NFL Tickets
This season for the New York Giants hasn’t gone quite as well as anyone hoped. They’ve won two in a row, but they’re still 5-9. They’re in third place in the NFC East with very tough competition in the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles ahead of them. And although there are still two games left in the season, it’s time to start looking to the future for the Giants and their fans.
Luckily, that future has a name. Odell Beckham Jr.
Many Giants fans were upset with his absence from training camp over summer and the first four games of the season. Obviously when a team is missing their first pick in the draft, it’s going to put a damper on things. But the Giants wanted to make sure he was healthy, and let him play when he was ready.
And then he burst onto scene in his first game, against the Atlanta Falcons. In that game he caught four passes for 44 yards with one touchdown. What was most impressive, however, was his ability to draw penalties from defenders who were too afraid to let him run by them – but then he would still catch the football. That was how he scored his first career TD.
He caught two touchdown passes in a close game against the Cowboys, including, perhaps, the most impressive catch in NFL history. In that moment he went from rookie wide receiver to NFL sensation. The following week he really turned it on.
In the seven games since the start of November, Beckham leads the entire NFL in receptions (61) and receiving yards (866). For reference, quarterback Eli Manning has 180 completions in those games. Beckham has just over one-third of Eli’s completions. That’s insane. Third-year wide receiver Rueben Randle has underperformed, and while the tight ends are reliable, none share the athleticism that Beckham has (plus Larry Donnell has fumbling issues). It’s as if Eli and Beckham are the only two players on the field.
The Giants have had some pretty good wide receivers throughout their history. Amani Toomer, Plaxico Burress, and even Victor Cruz have enjoyed the spotlight as the best WRs on the team, but none of them come close (maybe with the exception of Burress) to Beckham’s sheer athletic capabilities. He has phenomenal speed, incredible jumping, and — the best of the bunch — he simply runs really crisp routes.
Beckham leads all rookie wide receivers in yards (972), receptions (71), and yards per game (97.2), and is tied for second with nine touchdowns. And he missed four games. Again, insane.
While Beckham’s stats are truly incredible, it’s tough to say how good his stats would be if Cruz were healthy. After Cruz’s season-ending injury, which occurred against the Eagles, is when Beckham really took off. Maybe next year he won’t rack up all of the catches and yards he’s recording now (assuming Cruz is back and healthy), but the potential for the Giants’ offense as a whole greatly increases.
Cruz was one of the best WRs in the league prior to his Week 6 injury. As the Giants’ slot receiver, he had the trust of Manning, and was able to pile up the catches and yards. And while he has above-average speed and athleticism, again, he can’t compare to Beckham. Next season, if Cruz proves he’s healthy, the Giants will have one of the best one-two combinations in the entire NFL.
Opposing teams never respected Randle enough to double him, which put Cruz against doubles the majority of the time. He still succeeded, but not to the level that he did when Hakeem Nicks was still with the Giants (and playing well). Cruz became a bit vulnerable. Playing opposite Beckham is the perfect scenario for Cruz – and Eli. Surprisingly, teams aren’t double-covering Beckham as often as you’d expect this year, but with the addition of Cruz next year, that will really put the pressure on.
It isn’t often that one player (that isn’t a quarterback) changes the entire dynamic of a team, but Beckham has managed to do that. I won’t say how great he will be, but I will mention how great he can be. He has everything going for him, and things are only going to get better. For him and for the Giants.
Matt Turner is a New York Mets writer for www.RantSports.com. “Like” him on Facebook, follow him on Twitter @MturnerNY, or add him to your network on LinkedIn or Google.
Share 
