Darrelle Revis Says Odell Beckham Jr ‘Has To Step Up To The Challenge’

Arguably the best wide receiver in the game is starting to feel the pressure of being at the center of attention on the football field. Odell Beckham Jr. of the New York Giants recently spoke out about the defensive backs of the Jacksonville Jaguars targeting him during a preseason game this past weekend. Beckham feared he’d be hurt during the preseason and wasn’t happy about the prospect.

Beckham’s comments created some buzz around the league, especially with Green Bay Packers star wideout Jordy Nelson recently going down with a season-ending knee injury. Although Nelson’s injury wasn’t due to a hit, the risk of injury during the preseason became a topic of discussion.

On Wednesday, Darrelle Revis of the New York Jets, arguably the best corner in the NFL, chimed in on the Beckham’s recent claims of being targeted by defensive players. Revis believes Beckham needs to accept the challenge, via Dom Cosentino of NJ.com:

“He just has to step up to the challenge,” Revis said. “He’s one of the best receivers in the league. He definitely is maybe a target for coaches to game plan, or maybe slide the coverages over his way, or maybe a safety, or maybe a double [team]. The guy did awesome last year. This comes with it, in years after. It’s something that he has to work at.”

With Beckham becoming a superstar in the NFL after just one season in the league, the wideout will be in the spotlight in New York this season with a lot of pressure to live up to the hype. Fortunately, Victor Cruz should be healthy by the start of the 2015 NFL season taking some of the attention off Beckham.

Clearly, despite the presence of Cruz, the second-year receiver is already feeling a major difference in the way opposing defenses go at him during the preseason. It’ll be interesting to see how Beckham can handle the added pressure and if he’s able to have a similar season in terms of production on the filed in comparison to his rookie campaign with the Giants.