In the sports world today, we live in a time where people tend to label these athletes as “washed up” or they’re not the same anymore. Those words love being put on social media and love coming out of people’s mouths. Now, you have me who’s looking at it from the other side. How can they be washed up or done when they’ve been misused? That’s exactly what’s been happening with Odell Beckham Jr. I might not agree with what his dad did by putting out that video of his son being wide open and not getting the ball. If you watch those videos, he has all the space in the world in front of him and wasn’t even targeted. It never worked for Odell in Cleveland. As you’ve seen, the Browns are a better team without him. They released him and he became a free agent. He narrowed his choice down to three teams. The Packers, Chiefs, and Saints. He spurned all of those and ended up choosing the Los Angeles Rams as his next destination.
When he’s healthy and his head is in the game, he has the potential to be one of the best in the league. The excitement factor travels with him while he’s on the field. One-handed catches are one thing. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen young kids trying to make the one-handed catch that he made so popular over these last few years. For me, it’s always been the way he gets in and out of his cuts. Odell does it with pure speed and power. I’ve always said jamming him at the line of scrimmage isn’t a good idea because he’s strong enough to handle the physicality. He plays with the mentality of a running back and I say that because of the shiftiness he displays. Anytime the ball gets in his hands, you think there’s a chance for him to score every time. That’s how electric he can be. The smallest routes can turn into a big play or even points.
The Rams have struck again. As I’ve said on Monday Evening Quarterback and every other show I contribute for, they are truly in “Win Now Mode”. This offense was already potent with Stafford, Kupp, Robert Woods, and Higbee. Now, adding Odell to the mix is a scary thought. It looks good on paper, but let’s see what it looks like live. I thought Green Bay and Kansas City would’ve been better fitted for him. Have the Rams become the favorite in the NFC? To some yes, but there’s still a team that resides in Tampa Bay, Florida that you must go through. I can’t wait to see how this all pans out.
