Pump The Brakes With Odell Beckham Jr (for now)
Okay, so by now I think it’s fair to assume we have all heard how great Odell Beckham Jr is. One way or the other we have all, without question, heard how great he has played this season. We’ve seen the highlights, pre-game and mid-game (one in particular). We’ve listened to the comparisons. We’ve read the stats. So forth and so forth.
However with all that said, is Beckham a top ten NFL receiver? Believe it or not this is a debate I have seen in recent days. In all honesty I must admit, I have considered both sides, but have come to conclusion it is time to “pump the brakes.”
Either way, at the risk of being called a hater; at this present moment I must say Beckham is not in the top ten of receivers playing today. I think for the time being it is best that we all take a step back, wait a second to slow down, and let this young man have a little more time to show his true colors. After all, Beckham has only played ten football games.
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In today’s modern day NFL there is an incredible amount of great receivers, quite possibly more than ever before. For the baseball fans out there, I compare the recent flooding of quality, high end wide receivers in the NFL to what we’ve seen recently in MLB involving starting pitchers.
In recent years to some degree, wide receiver stats have gotten a bit inflated, a bit watered down per say. For example, from a statistical standpoint, we have never seen anything close to this type of quarterback play. Same goes the wide receivers, they are getting faster, scoring more touchdowns and hauling in big plays because quarterbacks have evolved.
Athletes so far from generation to generation are continuing to improve, never the opposite, for whatever reasons it’s just how we humans work. Perhaps there’s a scientific or sociological explanation behind it, in which case I am nowhere near qualified to talk about it. Needless to say, everything and everyone is getting faster.
Beckham not being a top ten wide receiver is more about the NFL than it is about him as a player. To his credit, the rookie wide out could not have possibly played better over his first 10 NFL games. Still, in order to join the elite group (top ten) of a historically great group of wide receivers, he will have to show us that he can sustain his incredible success over the long haul. Or more than ten games and for the next few years.
Nov 30, 2014; Jacksonville, FL, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham (13) leaps over Jacksonville Jaguars defensive back Aaron Colvin (22) during the fourth quarter at EverBank Field. The Jaguars won 25-24. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Considering he hasn’t played a full season or even for a few NFL seasons just yet, only time will tell just how his career will pan out.
Due to this I cannot (yet) call him a “top ten” NFL receiver. Essentially what I am saying is he does not (yet) belong in the category of A.J. Green, Calvin Johnson, Dez Bryant, Jordy Nelson, Julio Jones, Josh Gordon, or even Larry Fitzgerald.
At least not at this moment. Truly though the fact that we are even having this conversation about a 22 year old, rookie, wide receiver, is to me amazing in its self. His future is something I believe any athlete would revel in but it’s just too soon to give him that title since we haven’t seen enough just yet.