Best hands? Imo, it isn't even close. Beckham had the most unbelievable hands I have ever seen. What he was able to do was remarkable.
With that said, I am not putting him up there in the top anything when it comes to making a clutch catch in an important moment just based off that GB game. It was too easy for people to get in his head and mess up his concentration. But in terms of pure hands he is at the top of the list.
I still think Nicks in terms of hands and clutch moments.
Best hands? Imo, it isn't even close. Beckham had the most unbelievable hands I have ever seen. What he was able to do was remarkable.
With that said, I am not putting him up there in the top anything when it comes to making a clutch catch in an important moment just based off that GB game. It was too easy for people to get in his head and mess up his concentration. But in terms of pure hands he is at the top of the list.
I still think Nicks in terms of hands and clutch moments.
ODB had the best hand... but his hands didn't show up in Green Bay playoffs... must have lost them on the boat trip... Mark Bavaro, Bobby Johnson and Bob Tucker had better hands when it counted, but I agree, Hakeem Nicks and Steve Smith certainly were the most consistent receiving targets.
Best hands? Imo, it isn't even close. Beckham had the most unbelievable hands I have ever seen. What he was able to do was remarkable.
With that said, I am not putting him up there in the top anything when it comes to making a clutch catch in an important moment just based off that GB game. It was too easy for people to get in his head and mess up his concentration. But in terms of pure hands he is at the top of the list.
I still think Nicks in terms of hands and clutch moments.
Beckham has really good hands. Just not in playoff games. LOL
He had an issue with making tough catches when guys were draped all over him. A lot of times he’d get his hands on the ball but the DB would be able to break it up. There was a Patriots game where Malcolm Butler must have knocked it out of Odells hands 5x in the game to prevent completions.
Now none of those plays would be classified as Odell “drops” but those are catches he needed to make. Those are the catches that have made Larry Fitzgerald and Deandre Hopkins so special. Hakeem Nicks was strong enough to make those catches. Hell, Sterling Shepard has made more of those catches than Odell.
Nicks. His huge mitts engulfed passes and I don’t think he ever had issues with drops nor can I remember any really costly drops he had. But I can remember a number of clutch catches.
SMH. That opinion is ill informed, inaccurate, and shows a remarkable lack of consciosness of Toomer's early career with the Giants when he almost exclusively "body caught" and basically couldn't catch a cold on a NY winter day.
Toomer arrived to the NFL with terrible hands!
To his credit, he greatly improved in that area. But he didn't have "great hands" by any stretch of the imagination.
I guess people focus on the acrobatic catches but forget that he was near the tops in drop passes in a single season. He dropped a good amount of easy ones let’s not forget green bay playoff game.
Nicks and plax come to mind. Great hands might give a slight edge to nicks
I guess people focus on the acrobatic catches but forget that he was near the tops in drop passes in a single season. He dropped a good amount of easy ones let’s not forget green bay playoff game.
Nicks and plax come to mind. Great hands might give a slight edge to nicks
That comment about Beckham says a lot. I'll go with Nicks.
just because no one has mentioned him, and I recall him bailing Simms out a lot... I remember lots of third down and ... with Simms seemingly be chased out of the pocket or rolling out and finding McConkey...
I guess people focus on the acrobatic catches but forget that he was near the tops in drop passes in a single season. He dropped a good amount of easy ones let’s not forget green bay playoff game.
Nicks and plax come to mind. Great hands might give a slight edge to nicks
thank you. Beckham did not have great hands. Nicks did. and Burress and Toomer. and they did it with the $$ on the table
When they practiced with the jugs gun, they did stuff that I never saw anyone else do. They both could catch the ball one-handed with either hand. Odell would practice catching the ball while lying on on the ground...on his back! Odell and Plax both had fun doing it, too. They made it look so easy.
This is my favorite catch. Shockey catches the ball and Dawkins make the correct defensive move by getting his arm in between Shockey's and ripping one of Shockey's hands off the ball. But Shockey has big mitts and he holds onto the ball with his OTHER hand. Unbelievable! Link - ( New Window )
is a good candidate, but one of the biggest flip outs in BBI history was Nicks dropping a sure TD against Dallas that bounced up into the air and was intercepted at the goal line, costing us a game.
