New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr says fans would love London NFL franchise
Saturday 30 July 2016 16:24, UK
Odell Beckham Jr insists it is only a matter of time before London has its own NFL franchise.
Beckham Jr is set to make his London debut on October 23 in the second of three NFL games in the capital, when the New York Giants take on the Los Angeles Rams at Twickenham Stadium.
"Can I see it [a London team] happening? Absolutely," the Giants wide receiver told Sky Sports News HQ. "You have everything you need to have a franchise and an organisation over here and I know for a fact that the team would get a lot of love.
"We're growing in this world and bringing football over here is a major thing. At some point in time, whether it's this year, or years after it, we're kind of just paving the way for a London franchise and I truly feel blessed to be a part of this.
"It could even be one of the better teams in the league because it would be hard to come over heer and beat these guys year-in, year-out. It's already hard enough to go to Philadelphia and beat them, to Dallas and beating them so I'm just looking forward to seeing what happens.
"But I can definitely see it happening."
A miserable 2015 saw the Giants lose 10 of 16 games last season and they have tried to address their deficiencies with the off-season acquisitions of defensive end Olivier Vernon, cornerback Janoris Jenkins and defensive tackle Damon 'Snacks' Harrison.
Beckham Jr is excited by the prospect of playing with the trio and expects them to give the Giants the balance required to achieve success in 2016.
"We've made some major pick-ups in Janoris Jenkins, Olivier Vernon and Snacks," Beckham Jr said.
"These are all guys that we are expecting to come in and make an impact straightaway. We've seen what they've done on other teams we hope they can do even better on the Giants, and I think it will be nothing less than that.
"I am expecting big things from us this year and hopefully we can win more than six games. That's never fun. I hate losing and I think this year will be very memorable as well, very memorable."
In this year's draft the Giants also snapped up wide receiver Sterling Shepard - a second round pick from the University of Oklahoma - who Beckham Jr says has the package required to hit the heights in the NFL.
"Sterling Shepard is another weapon we've added to our artillery and he is going to be a phenomenal player," Beckham Jr added. "A steal isn't even the word. The kid is going to be amazing. He's going to be Rookie of the Year."
