So, what is it like to get posterized by Odell Beckham Jr.?
Well, it’s not fun, but it is not run-and-hide embarrassing, either.
“If you know football, you know coverage, it was great coverage,’’ Janoris Jenkins told The Post. “It was a fantastic catch by Odell. He made the impossible possible.’’
The smile and the shrug that followed were on cue, coming from a guy who insists you call him “Jackrabbit” and actually displays a small measure of irritation when you do not. He is not going to sweat the small stuff, even if he was on the wrong end of a catch heard ’round the internet.
The urban dictionary definition of getting posterized: “To embarrass someone, usually while slamming the ball over them. It refers to the guy who is being dunked on.’’ The imagery is far more basketball-centric, but it can certainly apply to football, especially when OBJ is on the scene, the ball is in the air and the defensive back assigned in coverage, unfortunately for him, is in the frame.
Ben McAdoo, of course, has repeatedly stated he prefers Odell, and all the Giants receivers, use two hands. McAdoo, on cue, said it again this week, making the plea with the firmness of overcooked angel hair pasta. Go ask Tom Coughlin, and he’ll probably say he never wants to see receivers securing the ball by pinning it on the top of their helmet. Then watch Coughlin, as he rolls in his fingers around his Super Bowl XLII ring, shoot a wink over to David Tyree.
Jenkins’ unwitting role in another Beckham viral video came Monday, early in practice, during one-on-one drills, where receivers and defensive backs work off to the side on routes and coverage.
Jackrabbit was on Beckham, and before the drill, Beckham told Tyree – now a Giants special assistant – “Watch this catch.’’ Beckham leaped into the air nearly before Eli Manning’s lob pass was launched; there was virtually no separation between receiver and defender. Jenkins alertly turned and faced Beckham, who nudged Jenkins with a slight right arm push off.
“I saw him jump early so I was like, ‘He can’t be jumping for the ball,’ ’’ Jenkins said. “But he was coming down, he happened to get his index and thumb on it.’’
While in the air, with his left arm dangling to the side, Beckham swung his right arm around and, seemingly too late, reached out for the ball with a backhand swipe, controlling it on the way down.
“I was in great position, I made him make a great play, I can live with that,’’ Jenkins said. “That’s my teammate. He’s getting better, I’m getting better. You know how it goes. I made him make a play … an impossible play. Me and him, we cool, we laugh and we just talk about it. That’s that.
“Great catch, fantastic catch, helluva throw.
“After he made it I was like, ‘Hell no.’ We joked about it after practice. I was like, ‘What can I do different?’ He said he just made a great catch and I was like, ‘Yeah, basically nothing else I can do.’ ’’
This was the majority opinion.
“It’s only a catch that he could make,’’ an admiring Brandon Marshall said. “I’ve never seen it before.’’
Within a few hours, the nine-second video of the play on the Giants’ Twitter account garnered 30,000 retweets, including one from Dwyane Wade, who posted, “Stop that OBJ.’’ The video was “liked’’ more than 81,000 times and attracted nearly two million comments.
Every time, Jenkins was on the wrong side of the highlight.
This did not get Jackrabbit all hot and bothered – after all, it wasn’t like this was a real game and Beckham just turned him into a virtual piñata (see Brandon Carr, former Cowboys corner, for details). Coming off a sensational first season with the Giants, Jenkins has fit in snugly, loving life with his new team. This was an isolated drill, and Beckham was not the least bit wary of defenders coming at him from all angles.
Plus, no one is interested in the possible repercussions of getting feet or arms tangled with a teammate.
“In a game I’m way more physical,’’ Jenkins said. “Got to learn how to practice. If he can make the play and I can make the play, if he’s already there it made no sense for me to jump, so he made the play, made a great catch and we move on.’’
We move on, until the next time Odell makes the impossible possible and brings a defender along for the ride.