“Oh baby I like it raw. Yeah baby I like it raw.”
We play a fantasy game that tabulates stats from the performances of human beings playing the real game of football. To win, one must devoid emotion from the process and select the players that project to score the most points. It’s a very cold and robotic process, something the NFL (No Fun League) is probably ecstatic about. Yet, we are human. Antonio Brown scores two touchdowns and starts twerking in the endzone? We are on cloud 9 and put Antonio on the short list of baby names. C.J. Anderson fumbles at the goal line, costing countless owners a win, and people flock to Twitter and send death threats and racial slurs. One of the excuses I see thrown around to explain this behavior is that fans are passionate (but that’s not an excuse for stupidity, but that’s another discussion for another day). Okay. But you know what? Football players are humans too!!! And they have just as much passion, if not more than you or I. How else could you explain the willingness to consciously get into multiple car crashes a day?
I’ve seen so much silliness the past week regarding Odell Beckham Jr.…
- The Giants have an Odell Beckham Jr. problem – USA TODAY
- Odell Beckham Jr. is a whining, tantrum-throwing mess, but the Giants shouldn’t worry – Fox Sports
- This should be Giants’ first step to fix Odell Beckham – New York Post
- Giants’ Odell Beckham Jr. falling prey to his emotions – Newsday
I’ve also seen countless questions on Twitter asking about trading ODB for _____? Seriously? Is Beckham injured? Is he about to get suspended? Â My favorite is the negative connotation associated with Beckham’s quote of “I’m not having fun anymore.” We as fans always want our athletes to be “raw.” Except when they actually do it, then we berate them for some reason. Put yourself in Beckham’s situation. The media is all over him, the fans are turning on him, he hasn’t scored a touchdown all year, the Giants just lost their last two games, and he just got shut down by one of the best defenses in the NFL.
I want my star player to be angry. I want my star player being pissed. As a Raiders’ fan, I saw what apathy did to a superstar. The Raiders had Randy Moss, arguably one of the greatest receivers of all-time, from 2005-2006 and the life was sucked out of him because the situation was so bleak. I didn’t blame him, but it was heart-breaking to watch an all-time great be a zombie.
Much of the world viewed the play of Beckham Monday Night as a whining, immature baby. I viewed it as a player that cared. Ref doesn’t call a late hit out of bounds? Okay. It’s like that huh? Alright. It’s playground hoops rules then. There ain’t no fouls. You push me, I’m gonna push you. What did Beckham do the next time he got the ball? Instead of going out of bounds, he bopped Xavier Rhodes on the sideline. I loved that! He didn’t whimper away from the contact and challenge. He met it head-on. Unfortunately, the Vikings’ defense is amazing and the Gomer Pyle that quarterbacks the Giants wasn’t able to match what ODB was bringing to the table.
R-E-L-A-X. This is Beckham’s third season in the NFL. In each of his first two seasons, he’s eclipsed the 90 reception mark, 130 targets, 1,300 receiving yards, and 10+ touchdowns. Sterling Shepard and Victor Cruz may siphon off some targets, but Beckham still leads the team in targets with 39 and that should continue to be the case going forward. The opportunity to acquire a superstar below market cost doesn’t happen often. Here’s your chance. Sift through all the noise and see the situation for what it is – a chance to get a league winner onto your squad.
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