What a day indeed, Alonzo.
Of all days, November 11, we had Cam Newton sign with the Carolina Panthers to be their starting quarterback again. And we had Odell Beckham Jr. sign with the Los Angeles Rams to join a team that is collecting star players like stamps.
11:11 is normally when someone would see that time on a clock, close their eyes, and make a wish. I never partook in that particular superstition, but after today I may reconsider.
Cam Newton is one of my favorite athletes ever and may be my favorite football player. But either way, when he was cut by the Patriots before week one, I was disappointed. I thought we may have seen the last of Cam Newton in the NFL. But we found out Sam Darnold hurt his shoulder and went on injured reserve, and then the possibility hit me.
Football wise, he could actually start for the Panthers. There’s no reason why it shouldn’t happen, and obviously the Panthers’ organization felt the same way.
Then later in the day, there were rumblings that Odell Beckham may make a free agency decision today. And he made the decision to go to the L.A. Rams. This offense was already high-powered with Matt Stafford at the helm (last Sunday night notwithstanding.) But when you add a potentially game-breaking receiver to the mix, the sky is the limit.
Football wise, the Rams were looking for third option in the passing game. Desean Jackson was brought in this off-season, and even though he make a few plays early, it just wasn’t the right fit. Van Jefferson was occupying the 3rd wide receiver role when they were in 11 personnel, and just swapping him one-for-one with Odell Beckham is an upgrade no matter how you look at it.
But off the field, there has been talk that both of these two players are washed and not what they once were. In Cam’s case, he was forever changed by the hit to his shoulder from T.J. Watt. And for Odell, he has had to work back from almost every leg injury possible to get on the field.
But there is talent still there with both these men. Yes, I will acknowledge that Cam looks like he has to put every ounce of energy into making a down field pass, but last year with the Patriots, he would’ve made the playoffs if he didn’t catch covid.
And we have all seen the video of Odell being wide open on several plays and never seeing the ball come his way. I do acknowledge that he has dropped the ball in crucial spots in Cleveland. I understand a lot, because I live in Cleveland. I hear about it every time it happens, trust me. He has to do a better job with that. But if you look at the tape, he has not lost one step. There were several current NFL defensive backs saying he has been wide open on plays. He’s still that guy.
The next thing that gets brought up after you point out the evidence that there’s still talent there, is the label both of these men have. That they are bad for the locker room. They are selfish. They are divas. They only care about themselves.
That could not be farther from the truth.
Both of these guys have legendary work ethics. Go to either of their Instagram pages, and you will see several posts of workouts alone, and workouts with other players honing their craft.
Neither of these players while in the NFL has never caused any trouble off the field.
No credible reports have ever discussed either of these men being disliked by people in the locker room.
Several Browns took to social media to express their love for OBJ, and while Cam was with the Patriots, Bill Belichick spoke glowingly about Cam. He spoke more highly of Cam in a year than he ever did about Tom Brady.
So why do people continue to spread lies and push agendas about these two players?
I don’t have a good answer. My first thought would be the racial part of it, but to be quite honest, on Twitter I’ve seen more black men hate Odell Beckham than white men. So I don’t think that really explains it.
If I had to guess a reason, I think it just comes down to jealousy.
Both Cam and Odell have a flair for the dramatic. They both saw a high level of success very early in their careers. They were better than their counterparts, and they knew it. A lot of people wished they could be like Cam and Odell, myself included. But I was never jealous of it, I admired what they were able to do. There’s something about people being great when they’re young, it’s almost as if people think they didn’t earn it.
But they did. And they continue to earn the opportunities that are provided to them. There’s a reason teams looking to get into the playoffs signed these two players today. They have earned the right to not be thrown aside because of whatever media narrative may come out of Cleveland or Boston after their respective departures.
It is very much in the realm of possibility that both these men fail in their new roles. And we can discuss that if it happens. But for now, I will be happy knowing they were able to get another opportunity.
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