9781422277249

Gridiron Greats PRO FOO TBA L L’ S BES T PL AY ERS

by T.C. Thomas

Gridiron Greats PRO FOO TBA L L’ S BES T PL AY ERS

Khalil Mack Odell Beckham Jr. Rob Gronkowski RussellWilson Todd Gurley

Aaron Donald Aaron Rodgers Alvin Kamara Antonio Brown DrewBrees J.J. Watt Julio Jones

Tom Brady Von Miller

Gridiron Greats PRO FOO TBA L L’ S BES T PL AY ERS

by T.C. Thomas

MASON CREST

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Copyright © 2020 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher.

First printing 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

ISBN (hardback) 978-1-4222-4073-1 ISBN (ebook) 978-1-4222-7724-9

Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file with the Library of Congress

Developed and Produced by National Highlights Inc. Editor: Andrew Luke Interior and cover design: Jana Rade, impact studios Production: Michelle Luke

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Contents

Further Reading . . . . . . . . . 74 Internet Resources . . . . . . . 75 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Photo Credits . . . . . . . . . . 79 Educational Video Links & Author Bio . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Chapter 1: Greatest Moments . . . 7 Chapter 2: The Road to the Top . . 21 Chapter 3: On the Field . . . . . . 35 Chapter 4: Words Count . . . . . 49 Chapter 5: Off the Field . . . . . . 63 Series Glossary of Key Terms . . 72

KEY ICONS TO LOOK FOR:

Words to Understand: These words with their easy-to-understand definitions will increase the reader’s understanding of the text while building vocabulary skills.

Sidebars: This boxed material within the main text allows readers to build knowledge, gain insights, explore possibilities, and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Educational Videos: Readers can view videos by scanning our QR codes, providing them with additional educational content to supplement the text. Examples include news coverage, moments in history, speeches, iconic sports moments and much more! Text-Dependent Questions: These questions send the reader back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented there.

Research Projects: Readers are pointed toward areas of further inquiry connected to each chapter. Suggestions are provided for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis.

Series Glossary of Key Terms: This back-of-the-book glossary contains terminology used throughout this series. Words found here increase the reader’s ability to read and comprehend higher-level books and articles in this field.

WORDS TO UNDERSTAND EPITOME – a person or thing that is a perfect example of a particular quality or type FEAT – an achievement that requires great courage, skill, or strength MOMENTUM – the impetus and driving force gained by the development of a process or course of events PHENOMENAL – very remarkable; extraordinary REPUTATION – the beliefs or opinions that are generally held about someone or something

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Gridiron Greats: Pro Football’s Best Players

Chapter 1

Greatest Moments

Today’s NFL wide receivers make great catches on a weekly basis, but no one does it better than Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Beckham Jr. starts by putting on a show for all to see during pregame warm ups prior to the kickoff. Often, he leaves fans speechless with the relative ease with which he catches passes either by the conventional two-hand technique or by the jaw-dropping one-handed grab. What separates him from the competition, however, is not his hands but rather his feet. All great wideouts can catch the football. It is what happens after OBJ has the pigskin in his hands that is quite astonishing and different from the norm. Before being traded to the Browns in 2019, Beckham Jr. played for the New York Giants. In New York, he gained a reputation for turning a simple pass play into a big yardage gain. He excels at eluding and evading defenders long enough to gain the required yards to keep the chains moving and give the offense four new downs. Even a pass fromGiants quarterback Eli Manning that is high or low and fails to hit Beckham Jr. in stride could still have resulted in a big gain.

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Chapter 1: Greatest Moments

Two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning was Beckham’s quarterback with the New York Giants.

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Gridiron Greats: Pro Football’s Best Players

Beckham Jr.’S Greatest Career Moments

TAKE A LOOK AT THESE SPECTACULAR HIGHLIGHTS FROM HIS NFL CAREER SO FAR.

