Odell Beckham is a name that new NFL fans might not know. I really think he could have be THE best receiver of this generation, better than Mike Evans, or Deandre Hopkins, and even better than Julio Jones. Odell was the guy.

The Catch

On November 23, 2014 the whole idea behind what it means to catch a football changed. The game was Cowboys vs. Giants, in a game that was mighty important for the Cowboys considering they were tied with the Eagles for the top of the NFC East. The game was also on Prime Time so if you were watching football, you were watching this game. Odell was a rookie, and his breakout was coming. After missing the first four weeks of the season, OBJ would get off to a slow start. Up until the game against the Cowboys, he had 31 receptions for 463 yards and 3 touchdowns through six games which averages out to about 5 for 77 and a touchdown every other game. Then the catch happened.

If you have never seen this play, please please go watch it, I even did all the hard work and linked it. The Catch

The Cowboys would go on to win this game, although they would eventually fall to the Packers in the playoff after Dez Caught It. Cowboys fans in 2014 had it rough. In the final six weeks of the season, including this game, OBJ caught 60 passes for 842 yards and 9 touchdowns averaging 10 for 140 and a touchdown and a half per game. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a breakout like this. I don’t know if it’s fair to say that this catch caused all this but I don’t believe in coincidences. OBJ would go on to win Offensive Rookie of the Year and be named to the Pro Bowl, although his per game stats were levels higher than those around him. The next two years he was just as good, receiving AP second team honors both years, being ousted by the likes of prime Antonio Brown, Julio Jones, and our friend Dez Bryant. In 2017, OBJ would miss most of the season with a ankle fracture, and he would never be the same.

A lot of people only know Odell for this catch. Football guys might remember his catch against the Redskins or the Josh Norman battle. But Odell did more for football than just his performances.

The Culture Shift

I was nine years old when Odell caught that ball. I remember saying “Odell me” as a way to get the ball thrown up high above my head so I could attempt to “Odell” the ball. Odell became more than just a football player; he was the one hand catch guy. As little kids, we started trying to catch it with one hand. It’s like Odell validated that as an option. One handed catches really became a thing. Today, it’s almost expected for the best receivers to make one handed catches. In my own little reality, I would like to imagine that OBJ was the catalyst for the wide receiver revolution. Obviously there were great wide receivers in the past: Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, Torry Holt, etc. But to me, OBJ was the first to catch the ball in a cool way. Spectacular catches have blown up in the league since OBJ and it’s even supported by the league. In 2015, NFL posted Top 10 Catches of 2015 on their YouTube channel, with Odell as the thumbnail. Such video didn’t exist in 2014. In 2016, they expanded to top 50 catches of the year, Odell returning as the thumbnail. Finally, in 2017, with Odell on the thumbnail once again, NFL uploaded the top 100. The league hasn’t looked back since.

The End of the Odell Era

OBJ was recently waived by the Dolphins. Last year, he played a minor role with the Ravens, and missed all of 2022 after tearing his ACL in the Super Bowl with the Rams (where he SCORED A TOUCHDOWN RAHHHHH). I really hate to see it. His prime was so short… The thought of what could have been always sucks to think about, but by looking at what was, it’s safe to say that Odell Beckham Jr. will always be a legend.