Before the New England Patriots visited the New York Giants back in 2015, Bill Belichick had a pregame chat with the Giants’ superstar receiver, Odell Beckham Jr.
Beckham, now with the Cleveland Browns and preparing to face Belichick’s Patriots this Sunday, remembers that conversation well.
“Going against Bill Belichick, this is somebody who I have much respect for,” Beckham told reporters in Cleveland on Wednesday. “I’ll probably talk to him before and after the game. He tells me the same thing every time. He’s like, ‘I hope you enjoy the day, because there’s not going to be much for you.’ That’s what he’s told me, and that’s what he does every single time. He’s just tough. He’s going to coach it up, and they’re going to be ready and prepared.”
The rest of those talks must have come during the preseason because that 2015 matchup was the only time the Patriots have faced Beckham in a regular-season game since he entered the NFL in 2014.
New England’s defense held the Pro Bowl wideout to just four catches on 12 targets, but Beckham still managed to rack up 104 receiving yards, 87 of which came on a first-quarter touchdown pass from Eli Manning. The Patriots won that game 27-26 to improve to 9-0.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtIu2hAkdXI
Belichick’s current squad sits at 7-0 following its 33-0 dismantling of the New York Jets on Monday night. The Browns, who entered the season as a trendy pick to win the AFC North, are a disappointing 2-4.
Beckham, likewise, is off to an uneven start in his first season in Cleveland, surpassing 100 yards in two of his six games — including a six-catch, 101-yard performance last week in a narrow loss to the Seattle Seahawks — but failing to crack 30 yards in two others. This week, he’ll likely be matched up against Stephon Gilmore, arguably the NFL’s top cornerback.Â
“He’s an explosive playmaker,” Belichick said of Beckham. “… He makes acrobatic catches, good quickness, good after the catch, and he can throw. He’s had a couple of passes, as well, so he’s a little bit of a threat to run with the ball or throw it if he gets behind the line of scrimmage. He’s a good player. They use him a lot of different ways, and he’s one of the many weapons they have. It’s hard to just key on one guy because they have so many guys who can get you.”