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Chapter 1: Greatest Moments

OBJ CATCHES HIS FIRST TOUCHDOWN PASS BeckhamJr. confessed to reporters that his favorite catch is a 15-yard pass fromManning in Week 5 of his rookie season. Why? Well, that was his first career NFL touchdown, and it brought some legitimacy to a young player who was coming under fire because of his absence from the lineup due to injury. It was a simple route that had OBJ streaking down the far sideline against single coverage. Manning lofted a high pass that forced Beckham Jr. to out jump the defender for the ball. Not to be denied, he needed full extension to make the grab. His tremen-

dous footwork gained the brief separation needed to make the touchdown reception. If he does not gain that advantage, then the Giants do not defeat the Falcons.

Atlanta Falcons at the New York Giants on October 5, 2014.

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Gridiron Greats: Pro Football’s Best Players

BECKHAM JR. BREAKS RANDY MOSS’ RECORD It was meant to be a simple pass route for minimal gain. Instead, the reception netted 24 yards that extended a Giants drive, but more importantly, represented a major milestone at the start of his NFL career. With that reception, Beckham Jr. broke Randy Moss’s league record for most receiving (2,726) yards by a player in his first two NFL seasons. At year’s end, OBJ had 187 receptions for 2,755 yards and 25 touchdowns in 27 games played. Not bad for an under-sized wide receiver drafted 12th overall in the 2014 NFL Draft.

Philadelphia Eagles at the New York Giants on January 3, 2016.

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Chapter 1: Greatest Moments

THE PLAY OF THE YEAR Beckham Jr. had a play in 2014 that put his career into overdrive and he has never looked back. It was “The Play of the Year” or the touchdown reception against the Dallas Cowboys that became the most watched highlight of the 2014 season. OBJ has said in several interviews that the approach he took on the play was the only one that gave him a way to catch that throw. He remembers battling the Cowboys’ defender for position near the sideline, andwhen BeckhamJr. looked back for the ball, it was on track to sail over his head. He jumped and reached back to secure it in his extended

right hand. What’s evenmore remarkable about that play was it came in just Beckham’s seventh game in his rookie season. Many well-re- spected NFL commen- tators remarked that it was one of the greatest catches they have ever seen.

Dallas Cowboys at the New York Giants on November 23, 2014.

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Gridiron Greats: Pro Football’s Best Players

SIMPLY PUT, OBJ DOES IT AGAIN BeckhamJr. made another touchdown catch that everyonewill be talking about for years against the Packers in 2016. It may not have quite been “Play of the Year” worthy, but the end result was still pretty special. Themost shocking fact about this receptionwas that it was Beckham Jr.’s first touchdown of the season. It’s hard to imagine that a touchdown machine like OBJ was held out of the end zone until Week 5 of the 2016 season. The play will be long remembered for the incredible height of BeckhamJr.’s leap to secure the football in the back of the end zone. Still, themore amazing feat was his ability

to maintain balance long enough to keep both feet in bounds for the touchdown. More importantly, the score cut theGreenBay Packers lead to seven points late in the 4th quarter.

New York Giants at the Green Bay Packers on October 9, 2016.

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Chapter 1: Greatest Moments

BECKHAM JR.’S SIXTH CONSECUTIVE 100-YD GAME The 2015MondayNight Football matchupbetween theMiami Dolphins and theGiantswas beinghypeddue to theanticipatedmeetingof two former college teammates, Jarvis Landry and Odell BeckhamJr., who had become standout wide receivers in the NFL. Instead, the national television audience witnessed another phenomenal performance by #13. OBJ scored the game-tying and game-winning touchdowns in a wild come-from behind 31–24 victory for the Giants. The first TD reception was a short 6-yard pass. OBJ’s second touchdown grab resulted from the epitome of world-class speed as he broke free

onaslantpattern for an 84-yard score that put the Giants ahead for good early in the 4th quarter. Beckham Jr. endedhis eveningwith 7 catches for 166 yards and2TDs, thesixthtime in a rowhe had broken the 100-yardmark.

New York Giants at the Miami Dolphins on December 14, 2015.

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Gridiron Greats: Pro Football’s Best Players