The greatest catch of all time?
It did not take long for amazement to give way to curiosity; for ‘wow!’ to be succeeded by ‘how?’ On Sunday night the NFL-watching world debated whether Odell Beckham Jr’s one-handed touchdown grab against Dallas was the greatest catch in the history of the game. By Monday, the discussion had moved on – observers asking instead what mix of athleticism and witchcraft had allowed the receiver to attempt such a play in the first place.
The New York Times called in physicists for a detailed analysis of the play. They measured the distance the ball had travelled, its trajectory and the speed at which it was moving when it reached the rookie’s outstretched hand (46 mph, apparently). But in the end, they were still just as flummoxed as the rest of us. “It was a bit like Spider-Man,” observed Professor Jim Gates of the University of Maryland. “A near superhuman activity.”
Others sought to diminish Beckham’s achievement by highlighting the exceptional grip on his gloves. There is a valid debate to be had on the subject of how superior equipment is making life easier for receivers. The NFL famously banned the use of Stickum in the 1980s, but modern gloves might be no less effective in helping players hang on to a pass.
One thing we can say, though, is that Beckham is no more advantaged than anybody else. The Nike Vapor Jet gloves he wears sell for $100 a pair, and are worn by many other players. The Wall St Journal noted on Monday that they have been approved by the National Operating Committee on Standards for use in high school and college football – even though the NFL does not require adherence to that body’s rules.
The truth is that very few people in the world could have made the catch Beckham made – gripping the ball with three fingers while bent over backwards – regardless of what equipment they were wearing.
Nor was this any kind of fluke. Beckham’s former coaches and team-mates have been unanimous in stating that he used to make these sorts of grabs regularly at practice during his high school and college years. The rest of us have seen glimpses, too, whether it be Beckham fielding kickoffs one-handed (that’s kickoffs, plural) or simply showing off during warm-ups.
As Adam Kilgore put it in the Washington Post, “Even before Sunday night, Beckham’s acrobatic pregame routine – running patterns with headphones strapped on and ripping balls out of the air one-handed – had become catnip for television producers.”
Indeed, when Beckham was asked on Sunday whether he had made the greatest catch of all-time, he seemed a little bit underwhelmed. “I hope it’s not,” he said. “I hope I can make more.”
Most of all, he hopes to contribute to a winning effort in future. Because while Beckham finished with two touchdown receptions on Sunday night, the Giants still lost to the Cowboys, 31-28. With just three wins to show for their first 11 games, their season is effectively over.
Which is why Beckham’s catch, jaw-dropping as it was, is unlikely to live as long in the memory of Giants fans as the one made by David Tyree at Super Bowl XLII. But the rookie still has an entire career ahead of him, in which to make an even greater impression.
Forsett helps Ravens to move on without Rice
This could be the week in which Ray Rice returns to the NFL. The running back has been out of football since September, released by Baltimore and suspended indefinitely by the league after footage emerged of him hitting his now-wife, Janay Palmer (they were not yet married at the time of the incident), in an Atlantic City elevator.
Rice has appealed against his ban, arguing that the league – which had initially suspended him for just two games over the incident – has contravened the terms of the collective bargaining agreement by punishing him twice for the same offence. Many observers believe he has a good chance to succeed on those grounds.
Of course, even if Rice is reinstated, there is no guarantee that he will find a new team. The Ravens will not be calling. Leaving aside the thorny issue of how the player would be received in the locker room and by the team’s fans, Baltimore are doing just fine at running back without him.
In Rice’s absence, Justin Forsett has emerged as the team’s unlikely star. He rushed for 182 yards and two touchdowns during a 34-27 win over the Saints on Monday Night Football – his second straight 100-yard game.
Nobody expected Forsett to become a starter when he arrived in Baltimore this April. General manager Ozzie Newsome did not even want to sign him. Undersized at 5ft 8ins, 197lbs, Forsett had been a useful change-of-pace scatback for Seattle, Houston and Jacksonville in the past, but appeared to be slowing down as he approached his 29th birthday.
“I didn’t see it,” said Newsome recently. “[Head coach John Harbaugh] and [offensive co-ordinator] Gary Kubiak liked him, but when I watched the tape from Jacksonville, I didn’t see the same quickness Justin had shown earlier in his career. In the end, we trusted Gary that Justin was a good fit for the offense we were installing.”
Even Kubiak had only expected Forsett to be the third or fourth back on the depth chart. But when Rice was released, the Ravens chose to experiment with a committee approach. Very quickly, Forsett emerged as a more effective player than either Bernard Pierce or the rookie Lorenzo Taliaferro. Soon enough he was named as the starter.
Since then, Forsett has established himself as Baltimore’s most reliable offensive weapon. His 903 rushing yards rank him third in the league – behind only DeMarco Murray and Le’Veon Bell. His 5.8-yard average is the most of any player with 100+ carries.
And now the Ravens are leaning on him more than ever, as they fight to keep pace in the ridiculously competitive AFC North. Victories for the Ravens, Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals this weekend mean that every team in the division now has seven wins.
