I Really Wish Sterling Moore Wouldn't Have Publicly Scrutinized Odell Beckham Jr.

LBS-  As Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post notes, Moore was furious when he was called for a questionable pass interference penalty while defending Beckham on 3rd-and-8 in the first quarter. Beckham caught a 13-yard pass on the very next play, and Moore felt the receiver should have been flagged.

“I didn’t like it, man,” Moore said. “It was one of those things where [Beckham] is trying to pull himself through. He does that a lot, and he kind of gets away with it at times. It’s something I mentioned to the refs. It is what it is.”

Beckham finished with a game-high eight catches for 86 yards. Moore told Hubbuch that yanking defenders and pushing off is “Beckham’s staple on those deep balls,” and the Saints asked Gene Steratore’s crew before the game to keep an eye on it.

“They obviously brushed it off,” Moore said. “It’s something he gets away with pretty regularly. I guess it’s something you’ve got to live with. … It didn’t surprise me that he was doing it. But it surprised me that they were letting him do it and were letting us go out there and play. I guess that’s how it’s going to be.”



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First, let's address the least important question that this quote not-so-indirectly asks. Does Odell Beckham Jr. get away with offensive pass interference more often than the average NFL wide receiver? The answer -  quite obviously - is yes. Actually a more appropriate answer is "no shit". Of course one of the most exciting players in all of football gets preferential treatment from the officials, and personally - as a Saints fan that was a victim of it no more than 24 hours ago - I have no problem with that being the case. Would I have been cheering louder than any other person in the building if Odell got flagged for pushing off? Absolutely. However, I am not going to sit here and act like the Saints haven't gotten a couple of offensive assists when the concept of the "superstar call" worked in favor of Drew Brees. So no, I don't have to go back and look at a lick of game tape to know that Odell Beckham is as suspicious as his sexuality when it comes to trying to create separation. I just can't get too upset when the fact that he's a shyster is widely accepted by everyone in the sport. 

Now, let's address the most important question that this quote not-so-directly asks. How does Sterling Moore benefit from publicly alluding to Odell Beckham's acts of gamesmanship? The answer - quite simply - is that he doesn't. That's my biggest problem with a cornerback scrutinizing his opponent after getting thrust into the unenviable position of guarding him one-on-one. It makes him look like the sorest of losers. His point - which isn't a terrible one per se - gets lost amidst his perceived bitterness. Sterling Moore, all things considered, played his ass off yesterday. He didn't exactly lock down his side of the field, but - considering he was scooped off the unemployment line about 10 days ago - his performance in keeping one of the league's best pass catchers in check was about as impressive as you could hope for. If not for his efforts the game would have been long over prior to a last second field goal. Unfortunately, I can't truly celebrate those efforts today, because I am too busy trying to stand guard of what appears to be his painfully hurt butt.

Barring some unforeseen miracle in which the Saints offense and defense start showing up to the stadium on the same day and will this team to the playoffs, Sterling Moore won't be lining up across from Odell Beckham at any point in the near future. That's why blaming the refs only stands to get draw him negative attention when his play was nothing less than overwhelmingly positive.