After the Pro Bowl, offensive rookie of the year Odell Beckham attempted to elevate his already-astounding rookie season in NFL lore by saying he played with two torn hamstrings. But Giants GM Jerry Reese debates the validity of Beckham’s diagnosis, Newsday’s Tom Rock reports.
“I don’t know about that,” Reese told Newsday. “I think he’s trying to be a hero. I don’t think you can play with two [tears in your] hamstring and run fast like that. … I think our doctors would’ve caught that.”
Reese said Beckham would not have been permitted to play in the Pro Bowl with two torn hamstrings.
Despite playing on the outside at 5-foot-11, 198 pounds, Beckham managed to catch 12 touchdowns in 12 games while averaging more than 100 yards per contest. The LSU product did miss the first four games of the season due to hamstring issues, re-injuring himself multiple times before making his debut in Week 5. Obviously, everyone heals at their own rate, but Beckham being able to accomplish anything resembling what he did in his debut season doesn’t depict a torn hamstring. Seahawks defensive tackle Brandon Mebane tore his hamstring in November and missed the rest of last season. Then-Buccaneers wideout Mike Williams tore his in October 2013 and missed the rest of that campaign.
If Reese’s judgment is closer to correct than Beckham’s, the slight hit to the young receiver’s credibility will be offset by a healthier superstar in a corps dealing with a rehabilitating Victor Cruz (knee).
- Cowboys owner Jerry Jones provided an expanded indication to how long Tony Romo‘s time leading the franchise will be, according to the DallasCowboys.com. Despite Romo entering his age-35 season, Jones is planning moves around the thought his quarterback will play until the end of the decade. “I feel very comfortable … with a five-year time frame,” Jones said via the team website. “When I say comfortable: I’m ready to make decisions based on him being our quarterback that far into the future.” Last year’s leader in QBR, Romo is now the league’s fifth-oldest starting quarterback, behind Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Carson Palmer.
- Jones also told the Cowboys site Romo he’s open to restructuring Romo’s contract, which has a $27MM cap hit this season. It more than doubles the Cowboys’ second-highest figure of left tackle Tyron Smith. “We haven’t ruled it out,” Jones told DallasCowboys.com about the possibility of restructuring. “When we did his contract, we thought at some point and time that we would be going to it.”
- A much younger quarterback won’t be offered a restricted free agent tender, putting his future in question. But Kellen Moore may have a chance to return to the Lions and be their backup quarterback, GM Martin Mayhew told the Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett. Veteran Dan Orlovsky is a free agent, and Moore, a 25-year-old undrafted free agent out of Boise State in 2012, completed 68.6% of his preseason passes in 2014.
I don’t know why Odell would lie about something like a torn hamstring. There are hamstring tears and there are hamstring tears. You’d be surprised what a player can do with the right local anaesthetic. Plus the guy wouldn’t want to miss his first pro bowl.
Reese as a GM knows very well that many players are playing injured. Not sure what his point is. Other than trying to dodge liability.