Top 100 plays of 2014......

[RolandDeschain]

Well, at least I'm still allowed to have a differing opinion, for the nonce.

 

[kearly]

It's a fan vote so anything can happen. If it was decided by media members, Beckham's catch would obviously win. Which I would be fine with, though to me what Lynch did was more impressive.

Beckham's catch was the best of all time, and it's not even really up for any kind of serious debate. But still, it's just a catch. I once saw Andrew Luck make a catch in a college game vs. UCLA that was 95% as impressive as what Beckham did. And Andrew Luck isn't even a pass catcher. He's a QB.

Finding a RB who can rip off beastquakes is a lot harder than finding an athlete who can make an awesome catch.

 

[kearly]

This one came in at #70. Even though it didn't directly involve the Seahawks, It hurts to watch.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/top-100-plays ... eriffic-TD

Matt Stafford throws an 8 yard pass on a curl route... on 3rd and 13. But instead of punting, he's got a 73 yard TD. I know there were a lot of reasons why Tate left, but it still sucks seeing him turn bad plays into amazing ones for another team.

 

[RolandDeschain]

and it's not even really up for any kind of serious debate.

I'm surprised to see you say this.

 

[Zebulon Dak]

and it's not even really up for any kind of serious debate.

I'm surprised to see you say this.

I would like to see some examples of catches that you think are better. Honestly, not being snarky. My apologies if you've posted them before and I didn't see them. As I stated earlier in the thread, I believe that there are probably catches that, if we could watch them and compare, most people would accept and admit to them being better than the ODB catch if they are. I'm not saying those catches don't exist, I'm just saying I don't remember them.

For example, this is one of the best catches I remember seeing. The key is that I remember seeing it. It blew my mind at the time and I'll never forget it.

The first one in this (terrible quality) video. I'm sure you'll remember it.

[youtube]Q31BRc3RgyE[/youtube]

Of course, to be fair, Brandon Lloyd probably has 5 catches on the greatest catches of all time list. Guy's out of this world.

 

[RolandDeschain]

I already explained my position in the original thread. I think a lot of people are underestimating how much added difficulty there is to catching footballs in general when a DB is right on you. When the DB isn't draped all over you, it's just different. Go try it in a park with a couple buddies, one of which is shadowing you. Go practice showboat catches uncontested vs. contested.

Hell, I'd probably rank Richard Sherman's sideline tiptoe interception as a better catch than ODB's. It's a much easier catch in terms of the football being caught and hauled in by his hands, no doubt there, but the overall situational awareness and with his toes JUST BARELY able to stay in-bounds, I'd say there was more overall skill on display. He recognizes what's happening, comes back to the ball, and catches the thing A YARD OUT OF BOUNDS, keeping the tips of his toes in.
[youtube]1IzlGU8cyj0[/youtube]

Look, again, all due respect to ODB but he had nothing distracting him as the ball was coming in. The DB was in the dirt, he wasn't close to the sideline, all he had to worry about was grabbing the ball. You remember when your grade school teacher had you try patting your head and rubbing your stomach simultaneously the first time, and that crap was hard as hell? Paying attention to different things simultaneously is not easy. The human brain does it poorly.

Frankly, half the receivers in the NFL - starting and otherwise - have made practice/TC catches like ODB's. Guys are more tempted to make the showboat one-handed catches when it's not a real game.

Here's a video titled "10 Catches Better Than Odell Beckham's SNF Touchdown":
[youtube]2KA36bw18cI[/youtube]

#3 and #1 in this video trump ODB's, for sure:
[youtube]ZUj8AwF7Xb0[/youtube]

You guys remember how we all got annoyed when ESPN immediately used the Fail Mary catch to drum up a far bigger controversy than was warranted over that catch? The media loves doing that with anything they can. It brings them more revenue and relevance. ODB is a young star receiver in the largest market for a sports team in existence. They stood to make more bank by calling it the greatest catch ever, or a contestant for one; and many people fell for it hook, line, and sinker.

It is NOT a greatest-ever contestant.

 

[kearly]

Beckham's catch was better than any of those for me. The HS/College catch (#3 above) comes the closest, but none of them defied human physiology like Beckham did. What Beckham did should not even be physically possible.

I think Roland kind of missed my point anyway. Or rather, he got it, but quickly turned on the one guy who had his back because he didn't agree 100%.

I was actually agreeing with Roland on his main point. And this thread proves why he's right on that point. Great catches are a dime a dozen. Great runs that look like something out of a Marvel Superheroes movie is not. As phenomenal as the Beckham catch was, it is not as astonishing as a beastquake type run.

 

[RolandDeschain]

Can you explain why it shouldn't have been physically possible? I see nothing in his catch that remotely suggests such a statement.

 

[kearly]

Ever stretch your shoulder or arm too far in the weight room and you hurt yourself? That's basically the kind of extension Beckham has, to catch a very high velocity pass with a couple fingers. The should have checked his gloves after a play like that. Seriously. It would be like hitting a home-run on a broken bat. There's lots of one handed catches but none with quite that degree of extension and torque. And that's only half the reason for me.

