Odell Beckham was 'never really healthy' as rookie with two hamstring tears

GLENDALE, Ariz. – New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. put on another show in the Pro Bowl, which is no surprise because that's what he did in just about every other game he played as a rookie.

He had five catches for 89 yards in the Pro Bowl and even among the game's best players he stood out. What's more amazing is what he shared in the locker room afterward.

"I was never really healthy," Beckham said about his rookie season.

Come again? That 91-catch, 1,305-yard, 12-touchdown rookie season (in just 12 games, by the way) was on a bad leg?

He said he had two separate hamstring injuries, and the second time he found out he had two tears in the hamstring, in the semitendinosus and the biceps muscles in the hamstring. Beckham missed four games to start the season because of his hamstring.

"I maintained it the best I could," Beckham said. "Still working on it. Trying to get it 100 (percent) for next year."

So this was a limited version of Beckham we saw rewrite the rookie record books. He's a heavy favorite to win the NFL offensive rookie of the year award on Saturday night. But he spoke about his season like he wasn't completely satisfied because his health wouldn't allow him to play full speed.

"I could never have that last gear I wanted to have," Beckham said. "You look at the Colts game and the Philly game, every time I went to break away I'm stumbling and trying to fall over. My hamstring wasn't strong enough to maintain all that. It's still something I'm working on today and will work on in the offseason."

He said he'll shut it down for a few weeks this offseason and then start working back. He said there's a possibility it won't get to 100 percent by next season, but that's a long way off still.

He looked just fine on Sunday in the Pro Bowl. He looked great in just about every game of an amazing rookie season. So how much better could he in his second year if he's 100 percent?

"I guess we'll have to see," Beckham said.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab

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