Odell Beckham Jr. will take the field in Sunday’s regular season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars for the first time since breaking his ankle nearly 11 months ago.
It is easy to understand if the New York Giants wide receiver is a little excited.
“I can’t stop thinking about it,” Beckham said Wednesday in a locker room media session. “I’m at home. I’ll be in the middle of conversation, my mind doesn’t get off this game. It’s been a long time. There was a lot of hard work and preparation just to be able to get back to running and playing again. So, I’m excited, I’m real excited about this team and the opportunity we have in front of us.”
Naturally, the focus of the conversation shifted to Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Ramsey criticized some of the league’s quarterbacks in an offseason interview, including Eli Manning. Ramsey credited Beckham for any success or talent Manning has.
Beckham complimented the Jaguars defense as a whole, calling them “the best defense in the league” in his eyes. He also said how exciting it’s going to be to play them as a unit and Ramsey individually.
“Yeah, definitely,” he said in reference to Ramsey. “I’m more so just looking forward to playing football again. But, yes, it is an exciting matchup. It’s a good test for yourself in the first game against the best defense in the league, I would say.”
Beckham has a history of getting into verbal scrapes with outspoken cornerbacks. He was asked directly if he would take Ramsey’s bait.
“I think I learned my lesson,” he said. “This is, if not the best, then one of the best corners in the league, there is no way around it.”
Beckham appears to be a different player than the one who allowed Josh Norman’s trash talking to get under his skin. He spoke of how he pulled into the mind game, saying he “took the cheese” and how he’s grown.
“I’m seeing things different now, just knowing that it is going to be a matchup but it’s not going something where history repeats itself,” he said.
– Curtis Rawls is a Managing Editor for Full Press Coverage and covers the NFL, the New York Giants, and the NBA. Please like and follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Twitter. Curtis can be followed on Twitter @CuRawls203.