It is also unique in that it was in the air 50 yards, usually these kinds of catches tend to be shorter routes where the receiver is able to set up the play a lot better. Beckham was also grabbed and interfered with blatantly a split second before the catch. To even get a hand on the football after being pulled down running full speed would be an achievement. It took everything he had just to get a couple fingers on it, and he caught it.

These other catches are great too, but those WRs weren't pulled down by a DB 0.3 seconds before the ball arrived. The extension is freakish but the context of the catch is what truly makes it legendary I think.

This is why it will be #1 on the list and it will shock no one. Even though I wouldn't put it there personally, it is probably the most amazing NFL catch ever.

 

[RolandDeschain]

I get what you're saying, but frankly, it comes close to hyperbole in my opinion. No disrespect intended. Your reply actually helps justify my point more. A pass in the air for 50 yards is coming in more slowly than your average higher-velocity short pass, and by a pretty good margin, I might add.

Catch #1 in the final video I linked is FAR more likely to injure your arm than ODB's catch. His arm is fully extended, and it's turned to the outside away from his body. If you think ODB's catch shouldn't have been physically possible, then Dobson's by comparison would be one that Einstein would have to call "Photoshop!" on.

 

[MizzouHawkGal]

No way the Beckham catch should not win. Should not have been possible with pads and a helmet. Top five might be an understatement.

What kind of recreational drugs do you partake in? Just curious.

Oxycontrarian, it's all the rage with the cool kids.

 

[RolandDeschain]

No way the Beckham catch should not win. Should not have been possible with pads and a helmet. Top five might be an understatement.

What kind of recreational drugs do you partake in? Just curious.

Oxycontrarian, it's all the rage with the cool kids.

:lol: Good one.

 

[kearly]

Your reply actually helps justify my point more.

I'm glad I could be of service. This should be your sig, btw. Or someone's sig, credited to you.

Aside from the fact that we're talking about NFL catches and not HS/College, I don't personally find backhand catches all that amazing, I've seen a lot of them. Maybe if he made that catch with two fingers, while falling down after being grabbed...

Off topic, I do think the deep ball is much harder to catch than a short one, if only because anywhere in football you look, it's way easier to find a WR who can catch a 10 yard sideline pass than a deep ball. Jermaine Kearse is earning $2.3 million this season because his deep ball skill is so hard to replace.

Even talented WRs like Richardson and Norwood have struggled with these kinds of throws while immediately excelling on short stuff. Short stuff is routine. Long stuff is more improvised and requires a wider range of physical skills. It goes without saying that a contested deep catch is tougher than a short one and also harder to find the talent for.

 

[MizzouHawkGal]

Seriously, I'm not sure Beckham's catch is even the best play of 2014. Let alone something that belongs in the legendary or all time category. It will win the vote but that's irrelevant.

 

[RolandDeschain]

Lol. Well, it's beside the point in this case, because we were talking about the force of the ball on his arm, and any ball in the air 50 yards is going to be coming in a lot slower than many other NFL passes. Plus, you get the benefit of that long rainbow arc to judge where it's coming in at.

I'd just like to repeat, I think ODB's catch was a great catch. Just absolutely not a contender for greatest ever.

It's not even the greatest catch in Giants history. (Cough, David Tyree says hello.)

 

[Zebulon Dak]

The Sherm INT, no way. It's a really good catch but we get one or 2 of those every week in the League.

Why are we looking at college football and other random sports/activities? Those have nothing to do with the greatest catch in NFL history. If we're talking about the greatest catch of anything by anybody in human history then I can certainly understand why you disagree so vehemently. I just assumed we were sticking with NFL football.

#3 and #1 in the last video are fantastic catches. They certainly rival ODB's. As does the Brandon Lloyd catch, IMO. I still think ODB's is better though and I agree with most of kearly's reasoning.

 

[RolandDeschain]

*shrug*

As I said in the original thread, we have a fundamental disagreement on what constitutes an extremely difficult catch to make. Nothing's going to change that from what I can tell.

 

[kearly]

Tyree's was an awful catch, but certainly more legendary than Beckham's. Any of Seattle's 'pedestrian' WRs would have simply caught it without a fraction of the drama. I can't really award points for a guy making a routine catch look extremely hard.

 

[Zebulon Dak]

It's not even the greatest catch in Giants history. (Cough, David Tyree says hello.)

This is mind bottling.

 

[RolandDeschain]

If circumstances don't matter, Kearly, then I'm pretty sure 75 of the best 100 football catches ever made weren't even in televised games. Practice, backyards, high school football fields, etc.

I get that Tyree's catch didn't have to be that hard, zero disagreement there. Let's not pretend that surrounding circumstances such as the pressure of playing late in the Super Bowl don't matter though, yes? Compared to ODB's catch in a regular season game that the Giants lost?

Let me rephrase: Let's see how well you walk a tightrope between two skyscrapers in NYC. Once with a safety net right below it, and once with no protection whatsoever where if you fall, you are dead. Same rope, same act, but oh, the difference...