Half of BBI wanted to run him out of town after that.
list as I still see him from early on in 1985 game against Dallas (the Jeffcoat Int game) where early on in the game Simms throws a great deep pass to an open PM who just flat out drops the ball. That play alone could have meant a major change in momentum and the ultimate outcome.
That was a day he had 6 for over 100 yards but that one play could have changed the game!
He was so damn slow, but he had great hands and made some big-time catches with us. Although Shockey, Engram, and even Boss were far better athletes than him; I'd rather have Ballard over any of those guys in terms of "making a catch if my life depended on it".
Not only can I not remember him dropping one, the toe drag sideline catches he made are too numerous to count, and they regularly came at clutch moments in key drives.
Best hands in my era of watching Giants football (1981+)
would be Nicks. Toomer and Smith would be right behind him. Toomer had amazing body control along the sidelines, one of the better WR’s in the league during his time in terms of the sideline toe catches.
I’m not putting Beckham at the top because while I think talent wise he’s the best WR we have ever had, he was always looking for the home run and often dropped easy passes because his eyes were already upfield. High risk, high reward type of mentality in that regard. And the question is who had the best hands, not big play ability.
Best hands? Imo, it isn't even close. Beckham had the most unbelievable hands I have ever seen. What he was able to do was remarkable.
With that said, I am not putting him up there in the top anything when it comes to making a clutch catch in an important moment just based off that GB game. It was too easy for people to get in his head and mess up his concentration. But in terms of pure hands he is at the top of the list.
I still think Nicks in terms of hands and clutch moments.
I also thought of Nicks, but he had some head scratching misses, almost like he was nearsighted. It also seemed like after he got hurt, both his wheels AND hands were gone. To make matters worse, he developed alligator arms at that point too. Was sad and frustrating to see.
Hillard tons of big catches in big games....he was no Jackie Smith....poor fellow
Hilliard was solid, you are right he wasn’t the same post injury. We really have had bad luck with keeping WR’s healthy the last several years: Hilliard (neck?), Cruz (knee), Plax (granted it was self inflicted), Nicks (knee) Steve Smith (knee), OBJ (leg/ankle, doesn’t seem to have the same burst anymore), Manningham (knee), Shepard (concussions). Toomer even tore an ACL here in his rookie or second year if I remember correctly.
Toomer, Cruz, and Steve Smith were also big in big spots.
OBJ dropped too many passes in big spots, also there was a much smaller window of opportunity since he only had 1 season of winning football.
in terms of hands. I don't know who that is among the Giants, but we might have to go back decades. Although OBJ had the highest ceiling in terms of getting open with his quickness off the line, acceleration after the catch, and some of his dives behind defenders at the back of the end zone, his hands simply weren't as reliable as those of many top-drawer receivers.
Now ask me which receiver I trust in catching the ball the most and my answer will be different.
huh? best hands by far, but you don't trust him to catch the ball? then he doesn't have the best hands. Sorry. the occasional spectacular catch doesn't offset the easy drops that kill drives.
Bavaro was pretty damn sure handed. Made his share of spectacular
the question was “ who had the best hands”? Toomer was a body catcher. Cruz dropped too many. Nicks was known for his hands in college. Beckham nonchalanted too many balls. Older guys like Shofner, Fredrickson and Tucker has great hands. Steve Smith gets my vote though
The Giants have had a number of WR and TE with excellent hands
Chronologically Bavaro, McCaffrey, Amani, Tiki, Plax, Nicks, Steve Smith and OBJ are probably the cream of the crop during my tenure as a fan. I expect Saquon will distinguish himself in this regard over the duration of his career projecting forward as well.
Tyree made the greatest catch in history. I’m not sure what to make of Shepard to be honest. I think he’s a decent player but I’m not wowed by him as he doesn’t do a ton after the catch.
This isnt really close to me. He was the most reliable player on the giants until his injury. The biggest reason why the answer is "third and smith" over OBJ is bc Odell would still drop big plays (thinking back to the giants first drive against Carolina when Odell dropped a deep pass that would have changed the whole game when the ball went right through his hands before he used his helmet as a weapon against Josh Norman).
he didn’t show up in big games. And not just the Packers playoff game. I remember a Monday night game against the Vikings when he just got shut down by Xavier Rhodes. He was totally invisible that game.
