Jets' Antonio Cromartie says Giants' Odell Beckham Jr. 'has a lot of room to grow'

About two months ago, in early October,Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie knocked Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. pretty good.

Cromartie called Beckham "a one-year wonder." At the time Cromartie said this, Beckham had played 16 games in his season-plus NFL career, since the Giants drafted him 12th overall last year. 

"It's just one year," Cromartie said. "I need to see it on an every-game basis." 

Beckham has played seven games since Cromartie made those comments, which Beckham brushed off. 

Beckham's receiving yardage totals in those games: 121, 61, 35, 130, 105, 104, and 142. He has seven touchdown catches over that span, including an insane grab in Sunday's loss at Washington. Not a bad stretch for Beckham. 

This Sunday, the Jets — perhaps without star corner Darrelle Revis — will try to cover Beckham. It won't be an easy task, especially if Revis is absent, due to a concussion. Would Cromartie, a 10th-year veteran, be up to the challenge? 

On Monday, Cromartie (sort of) stood by his comments about Beckham not yet having a full NFL body of work. But Cromartie also praised Beckham, who ranks sixth in the NFL with 91.4 receiving yards per game and tied for second with nine touchdown catches, behind only Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert, who has 12. 

"I still feel like there's still so much room for him to grow," Cromartie said of Beckham. "He's a young, athletic guy that can go out and make plays, and make unbelievable catches. He's proven that over and over.

"He does have a lot of room to grow, because he's so young. He's only in his second year. So he only can evolve in that offense, and being around the guys, like Eli Manning, to make him evolve more. Yes, he has a lot of room to grow, to be the guy that everyone knows he can be." 

this season, and had yet to see the touchdown catch he made Sunday in Washington. Cromartie said that for this entire season, he has only watched film of the Jets' upcoming opponent. He planned to begin studying Beckham on Monday evening. 

"I don't know anything that's going on with him," Cromartie said Monday afternoon. "I don't know stats, nothing. I won't know anything until tonight when I start studying things, and tomorrow morning." 

Odell Beckham on latest ridiculous catch: Doesn't matter, we lost

Even among the impossible catches that Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. makes look routine, there are those that still leave you jaw agape. The latest came in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game against the Redskins.

But just like the original "Catch" from a November 2014 matchup against the Cowboys (you can relive that magic here), the Giants lost the game. And that, as far as Beckham is concerned, is all that matters.

"It really doesn't matter; we didn't win," he said, via NorthJersey.com. "[Eli Manning] threw the ball out there and I laid out for it. I tried to catch it, and it is what it is. We lost the game. It's not really something that is important right now."

Beckham's right ... but also, that catch. Even Redskins players, who see Beckham twice a year, were blown away.

"That's not human," left tackle Trent Williams said, via CSNMidAtlantic.com. "That's just an effort that nobody can stop. That man's amazing."

Odell Beckham did it again. (USATSI)

Cornerback Will Blackmon added: "I think he's the only wide receiver in the NFL who makes that catch. Straight up."

And defensive end Jason Hatcher said, "My son, I think he loves Odell Beckham more than he do me. I guess I'm gonna have to go out and buy his jersey. That guy is special. God don't make many like him. He's just a special guy."

But, as Beckham reminds us: the scoreboard is the bottom line. And the win moved the Redskins into first place in the division for the first time since 2012, two full games clear of the last-place Cowboys -- whose fans still have jokes: