Odell Beckham Jr.
October 1, 2015
Q: Can you talk a little bit about the importance of this week’s game.
A: Same as every other game, supposed to win. The goal is to win and that’s what we plan on doing.
Q: What about going up against this defense that has so many different weapons? What type of challenge is that for you?
A: It’s a very good defense, actually. They’ve got a great defensive line going into their backers and overall, their DBs are good, as well. So it’s going to be a tough challenge for us, but definitely looking forward to being able to compete against what I think is one of the best defenses in the league. It should be a good challenge for us.
Q: How frustrating is it that it looks like Victor Cruz’s comeback is delayed?
A: You wish that you could have him out there. At the end of the day, you want Vic to be healthy, just as a person as he is. You want him to be healthy, and you want him to be healthy when he returns to the field. If he’s not able to play, he’s not able to play. There’s nothing more to it. Soft tissue injuries take a long time to repair. For a guy who is fast-twitch like he is and just being able to explode off of that calf, it’s not easy. Right now, whatever he has to do to get back and recover, we’re all behind him and definitely looking forward to whenever he does return.
Q: Would it take more pressure off of you if he was out there?
A: He’s not out there, so I don’t know. You can’t really just assume stuff, you have to see it to really believe it. I do believe him being out there and the ability that he has, he will be able to help us in every single way. Wishing him a speedy, speedy recovery with whatever is going on. Just hope to have him back as soon as possible.
Q: Have you talked to him since the setback?
A: Yeah, we’ve talked and it’s just the same thing it’s always been, just get right. There’s really nothing more to it, get healthy.
Q: Talk about yourself and Rueben Randle, in particular, building on last week’s win and going forward into Buffalo.
A: It’s a continuing thing, day in and day out, of just growing and getting better. I think we’ve had a great week of practice and we’ve got a couple days left before the game, just fine tune some stuff and get a lot of mental reps. Going into Sunday looking to have some fun.
Q: You know they’re really strong against the run, but they’ve been suspect against the pass. Does that give you a sense of having a breakout game?
A: We’ll have to wait until Sunday to see, I guess.
Q: You had some fun out there today. You’ve been dancing, you’ve been working on moves. What’s going on with that?
A: I just enjoy life, man, that’s all it is. Really nothing more to it. It’s such a blessing and privilege to be able to play in the NFL, this is what you’ve been doing since you were a kid. I’m going to go out every day and I’m going to have fun. I’m going to dance, I’m going to laugh, I’m going to smile and I’m going to try and encourage my teammates to do the same.
Q: Are you going to mix up your dances or is the one from the other night going to be your dance from now?
A: We’re going to have to wait and see, man. It’s just kind of one of those things you get in there and you’re so excited sometimes and you’re so excited, you don’t know what to do. Whatever the case may be, I just hope that you can get in the end zone as much as you can.
Q: Just going back to the Buffalo defense, they are so very good against the run. Does that put more pressure on your passing game to know that the run option may not be there very much?
A: No more pressure than it ever has been. For us, as a wide out, you want to see the ball thrown in the air and you want to be able to make plays and you want to have opportunities. So whatever opportunities we have, whether it’s more or less, it doesn’t really change the pressure or the significance of the passing game. If he throws 100 passes, we want to complete 100 of them. With that being said, I hope that we do throw 100 passes. If they’re stopping the run, then alright, we’re throwing the ball all game. I definitely wouldn’t mind it, but you have to balance it out, otherwise then they start playing the pass. They counteract each other, the run and the pass.
Q: You’ve got two tight ends who are kind of banged up and Victor is out. Do you guys have enough guys for a game?
A: We do have 11 people that play offense, 11 people that play defense, and 11 people that play special teams. So we do have enough. Unfortunate that Victor is not there, and a tight end may or may not be out, I don’t know about that. I’m pretty sure he’s playing. At the end of the day, your job is to go play tight end or wide receiver. It’s the next man up mentality always and always will be in this business.
Q: When you see double-teams, when you see guys that are focusing on you, does that make you better? Are you thinking you have to be more creative or picking up stuff because you have to figure out interesting ways to get open?
A: You’re talking about double-teams? I’ve seen a lot of not so much double-team, but the two man are playing one man--one guy is playing inside and one guy is playing outside and they’re trying to trap. It’s more so of how we run the plays or where you line myself up or any of these other guys and just finding ways for us to get open and make plays. At the end of the day, whatever play is called, the goal is to go make a play. Whether it’s a good call, bad call, whether it’s the best call ever, the goal is to make a play and that’s what we plan on doing.
Q: Last Thursday, as Rueben is kind of making more plays after he established himself early, did you see things open up more for yourself with Rueben making more plays out there?
A: To me, I don’t feel like Rueben did anything more than what he’s capable of. I think Rueben is a 100-yard, touchdown per game kind of guy. Nothing will ever say anything otherwise. We know that Vic is not playing and he’s still not back, but Dwayne (Harris) is here and he plays wide receiver as well. Just for everybody to step up and play their role. Whatever is asked for us to do, just do it.
Q: How important is it to spread the ball around to give the defense more to think about?
A: It definitely comes to a point where you spread it around and you become unpredictable. You don’t know where the ball is going to go, you don’t know if it’s a pass, run, or whatever the case may be. You just want to keep them on their toes. They are a very good defense. Me personally, I watched the Miami game and I’m just looking forward to the opportunity, man. I think at the end of the day, you always want to play against the best. Just from what I’ve seen so far this year, that team has some of the best talent on defense as far as the other 31 teams in the league do.
Q: I’m sure you watched that Miami game closely with them right? Jarvis Landry is your guy. What kind of tips did he give you on what he thought of them or what he saw?
A: I was going to call him tonight. I talked to him last night, just Facetime. We usually talk about that kind of stuff closer to the game, I’ll even call him Saturday night before the game and we’re both up in the hotel. We’ll just sit there talk, chat, and just kind of keep each other’s minds on track. He’s told me some good things about them and what to look for and who to look out for. Like I said, I’m looking forward to Sunday.
Q: Did you go full today?
A: Yeah, always.
Q: Looked like you were working through something early?
A: Absolutely. Trying to get right.
Q: Your rookie season ends Sunday. Rookie season is over.
A: Oh yeah, man, that’s awesome actually. Got one more game.
Q: You feel like you’re grown up?
A: Growing up. Every day, man.