He was also famous for making a huge 20-30 yard catch to get them down the field and then drop the 3rd and 4 gimme a few plays later to keep the drive alive.
remember now a key factor in all of this maybe these new type
sticky gloves...there has been a lot of balls caught that should have been dropped 10 yrs ago (see OBJ catch)....you should see a real pair of those things, my son showed me a 300$ pair, hell I could get 35 balls a year. They make a average player good ( Darius Slayton) and a very good player great (OBJ).....just my point.
Positional breakdown I headed here. And there are some great points here(especially the ones I agree with;)). While Beckham had some amazing grabs, that GB game just removes him for me. And I NEVER considered Toomer to have great hands. Just longevity. My recollections of the '80's glory years are Stacy Robinson and later Ike Hilliard. Not exactly 'Allstate worthy'. I think I'd take Hakeem Nicks and Steve Smith. And to add on, I'm not overly concerned about our lack of 'OBJ' talent at receiver. I think we have talent at TE, RB and enough at WR to get us some good YAC. Question at all three positions is health. Need guys to stay healthy.
I recall being frustrated with the amount of drops Nicks had, esp. his rookie season. Overall, he was a terrific receiver for us and made some huge plays during his brief, injured career, but best hands? I don’t think so.
I was also pissed when Reeves cut him. It was not as if the Giants had a wonderful team and there was no place for him. He was not fast but had a wonderful way of finding the soft spots in the defensive backfield.
You may not remember all that well, but Ed dropped a ton of passes while with us. It was torture watching him and was elated when he left. Of course, who knew how great he’d become in Denver?
No, seriously, Toomer had some great hands
With that said, I am not putting him up there in the top anything when it comes to making a clutch catch in an important moment just based off that GB game. It was too easy for people to get in his head and mess up his concentration. But in terms of pure hands he is at the top of the list.
I still think Nicks in terms of hands and clutch moments.
With that said, I am not putting him up there in the top anything when it comes to making a clutch catch in an important moment just based off that GB game. It was too easy for people to get in his head and mess up his concentration. But in terms of pure hands he is at the top of the list.
I still think Nicks in terms of hands and clutch moments.
ODB had the best hand... but his hands didn't show up in Green Bay playoffs... must have lost them on the boat trip... Mark Bavaro, Bobby Johnson and Bob Tucker had better hands when it counted, but I agree, Hakeem Nicks and Steve Smith certainly were the most consistent receiving targets.
With that said, I am not putting him up there in the top anything when it comes to making a clutch catch in an important moment just based off that GB game. It was too easy for people to get in his head and mess up his concentration. But in terms of pure hands he is at the top of the list.
I still think Nicks in terms of hands and clutch moments.
Beckham has really good hands. Just not in playoff games. LOL
Now none of those plays would be classified as Odell “drops” but those are catches he needed to make. Those are the catches that have made Larry Fitzgerald and Deandre Hopkins so special. Hakeem Nicks was strong enough to make those catches. Hell, Sterling Shepard has made more of those catches than Odell.
2nd When he was focused Jeremy Shockey
Just don't ask him to field an onside kick.
3. Plax
That’s the first name I thought of when I read the question
No. 38 was a dependable, tough player on a bunch of God-awful teams...
Surest hands/least drops: Toomer
Toomer also was great.
But as far as consistently catching the ball, I'd go with Toomer
What about "what Giants receiver had the WORST hands you've seen"
Gotta be a three-way tie between Tim Carter, Sinorice Moss and Preston Parker, right?
Toomer arrived to the NFL with terrible hands!
To his credit, he greatly improved in that area. But he didn't have "great hands" by any stretch of the imagination.
I guess people focus on the acrobatic catches but forget that he was near the tops in drop passes in a single season. He dropped a good amount of easy ones let’s not forget green bay playoff game.
Nicks and plax come to mind. Great hands might give a slight edge to nicks
Quote:
Nicks had big hands, not sure about great hands.
I guess people focus on the acrobatic catches but forget that he was near the tops in drop passes in a single season. He dropped a good amount of easy ones let’s not forget green bay playoff game.
Nicks and plax come to mind. Great hands might give a slight edge to nicks
That comment about Beckham says a lot. I'll go with Nicks.
Just don't ask him to field an onside kick.
I was gonna say Chris Calloway, but that you said the rest E, lol.
