Odell Beckham Jr. excited to match up against Darrelle Revis
New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham (13) celebrates after defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars at MetLife Stadium on Aug. 22, 2015 in East Rutherford, N.J. Credit: Mike Stobe
Odell Beckham Jr. said he is looking forward to his first taste of the Giants-Jets rivalry on Saturday. The two teams have been battling for back pages and city supremacy for decades. But the one rivalry that should show its first signs of blooming in that preseason game is the one between Beckham and Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis.
The eye-popper visits the Island.
It isn't every city, after all, that has one of the top receivers in the NFL as well as one of the top cornerbacks - and gets to see them face each other in a game. Beckham said he is looking forward to the challenge, even if he isn't too concerned about bragging rights.
"Why would you not want to go against the best in the league, the Patrick Petersons, the [Richard] Shermans, Revis, Joe Haden," Beckham said. "That's what you come here to do is put yourself in the best position possible to go against the best and he's clearly one of the best. It should be a tough challenge but I'm looking forward to going out there to compete."
Beckham said he had the chance to meet and hang out with Revis this offseason.
"He's a good dude, a very good person," Beckham said.
He also spoke about the possibility of having to face Antonio Cromartie, but that matchup lacks the luster of a Beckham-Revis showdown, even if it is only the preseason.
This is just the appetizer for the full-length showdown between the two teams - and two elite players - in the regular season on Dec. 6.
Beckham doesn't have a catch yet this preseason, much to the alarm of Giants fans. He said he is not worried about it, but understands a catch or two on Saturday would go a long way toward boosting others' confidence in the Eli Manning-to-Beckham connection. If that happens, it likely will be against Revis.
But Beckham didn't have a specific prediction on how he will fare against Revis.
"I guess we'll see Saturday," Beckham said.
We all will.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
