Time to credit LA Rams Odell Beckham Jr as more ‘we’ than ‘me’

The LA Rams fanbase has had to trust the team’s front office at times, even when that trust requires welcoming NFL players who, for one reason or another, have less than a stellar reputation when they arrive on the roster. After all, players who are above average in NFL skillsets and production are below average in terms of prying themselves loose from a ‘bad fit’ team.

And yet, the perspective remains the same, somehow associating the success of the previous team with one player. Naive? Perhaps. Simplistic? Perhaps. But each of us forms our opinion on the information we receive and the way we process that information. The same ‘facts’ can lead to entirely different conclusions, and it’s so very dependant upon the person judging those ‘facts’.

The LA Rams have added two recognizable names at the wide receiver position this year. The first was speedy veteran DeSean Jackson. The second is a more versatile Odell Beckham Jr.  In both cases, they bring unique skills to the Rams’ offense. In both cases, both want to contribute in a meaningful role with the team. In both cases, they not only brought skills but a rather tarnished reputation about being more of a ‘me’ player than a ‘we’ player. But is that fair?

Rams roster needs we, not me, players

I think the first order of business is to define a few pitfalls with that entire ‘locker room cancer’ moniker we love to toss at professional athletes we know so little about. Let’s be honest with ourselves.  If a player asks to be traded, all we can truly determine is that it is a bad fit. Was Jalen Ramsey a locker-room cancer? Was Dante Fowler? Was Matthew Stafford? Sometimes, players simply need a fresh start with a new team to succeed.

So what makes Odell Beckham Jr. any different?

That is what the LA Rams hope for as well.

Some feel that the chemistry is gone from the team now. But how much chemistry did anyone truly expect by adding players in mid-season after four weeks? In many cases, the players and coaches are still making introductions, getting settled, learning plays and tendencies.  Be patient.

Let’s see what bakes for the Rams this season

We’ll learn more in Week 14 as the LA Rams face the Arizona Cardinals once more. We’ll learn who is capable and who is struggling. But don’t lose sight of the goals right now. The goal of the regular season is to get to the playoffs, stay healthy, and improve with each game. At 8-4, are the Rams so terrible of an NFL team?

Let’s hold off on those phony false NFL narratives for a bit. OBJ wants to win and will do anything and everything he can to do so. That includes working with younger receivers and helping them through dry spells. It also includes making circus catches. It even includes suiting up and playing hurt.

Winning is more than just showing up, suiting up, and putting up great individual statistics. But from the fans’ perspective, all of the true team-building skills are off-camera, out of sight, and therefore invisible. That makes it tough to know the truth.

That’s why it’s time to credit LA Rams Odell Beckham Jr as more we than me. Let’s trust the team’s front office one more time, even if that trust requires welcoming NFL players who, for one reason or another, have less than a stellar reputation when they arrive on the roster. I’d rather welcome a player to the team that can help win games for the LA Rams than shun him because his former team claimed he was no good.