thelesterlee
Odell Beckham signed a 1-year deal with the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday afternoon and was expected to be the no.3 receiver behind Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods. The next day, Woods tore his ACL in practice. On Monday, Odell suddenly went from a backup with no practice time with the team yet to an important piece with no experience in the offense.
Then this happened…
Odell Beckham’s dad is already starting his Matthew Stafford video pic.twitter.com/p5bHfzVd5d
— Eric Rosenthal (@ericsports) November 16, 2021
Clearly, Odell and Stafford had a miscommunication which is fine because again, they just met over the weekend and Beckham doesn’t even know the playbook yet.
Here’s what ODB provided the Rams in their Monday night beatdown by the 49ers:
- 3 targets
- 2 catches
- 18 yards
And as you saw earlier, that one missed target resulted in an interception. Not quite the huge impact like Cam Newton provided the Panthers the day before but the Panther obviously built a small package for Cam while the Rams just threw Odell to the wolves.
But I don’t want to blindly defend Odell. He’s 29-years old. He might really be washed. My problem is the instant reaction of blaming the receiver for the quarterback’s inability to throw him the ball.
Here’s Troy Aikman blaming Odell:
Troy Aikman told @dfwticket that #Rams QB Matthew Stafford may be feeling what #Browns QB Baker Mayfield felt in having to force the ball to Odell Beckham. Aikman also wonders if the Rams’ recent acquisitions have shaken the team’s foundation. pic.twitter.com/WgpVYABj9j
— Mark Lane (@therealmarklane) November 16, 2021
The big quote there being “But I think Matthew Stafford now feels some of the pressure that maybe Baker Mayfield felt of, hey, we got to get this guy involved, or he’s in the game right now because he’s going to take a deep route and I’ve got to find a way to get this ball in his hands because that’s why he’s playing on this play”
Here’s Albert Breer agreeing with this nonsense:
This right here is why Odell Beckham would’ve been a no for me if I had a young quarterback. If you got an established vet like Stafford, I think it’s workable. Unhealthy for a young QB, and can lead to bad habits. https://t.co/jK6zrRmzMt
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) November 16, 2021
What the fuck are we doing?
Why is Odell this destructive force that handcuffs his quarterbacks? Is Tom Brady anxious in the pocket because he might get in trouble if he doesn’t throw to Antonio Brown? Is Kyler Murray worried about being sent to the principal’s office is he doesn’t throw to DeAndre Hopkins? Is Aaron Rodgers sweating when he drops back because the police will drive onto the field and arrest him if he doesn’t hit Davante Adams?
It is insane that Baker Mayfield and now Matt Stafford are being treated like children when it comes to their inability to connect with one of the most talented receivers of all time. It’s Odell’s fault that Stafford was on the move and chucked a terrible football into double coverage nowhere near where Odell was standing because Stafford was nervous and had to throw to him.
Great quarterbacks make their receivers look great. Great receivers make their quarterbacks look great. It’s that simple. How many years did we watch DeAndre Hopkins shine in Houston prior to Deshaun Watson’s arrival when he was catching passes from future gym teachers and insurance salesmen?
Just throw Odell the ball when he’s open and don’t throw him the ball when he’s not open. Quarterbacks do not deserve weird excuses when they can’t do that. They should be shamed and laughed at if they can’t.
Let’s give Odell and Stafford a full week of practice and see what happens next. I think they’ll be fine but yea, this Odell blaming is odd but not at all surprising. There’s a lot of clout that comes from being the grumpy old man in the room these days.
