Beckham vs Norman II Just 3 Days Away
After last year’s Week 15 bout & all the trash talk that followed, football fans are hyped about another matchup between Josh Norman and Odell Beckham Jr. We’ll be treated to this twice a year now after Norman inked a deal with the rival Skins – but let’s not go overboard. Is Norman a great corner? Sure. Did ODB finish the Carolina game with a pedestrian stat line? Sure. Did Norman mentally break Beckham in a way you never want to see your super star get rattled? Abso-fucking-lutely. If you think this is a battle of physical equals though, you’re out of your mind. If – and it’s a big one – ODB can keep his head right, there’s zero chance Norman can keep up.
Beckham caught 4 of 6 balls that came his way while Norman was on him last year, including a game-tying 4th-down score late (followed by an Iverson-inspired step-over). The two misses – one a sure-fire 52 yard TD early in the game where ODB had him beat by 3 yards – were dropped, not defended. Once Beckham got off initial contact at the line of scrimmage, there was absolutely nothing Josh Norman could do. Reports are out that he’ll be running with Beckham on both sides of the field Sunday. Cool. He doesn’t have the support he did with the Panthers though. Norman leads a secondary who has allowed Big Ben & Dak Prescott to fire at a 73% clip about to face the league leader in completion percentage. After ODB inevitably has his way with the corner he made famous, Norman might wanna consider sliding him a chunk of that $50M guaranteed.
Before anyone says anything about Beckham’s numbers “decline” to start 2016, remember who he played beside for his first two seasons. Rueben Randle – a guy who can’t even find a spot on an NFL roster anymore at just 25 years old. Now he’s got Mr. Magnet Hands Sterling Shepard & a resurgent, reliable Victor Cruz back – easily the most support he’s had. Eli doesn’t have to force the ball down Beckham’s throat anymore. They also don’t need to sling 50-yard bombs to keep up with opponents hanging 30+ on them weekly now that they’ve got a defense. Besides, ODB’s mortal start isn’t all due to spreading the wealth. He’s seeing a target less per game compared to last year, but last week could’ve easily ended with 100+ and a score if he held onto an Eli dime late. The monster outings will come – probably as soon as a couple of days.
This year’s G-Men have a different dynamic & I believe Beckham understands that. He simply cannot go into tantrum mode with the 0-2 Skins coming to MetLife looking to avoid an early 3-game division hole. All ODB needs to do is the thing that comes easiest to him – be the best, whether it’s against Norman or not. When the game ends with the Giants still undefeated & Beckham posts his first triple-digit line of the season, Norman will come over with his tail between his legs begging to swap jerseys & we can put this overblown “rivalry” to bed. Norman. Can’t. Hang.