Thursday Media Transcript: WR Odell Beckham Jr.

WR Odell Beckham Jr.

September 29, 2016

Q: McAdoo said you guys cross-trained some guys on defense in the event you might need them. Just curious when the last time is you played defense?

A: The Pro Bowl. I never really thought about it. Whatever the team needs to do we need to do. We’re a couple men down. Everyone has to do more.

Q: You weren’t one of the receivers playing safety at practice today?

A: Not from what I remember.

Q: Would you like to?

A: Wouldn’t mind hitting someone. There’s a lot less rules when you’re on defense. They expect the defense to be the aggressor. I think as an offensive player, when you come out here and are very aggressive it’s a little different from what they usually see. I wouldn’t mind but I’m really focused on putting up as many points as we can. We’re going against, I don’t know if they’re the best defense in the league but they’re one of them. They’re a great defense through in and throughout from the back and the front. All the way around, they’re a great team.

Q: How do you plan to attack the Minnesota defense?

A: We have to come out and execute our game plan. I don’t think we have to do anything out of the ordinary. I think we have to do the ordinary things extraordinarily well. We just have to come out, everything that we practice right now we have to do it above and beyond. This is a very good team. Playing at a high level too.

Q: Ben McAdoo said you have to do a better job controlling your emotions. Is that something that you have to do?

A: No. I’m in a great place right now mentally, physically and spiritually. There’s not really much that bothers me at all, to be honest. I’m going to go out and play football the only way I know how to play. Try my best to be the best teammate that I possibly can be. At the end of the day you play for the guys who are wearing the jersey. They’re the ones that take the field for you. They’re the ones who you shed blood, sweat and tears with. I’m just going to go out and be who I am.

Q: Is there any concern that you could be a distraction? That’s what he said.

A: He said, she said. I’m not really concerned about anything except the Minnesota Vikings.

Q: Playing a team with a great pass rush like this, how does it change your job as a receiver?

A: You have to know as a receiver that it’s the rush between the defensive ends. It’s not the race between the DB and the receiver, it’s the race between you and the defensive ends. Those guys are getting off the ball. They’re exceptional players. It’s going to be tough. We’re going to have to be very precise. Like I said, we’re not going to have to do anything different. We’re just going to have to do everything and execute it well.

Q: Stefon Diggs is off to a fast start this year. What can you say about his play thus far?

A: I don’t know if it’s just this year. I think since I met him at the rookie symposium last year, I just could tell from his persona and his personality, the way he carried himself, that he was going to be very good. The start that he’s had is no surprise. On top of that, he runs a lot of double move routes. He runs a lot of deep crosses and deep routes. He has a lot of opportunities as far as getting the ball and being able to run routes that make it very hard for the DB to cover. It’s hard to cover double moves. Especially with a guy that’s explosive, fast, can catch and do everything that’s asked of him. It makes it that much harder.

Q: Can you want something too badly? Like a win or an extra catch?

A: I don’t think anything is wrong with it. You know what goals you have and what you want to achieve. Anything less than that, I don’t think you’re going to be satisfied with. I don’t live life setting goals and being okay with not achieving them. By any means, that’s not the standard I live by.

Q: Going into a new stadium this week, one that has been notorious for its crowd noise. You’ve played in some loud stadiums before, what’s the loudest environment you’ve ever played in?

A: Death Valley on a Saturday night or 2011 on my birthday, November 5th, in Tuscaloosa. It was by far one of the loudest atmospheres. I’ll be honest with you, as much as the NFL and you work so hard to get here, there’s no feeling like playing college ball. There is no feeling like being in a stadium and being proud to play for your organization. You chose to go there. This is who you were going to represent. There’s no feeling that will ever beat playing in Death Valley unless you win a Super Bowl. That would be great. Other than that, playing in front of crowd noise and from the pictures I’ve seen, it looks incredible. From what I’ve seen, I’m happy that it’s not outside. I remember not being at the game last year and not knowing for sure watching the game how cold it was. Right now, what they have looks amazing. It looks perfectly suitable for Monday Night Football.

Q: How do you look to combat that potential noise?

A: Set, hut. Run your route, block, do the same thing you’ve always done.

Q: How badly are you aching to get into the end zone?

A: Same as it’s always been. Going three games and not being in there, you don’t take it for granted anymore. It seems like scoring a touchdown is the norm. I know for sure I could score every single game. I feel that way. I’m confident in myself, in my abilities. It’s just the opportunities. I want to be in there but I want to be in there so we put points on the board. So we can score instead of getting field goals or turning the ball over. You want to end the drives with points and not field goals and turnovers because it’s not going to win the game.

Q: Are defenses doing something to limit those downfield throws?

A: Everything. Especially last game and the game before. It was corner, safety over the top, linebacker running out. There were all kinds of things. It’s not like it’s one-on-one and there’s no safety over the top. There’s all types of things. I’ve never really been in that situation besides my dropped touchdown against the Saints. That’s probably the only time. Other than that, they’re playing off and making sure that there’s no big plays. It’s smart. As a receiver, it stinks. Not too many people want to catch a six-yard route and have someone right in their face when they turn around. You want to be able to catch the ball, run and do other things. Teams have done a great job eliminating the big plays and putting the safety over. Doubling, tripling at some point. Like I said, it’s only a matter of time before it all just breaks. I’ll say it again, you have the Rookie of the Year on this team, the Comeback Player of the Year on this team. You have three phenomenal receivers. It’s just going to be tough. It’s only a matter of time.

Q: On that drive against Washington where you had the 19-yarder and 24-yarder, were you starting to get the feel of taking over a game again?

A: Yes. It’s just unfortunate that it was as late as it was. You wait all game and then it finally comes around at the end. It makes it a lot more difficult. It’s like you’re playing catchup instead of being on top of it from the start. I felt like we could’ve done that all game. From the very beginning of the game, even with the coverages that they were playing. I felt like we could’ve took advantage of that but we didn’t. We just keep it moving from here. Like I said, we’re going against one of the top defenses in the league and we have to come out and play our best.

Q: Odell, do you think this team has the ability or the desire to not have every game come down to the very end?

A: Absolutely. I feel like that’s always been my motto. I don’t really want to play these games where we’re sitting here and have to fight all game. Going through adversity is great but every single game, it doesn’t need to be like that. It doesn’t need to be a nail-bitter or come down to the fourth quarter. If you look back at it, last year in the Carolina game when they were up 35-7, I don’t think anybody saw the Giants coming back, tying it up and then winning by a field goal when you think the game is over. It’s a lot easier to play when you’re up 35-7 than when it’s 27-26 and everything matters and counts. I feel like we can get out on teams. There is no shame on blowing a team out. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it. There is nothing in the rule book that says you can’t beat a team 66-0. Definitely not saying that would happen against the Minnesota Vikings, but why would you not try for it.