LA Rams are the right team for Odell Beckham Jr.

I am me

That willingness to share joy, pride, elation, frustration and even disappointment get a bad rap when it is portrayed by a media with an agenda. If the goal of every team is to win, then why is OBJ called to the carpet when that is the motivation for his public statements? Since the true ‘fix’ is sometimes very complex and would involve restocking the quarterback and offensive brain trust, that narrative points to the wide receiver and asserts he is to blame. Frustrated fans, who want to win just as much as their wide receiver, start to associate failure with the guy who is declaring it.

But in the end, he is just expressing team loyalty in his way. Few teams pattern their roster with input from players. When the LA Rams lost to the Green Bay Packers in last year’s Divisional Round, the team witnessed All-Pro DL Aaron Donald’s frustration and acted quickly. One result is the team taking a chance on signing FA WR Odell Beckham Jr.

An NFL singularity

OBJ loves to express his individuality as well as loyalty to the team. If he detects a problem, he will make his objections known. That is just who he is. After stints with the Big Apple (New York City) and the Rock and Roll Capital of the World (Cleveland, Ohio), OBJ had a string of bad encounters with the team culture, despite the fact that he put up at least one 1000 receiving yard season for both teams.

But for the LA Rams? He has not been nearly as lofty in his production. In seven regular-season games with the Rams, he caught 27 of 48 passes for 305 yards and five touchdowns. While that only works out to a 56.3 percent completion rate, that should be framed in the knowledge that he was thrust into a starting role of a sophisticated offense with almost no prep time.

What about the playoffs? Now, we’re talking.  With so much focus upon his teammate Cooper Kupp, OBJ has been a remarkably proficient talent. In three games, he has hauled in 19 of 23 passes (an astounding 82.6 completion rate) for 236 yards and a touchdown. That averages out to 12.42 yards per reception, a very healthy number for a secondary target. Perhaps the most intriguing characteristic? The bigger the spotlight, the better the performance.