Giants star Odell Beckham Jr. gained national attention when he made a miraculous one-handed grab while falling backward against the Cowboys last November.
It was certainly the catch of the year, coming on a nationally televised Sunday Night Football game, and many argued it was the greatest catch in NFL history.
But Beckham is a lot more than that catch.
He’s a lot more than spectacular catches, in general.
“I think he’s just a great player,” cornerback Byron Maxwell said. “I think he’s looking at potentially a Hall of Fame career. It starts early like that.”
While incredible catches have become Beckham’s hallmark, he’s a complete receiver.
As a rookie, the first-round pick out of LSU caught 91 balls for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns in 12 games. This year, he has 31 catches, 428 yards and three touchdowns through five games.
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“He’s explosive; he’s a freak athlete,” Maxwell said. “He’s just a good football player, man. He does a lot of things well and he has great ball skills, his run after the catch is good. Like I said, he’s just one of them dudes that’s just a great athlete.”
Beckham comes into this Monday night’s game a little banged up. He has been dealing with a hamstring injury, but the Eagles are expecting him to play. And according to a report, Beckham is optimistic he'll be good to go.
Safety Malcolm Jenkins said it would be “foolish” for the Eagles’ defense to prepare like Beckham or fellow wide receiver Rueben Randle will be missing.
If Beckham does play, the Eagles will certainly have their hands full. In his last game against the Birds — in last year’s season finale — he had 12 catches for 185 yards and a touchdown.
But that wasn’t what impressed Jenkins.
The veteran safety remembers getting a good shot in on the then-rookie on the sideline early in the game. Beckham spent the rest of the afternoon charging Jenkins on every run play, trying to get him back.
What stands out most about Beckham to Jenkins is that he’s a “competitor.”
“That kind of stuff, for a person like me,” Jenkins said, “that’s what gains my respect more than making spectacular catches.”
He may be tough, but make no mistake: The Eagles still need to prevent Beckham from making those spectacular catches that have made him a very popular player throughout the country and have turned him into a must-watch attraction in pregame warmups.
Since the beginning of last year, Beckham has five receptions that have gone for 50-plus yards, good for fourth in the NFL behind DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and Jordy Nelson.
He not only has that big-catch potential down the field, boasting some of the best hands in the league, but also has the ability to take short passes for long touchdowns. He had 427 yards after the catch last season and has 122 already this year.
So which element of his game is more dangerous?
“I’d probably say underneath just for the simple fact that it puts you in stress if you miss a tackle and he has speed to where he can take a slant route and take it for 50, 60 yards for a touchdown,” Eagles safety Walter Thurmond said.
“That’s just running right through the defense, as opposed to a play on the deep ball where we have guys who can make plays on that deep ball as well. We like those chances. But he can also get on top of the defense. He has the speed to get behind the corners, get behind the safeties and we can’t allow those plays to happen either. We just have to play sound technique, sound, disciplined football and eliminate the explosive plays.”
Eagles defensive coordinator Bill Davis said the things that stand out about Beckham are his athleticism and explosiveness, saying Beckham can “stop and restart as fast as anyone.” Davis also said Beckham’s hands are among the best in the NFL.
Maxwell, who’s in his fifth year in the league, sees something special in Beckham, something he has seen from other great players early in their careers. He pointed at Adrian Peterson and Peyton Manning as two other guys who found success early in their careers and kept it going.
So far, so good for Beckham.
“And he’s getting better as they go,” Davis said. “We’ll have our hands full with him for a while.”