Odell Beckham Jr has said since the New York Giants traded him that he feels like they held him back in recent years, and former NFL wide receiver Steve Smith seems to agree with that assessment.
Smith said on NFL Network Thursday that he loves and respects Eli Manning, but he compared Beckham’s former situation with Manning to a chef on the Food Network show “Chopped” having to make the best dish using a piece of “mystery meat.”
steve smith comparing eli manning to mystery meat is just perfect pic.twitter.com/kJOevtqSXb
— Jordan Heck (@JordanHeckFF) July 25, 2019
“I’ve seen some chefs do a lot of great things with some mystery meat that regular folks just can’t perform,” Smith said. “All I’m saying is Odell Beckham is an excellent chef. Sometimes you’ve got that mystery meat called Eli that you just have to make into something.”
Beckham is still very much in his prime, whereas Manning has experienced a steep decline over the past two or three seasons. Beckham missed most of the season in 2017 after injuring his ankle, and he had over 1,000 yards receiving last year despite playing in just 12 games. Still, you have to wonder if he could have put up even bigger numbers if someone other than Manning was throwing to him. Beckham is a deep threat who can catch just about anything, and Manning struggles to deliver accurate passes down the field consistently.
Beckham was openly critical of Manning in an interview last season, which is likely one of the reasons ownership soured on him. To Smith’s point, he should have a much easier time making big plays with Baker Mayfield in Cleveland. It’s safe to assume OBJ is happy to no longer be playing with Eli.
