One of the key members of the Rams’ 2021 Super Bowl squad was Odell Beckham Jr. Despite not being present for the entire campaign, he had a significant impact on their late-season drive and subsequent playoff success.

Despite playing without an ACL in his surgically repaired knee, he accomplished all of that.He underwent a physical before being signed by the Rams, and it was discovered that his left knee’s ACL was essentially absent. Although the team gratefully did so, Los Angeles was still at ease with bringing him in, which came as a shock to the gifted receiver.

On a recent episode of “The Pivot” podcast, Sean McVay related how the Rams learned of Beckham’s knee problem.

Finally, “he decides he’s gonna come to the Rams,” McVay said. You have a physical, then. If your knee feels well when you’re recovering and doing other things like that after he’s done the ACL, you won’t get another MRI to check if it’s stable. Well, the MRI is a component of the physical. Therefore, the MRI effectively confirms that you lack an ACL. Neal ElAttrache, our team doctor, informs me, “Hey, we gotta sit down and let Odell know about this,” so we must do so.

 

After Beckham’s MRI results were revealed, Snead, ElAttrache, and Les Snead all met down with him to discuss the state of his knee. And McVay will never forget his response, in which he promised the trio that he would continue playing until his knee gave out.

 

Sadly, it did in the Super Bowl, but not before he assisted the Rams in winning the championship.

 

“We basically told him, ‘You don’t have an ACL, but what you’ve done -‘ because he was saying, ‘I don’t feel that. That’s really strange. Because of his strength in the rehab program and the muscles and support he built up around that leg, including his quad, hamstring, and other muscles, said McVay. ‘Look, we’re going until the wheels come off,’ he says.

 

“He mentioned it while sitting there. And what makes it even stranger to me is that this guy promised, “Hey, I got a chance to go be a part of something amazing, to have a tremendous influence on it.McVay has often praised Beckham and shown his gratitude for what he did for the Rams during his brief stay in Los Angeles. And he hasn’t stopped gushing about the now-Ravens receiver, praising him for his intellect off the field as well as his influence in the locker room.

 

Odell, according to McVay, was instrumental in keeping his teammates’ spirits high when the Rams went on a three-game losing run after Beckham joined the team. At one point, Odell even impersonated McVay to the team before to a meeting.

 

Even though Beckham’s time with the Rams was brief, he had a profound impact on McVay and the rest of the group.