Stop me if you’ve seen this before: A New York Giants rookie wide receiver garnering national stardom after a breakout performance on prime time television.
Yes, just about any New York Giants fan could tell you where they were when ‘the catch heard around the world’ took place at Metlife Stadium on November 23rd, 2014. While Odell Beckham Jr. had already broken out to some extent before that Sunday night game, his 10 catch, 146 yard, and 2TD performance against Big Blue’s most hated rival put him on the map for keeps.
The similarities between New York Giants rookie phenom wideout, Kadarius Toney, and Beckham Jr. are uncanny. Both smaller in stature, but ultra shifty and explosive, Toney will do well for himself if he can end up being half the player Odell was for the Giants during his time with the franchise.
Both Toney and Beckham were largely unheralded in college, for the most part, and appear to be better-suited for the professional game. They both played in the SEC for schools that are traditionally known for pounding the rock on the ground, so it was difficult for them to truly make their marks at the collegiate level.
Yet, because their talent levels were so immense, ‘KT’ and ‘OBJ’ each ended up going in the middle of the first round for the New uYork Giants. Further, both the wideouts got off to slow starts due to being inactive for various reasons to start their careers, only to take off just about immediately after getting their first opportunities.
The 2014 New York Giants were 3-7 heading into that late November matchup with the Dallas Cowboys. Even though they ended up losing that matchup to the 7-3 Cowboys that night, the energy Beckham Jr.’s performance infused into the franchise was palpable for some time to come. Hopefully, Kadarius Toney can do something similar tomorrow night against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Toney already has surpassed Beckham’s rookie team record for receiving yards in a game with an 189-yard output a few weeks ago against those same Cowboys. Now, we’ll see if – like Odell – his game rises on the biggest stages.
To be frank, the New York Giants have little chance of walking out of Arrowhead Stadium with a victory on Monday night. What they can walk out of the stadium with is a reinvigorating feeling that they do, finally again, have a player on their roster that is worth the price of admission all by his lonesome.