Whoever is talking about Odell has a short memory. Yes he had some nice one handed grabs but he dropped balls in bad spots.
Like the infamous Carolina game when he was 10 yards behind Norman, then there was that playoff game
Quote:
Nicks had big hands, not sure about great hands.
I guess people focus on the acrobatic catches but forget that he was near the tops in drop passes in a single season. He dropped a good amount of easy ones let’s not forget green bay playoff game.
Nicks and plax come to mind. Great hands might give a slight edge to nicks
thank you. Beckham did not have great hands. Nicks did. and Burress and Toomer. and they did it with the $$ on the table
This is my favorite catch. Shockey catches the ball and Dawkins make the correct defensive move by getting his arm in between Shockey's and ripping one of Shockey's hands off the ball. But Shockey has big mitts and he holds onto the ball with his OTHER hand. Unbelievable!
Link - ( New Window )
Half of BBI wanted to run him out of town after that.
That was a day he had 6 for over 100 yards but that one play could have changed the game!
Link - ( New Window )
Beckham obviously made the most spectacular catches but he also had some huge drops. His 1 playoff game, Carolina game opening deep ball, etc.
OBJ had Norman beat badly on a deep post the first time they faced off after the wig-out game, Eli hit him right in the hands and what happened?
No way he gets a vote here, sorry. Too many painful drops where he's probably thinking a little too far ahead.
But Bobby Johnson, Lionel Manuel, Phil McConkey were pretty reliable. So was Johnny Perkins.
I've already mentioned Chris Calloway.
Steve Smith is a good candidate... he was money.
If you're talking running backs, Rodney Hampton had really good hands (even better than Dave Meggett). So does Saquon Barkley.
Circus catches are obvious... Beckham and Burress.
I’m not putting Beckham at the top because while I think talent wise he’s the best WR we have ever had, he was always looking for the home run and often dropped easy passes because his eyes were already upfield. High risk, high reward type of mentality in that regard. And the question is who had the best hands, not big play ability.
OBJ: hands / body control / snatch
Bob Tucker
John Mistler
Mike Friede
Johnny Perkins
With that said, I am not putting him up there in the top anything when it comes to making a clutch catch in an important moment just based off that GB game. It was too easy for people to get in his head and mess up his concentration. But in terms of pure hands he is at the top of the list.
I still think Nicks in terms of hands and clutch moments.
I agree with Mr. Balls2003.
Oh and let me throw in... if it is a sideline pass give me two feet in Amani Toomer!
I would take Nicks (in his prime) and his hands in a big game over OBJ any day.
Hilliard was solid, you are right he wasn’t the same post injury. We really have had bad luck with keeping WR’s healthy the last several years: Hilliard (neck?), Cruz (knee), Plax (granted it was self inflicted), Nicks (knee) Steve Smith (knee), OBJ (leg/ankle, doesn’t seem to have the same burst anymore), Manningham (knee), Shepard (concussions). Toomer even tore an ACL here in his rookie or second year if I remember correctly.
OBJ dropped too many passes in big spots, also there was a much smaller window of opportunity since he only had 1 season of winning football.
Now ask me which receiver I trust in catching the ball the most and my answer will be different.
Nicks highlights - ( New Window )
Now ask me which receiver I trust in catching the ball the most and my answer will be different.
huh? best hands by far, but you don't trust him to catch the ball? then he doesn't have the best hands. Sorry. the occasional spectacular catch doesn't offset the easy drops that kill drives.
Ha ha. He had the most exquisite hands you have ever seen.
Quote:
...
Ha ha. He had the most exquisite hands you have ever seen.
But they became deformed from overuse as he was not master of his domain.
Tyree made the greatest catch in history. I’m not sure what to make of Shepard to be honest. I think he’s a decent player but I’m not wowed by him as he doesn’t do a ton after the catch.
You’re welcome - ( New Window )
He was also famous for making a huge 20-30 yard catch to get them down the field and then drop the 3rd and 4 gimme a few plays later to keep the drive alive.
Hakeem dropped quite a few himself.
Lesson is: over a big sample, even the best WR will have a few concentration drops.
https://www.nj.com/giants/2009/12/post_19.html
Link - ( New Window )
Meg get
Bavaro
Nicks
OBJ