Former NFL cornerback Adam "Pac-Man" Jones recently referred to new Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. as the team’s "Ferrari."
The 30-year-old, who is still working back to 100% after tearing his ACL in Super Bowl LVI with the Los Angeles Rams, has coincidentally been using that analogy as well. However, there is a specific way he wants to drive that Ferrari in terms of the 2023 NFL season.
It explains why he has not been present at the Ravens’ practice facility other than mandatory minicamp.
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"That’s the analogy I’ve been joking with," Beckham told Fox News Digital over the phone ahead of Fanatics’ Merch Madness event, which he was a part of with Tom Brady and DJ Khaled in Miami on Tuesday morning. "I think the excitement when I signed with Baltimore, me not being there – we have to get to the place where we understand that all that stuff (OTAs) is voluntary, and each individual has their own lives and we don’t know what’s going on with the individual and their life.
"I joked with my people, ‘I know the Ravens just bought a Ferrari and they want to take it out on the track, but I want to take that Ferrari out on the track when we’re out in California, it’s 82 degrees with a little breeze. Not when it’s a little rainy and you can’t push it to the limit.’"
In other words, Beckham is not going to rush back to the field no matter how much he misses it.
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He tried to downplay wearing a Ravens uniform for the first time during mandatory minicamp earlier this month because of his excitement level practicing for the first time since 2022. He was out all last season, and despite rumors that a team might be signing him to make a Super Bowl run, his recovery progress was not where it needed to be.
Today, Beckham admits "the knee’s feeling great" and believes that he will be ready to go Sept. 10, when the Ravens host the Houston Texans on Opening Day.
However, the three-time Pro Bowler knows Week 1 is not the only game the Ravens need him for this season, which is why the long game is the mindset right now.
"I think I’m at the place where I have that one more notch that I’m kicking into and I’m trying to save it because these seasons are long, man, and it’s all about peaking at the right moment," he explained. All the other reporters and people [say], ‘Oh, you’re not at OTAs’ and this and that. I’ve seen people come out and they go through OTAs and mandatory camps and they look season ready. Then, a week or two into camp, they’re burnt out.
"It’s about peaking at the right time. There’s no other way for me to put it. I’m on that slow incline to where, come Sept. 10 or whatever that date is, that’s when I’ll be ready. [I’m] not ready to play in a game right now and that’s OK. I think the most important thing is about how to get there and how to last for the season."
Beckham, like other stars in the NFL, is no stranger to skipping OTAs to work out on his own individual program. However, some feel he needs to build a rapport with his teammates in these voluntary outings at the Ravens’ facility, so he can hit the ground running when training camp and the regular season come into frame.
There are other ways of doing so, though.
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Beckham admitted he spoke with his quarterback, Lamar Jackson, Tuesday morning to figure out where he was working out. They are expected to get some reps in on the field Wednesday to continue working on build a "connection and trust."
At the same time, Beckham knows that he and Jackson will build true chemistry when it is game time.
"I try to tell people: If we were at OTAs the entire time, we were working out and throwing passes, [chemistry] is built in the game. Practice is fine and all that, but you get to the game and one pass happens and it’s a pick or whatever. It’s built with reps in the game and seeing that success there. It starts with being able to communicate and talk off the field. ‘How do you see this? OK, how do you want me to run this route?’ I’ve always been the receiver, like, you tell me. I don’t care if the quarterback was a rookie. You tell me what you need me to do and I’ll get that done and we adjust from there."
For those who say otherwise, Beckham is not listening to outside noise.
He does not believe he has anything to prove to anyone but himself.
Like the Ferrari analogy, he had one for this instance, too.
"Purell hand sanitizer kills 99.9% of germs," he said. "There’s always going to be that little bit no matter what. It’s just the way our world is set up – we’re not built to like every single [person]. Nobody’s perfect, and if they are perfect, we’re going to look for the flaws anyway.
"I’m always out to prove to myself who I am. I’m definitely looking to get back on track and God willing, if this is my last season or there’s more seasons after that, I’m just looking to give my all for this year only. That’s where my eyes are at."