“It’s always important that we take a little bit of the pounding off of [Forsett],” said Kubiak on Monday. “We try to do that with Bernard and Lorenzo a little bit. But we’re getting down to the last six weeks, and you’re not saving much for anything, right? It’s time to go. I know Justin wants to be out there every down … he’s probably going to be out there quite a bit.”
South’s ineptitude creates awkward playoff questions
Never before has an NFL division been as bad as this year’s NFC South. That is not an opinion, just a sad statement of fact. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, this is the first time in league history that every team in a division has finished a weekend three games or more below .500.
At this stage, it seems probable that the division will be won by a team with more losses than victories. That, in itself, is nothing new. Seattle claimed first place in the NFC West despite finishing 7-9 in 2010. New Orleans will remember that story better than most, since they wound up losing to the Seahawks in the Wild Card round.
Memories of that defeat might give grounds for encouragement. Get into the playoffs and, no matter how bad you have been in the regular season, you still get to start off on the same footing as everyone else. In fact, as a division winner, you get the distinct advantage of playing your Wild Card game at home.
Can that really be fair? Should division winners automatically get playoff berths? And even if we accept the premise that they should, would it not be fairer to then seed all teams according to their regular season records?
These questions are not new, but they might will get fresh consideration from owners if the NFC South continues on its present course. It is mathematically possible that the division could be won by a 5-11 team, while others within the conference fail to snare a Wild Card berth at 12-4.
For now, though, the rules are what they are. One out of the Saints, Falcons, Panthers and Buccaneers will be hosting a playoff game in January. And who knows, they might even win it.
Seahawks reassert themselves in the West
A 19-3 final scoreline might trick you into believing Seattle had it easy against Arizona this weekend. Russell Wilson could tell you otherwise. The Seahawks quarterback was sacked seven times by a Cardinals defense that did everything in its power to overcome the repeated miscues made by team-mates on the other side of the ball.
If it was not ultimately enough to extend Arizona’s winning streak to a seventh game, then that is to the credit of a Seattle team that kept on coming. Wilson, in particular, took the game on his shoulders. While Marshawn Lynch could find no room to run, gaining just 39 yards on 15 carries, the quarterback scrambled 10 times for 73. He also completed 17 of 22 passes for 211 yards and one score – but most importantly no interceptions.
Takeaways have been the lifeblood of Arizona’s season so far, the Cardinals arriving at Sunday’s game with a +11 turnover differential. By avoiding any, the Seahawks denied them any cheap opportunities to put points on the scoreboard. And by focusing their energies on shutting down the running game, Seattle also put pressure on backup quarterback Drew Stanton to beat them through the air. Unsurprisingly, he was not up to the task.
Defeat does not have to spell disaster for the Cardinals. At 9-2, they continue to hold the best record in the NFC. There is no shame in losing on the road to the reigning champs, and Arizona should get back on track against Atlanta next week – even if their schedule looks daunting thereafter.
For Seattle, though, this was a vital victory. A loss would have left them four games back of the Cardinals, with hopes of retaining their division title hanging by a thread. Instead, they are back to within two, with everything to play for over the remaining five weeks.
Most encouragingly, their defense is finally looking back to its best, with middle linebacker Bobby Wagner back in the lineup for the first time in six weeks, and safety Kam Chancellor fully recovered from his groin injury. The pair combined for 16 tackles on Sunday, as Seattle gave up a total of just 204 yards.
They finished the weekend as the top-ranked defense in the NFL, the first time all season that has been the case. “I think we’re getting healthy at the right time,” said Wagner afterwards. “That’s going to be important down the stretch.”
Quick outs
• A concerning time for Chiefs safety Eric Berry, who flew to Atlanta to see a lymphoma specialist on Tuesday after doctors found a mass on the right side of his chest. Although no final diagnosis has yet been delivered, the team’s decision to place him immediately on the non-football illness list – ending his season – reflects the gravity of the situation. “I have great confidence in the doctors and the plan they are going to put in place for me to win this fight,” said Berry. “I believe that I am in God’s hands and I have great peace in that.”
• Berry addressed his team-mates before leaving for Atlanta, telling them they had to move on and finish the season strongly without him. To reach the playoffs they will certainly need to be a lot better than they were on Thursday night, when they became the first team this season to lose to the Oakland Raiders. “There are some definite things we can learn from this and make us a better team,” said head coach Andy Reid of the defeat. “We need to make sure we do that though.”
• Josh Gordon returned from his 10-game ban and wasted no time in reminding the NFL exactly what it had been missing. He led the Browns with eight receptions for 120 yards in the win over Atlanta, and even bailed his team-mates by pitching an incomplete pass to prevent Cleveland’s offense from taking a huge loss on a disastrous reverse play.
That being said, he could have worked a little harder to prevent an interception on one poorly thrown pass to the end zone from Brian Hoyer.
• Three straight wins over division-leading teams now for New England. They will have a chance to make it four out of four in Green Bay on Sunday.
• And finally this week, an onside kick rabona.
