 30 for 30. What Odell does not have to be however is the best receiver in the NFL. Because that was something he never was.
Odell Beckham has ranked as one of the best receivers in the sport over the last six years, but the fanfare, and attention he has received has gone beyond what the other receivers in the NFL have experienced, thus creating a ceiling for Odell that may not be attainable. The reality is, Odell, while a great receiver, has never truly been the best receiver in the league, despite the highlight reel. Odell has been great, but the greatest? While many fans from New York, maybe not so much Cleveland, have made cases for Odell ascension to the top, although the stats, while comparable, certainly do not surpass his peers.
From 2014-2019
Over the last five years Odell has been a part of the conversation of ‘best receiver’ in the NFL, but he certainly hasn’t dominated the conversation. One injured plagued season in the midst of that certainly did not help his cause, and one could argue his numbers would be even more impressive. But players do get hurt in the NFL, that is what happens. When one is only 5’11’’ at 198 lbs, one is more susceptible to getting injured. However, Antonio Brown, who has better numbers, is actually smaller than Odell, but has been able to stay on the field with more consistency than Beckham.
But let’s play that game for a second, and instead let’s just look at Odell’s first three years in the league when the hype was at its peak, as was his production.
From 2014-2016
Even from 2014-2016, while Odell belonged in the discussion of being one of the best receivers in the game, he never truly reached the top of the mountain. Mike Evans is still the best kept secret in the league, Julio Jones and DeAndre Hopkins duel for who is the most consistent, and Antonio Brown has been the most dominate. Now typically this is when Giants fans would chime in and start listing reason after reason for what has, or had, prevented Odell from truly being the best. The injury being one of them. But each one of these receivers had something working against them. While some point to Odell’s injury as something that has inhibited his production, one has to remember the importance of the quarterback in this equation as well.
Brown and Beckham both had Hall of Fame worthy quarterbacks to begin their careers with in Big Ben and Eli Manning, where as the likes of Mike Evans and DeAndre Hopkins played with the likes of Mike Glennon, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Famous Jameis, and the infamous Brock Osweiler.
So what do these numbers tell us? Is or has been Odell Beckham Jr. nothing more than a great talent, once on a great stage, and was or perhaps may never be, the greatest receiver in the league? New York is a great place to be on the rise, but unfortunately Cleveland is a great place to fall.
But the reality is, Odell doesn’t need to ascend to the best receiver in the league. Beckham has become such a character in the game, it has actually transcended his actual production. After all, this is the NFL, a player doesn’t need to be in a big market in order to get notoriety. Patrick Mahomes has become the biggest name in the NFL, right next to Tom Brady, while playing in Kansas City, not exactly a media magnet. Julio Jones and Antonio Brown have put up superior numbers, but neither have commanded the attention the way Odell has. Well, perhaps Brown, but that’s not because of what he has done on the field. Evans and Hopkins accomplishments are more impressive when you factor in the dysfunction they had to put up with in their organizations, but with Hopkins now joining up with Kyle Murray in Arizona, and Brady coming to Tampa Bay, for the first time in their careers, more eyes will be on them than ever before.
But not all eyes. And that’s what Odell has represented in the league, during his short tenure. All eyes have always been on him, because what is capable of doing. Jones, Hopkins, and Evans are special receivers, more productive, and more reliable at this point in their respective careers. But Odell can give you something a little special, something you haven’t seen before and because of that his value has not changed, and the way people look at him, still has not tarnished.
But this is the NFL, and time is the most fragile commodity. Beckham cannot afford to have another year of irrelevancy, he needs to show us all that his stardom can shine again. If he is able to regain his dominance and it results in the resurrection of the Cleveland Browns, perhaps his star will shine brighter than ever before.
No comments:
Post a Comment