This is the greatest catch in the history of catches, right? RIGHT?! (USATSI)
This is the greatest catch in the history of catches, right? RIGHT?! (USATSI)

New storylines emerge every week. Some are reasonable, most are not. "The Week in Overreactions" focuses on the latter. Those items that offer a cursory "How do you do?" as they blow past reality straight for THIS IS THE MOST AMAZING THING EVER! We're here to keep everything in perspective. Questions, comments, casserole ideas? Hit us up on Twitter at @ryanwilson_07.

We've been known to exaggerate, and there's certainly room for debate about whether what Odell Beckham Jr. perpetrated against a Cowboys secondary helpless to do anything about it constitutes the greatest catch in the history of catching. But as a single athletic feat without context, it is the greatest catch we've ever seen.

We're not original in making this claim; the social media echo chamber has brought that point home -- repeatedly -- in the seconds, minutes and hours since. You've no doubt seen Beckham's grab hundreds of times at this point but that's the beauty of it; it never gets old.

Think about that when trying to place it among the all-time great catches. What David Tyree pulled off back in Feb. 2008, when the upstart Giants faced insurmountable odds against the undefeated (and, many thought, unbeatable) Patriots, defied logic. Tyree had been in the league since 2003 and never had more than 19 receptions in a season. During the 2007 regular season, he had a whopping four catches in 12 games. After that Super Bowl XLII victory over the Pats, Tyree never caught another NFL pass and by 2009 he was out of the league.

If you're a Giants homer, or into Patriots schadenfreude, you're watching Tyree's catch on an endless loop until your eyeballs fall out of your head. Given the circumstances and the unlikely hero on that fateful third-down play that set up the winning touchdown pass, it was, without question, a miracle.

Feb. 3, 2008. David Tyree's Helmet Catch over Rodney Harrison. (Getty Images)
Feb. 3, 2008. David Tyree's Helmet Catch over Rodney Harrison. (Getty Images)

What Beckham did, in a mostly meaningless late November game for a three-win Giants outfit spinning its wheels, doesn't even compare. But if Tyree's play in that moment defied logic, what Beckham pulled off defied physics. Tyree, who was blanketed by Patriots safety Rodney Harrison, had the full use of both hands -- and his helmet.

Beckham, meanwhile, was being held (Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr was flagged for pass interference on the play), and while falling backwards, he snatched a ball thrown some 50 yards  out of the air using only three fingers. He fell backwards into the end zone where the ball remained firmly cradled, never, ever hinting that it might move until the catch was complete and the touchdown was confirmed.

This is not fair to the rest of the humans in professional football. (USATSI)
This is not fair to the humans toiling away in professional football. (USATSI)

And that, more than the implications on the scoreboard or in the standings, is what sets Beckham's catch apart from anything else we've ever seen.

Perhaps most mind-blowing: The spectacle we all witnessed didn't faze Beckham's college coaches and teammates back at LSU.

“I’m not one for social media but I’m told a lot of our players were on there tonight after the catch saying, ‘That’s nothing compared to what he did in practice,’" Tigers coach Les Miles told TheMMQB.com's Peter King after the game. "You have to understand: We have seen this before. I just want you to know that.”

Wrap your brain around that. If you find it difficult, you're not alone. NFL players -- both teammates and opponents -- were collectively picking their jaws up off the floor on Sunday night.

"I hope the fact that we lost won't keep people from talking about that catch," Giants defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka said, via ESPNNewYork.com.

The man's a monster," Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant added. "That catch? Outstanding. Whew. Some of my work. You've got to give it to him for real. ... I respect playmakers, and he’s a playmaker. I just don't like it when he does it against us, but I do like seeing receivers ball out in this league. I’m a fan of all wideouts and I love that catch, but I’m happy we got the win.”

Those were two of the more thoughtful reactions to a play that left everybody outside of Baton Rouge struggling to find words to describe what they had just seen.

Professional photographers, who make their living documenting the minutiae of every game, were also impressed.

In related news: Here's a great frame-by-frame breakdown from freelance photographer Andrew Mills, who explains how he found himself too close to the action to get a good shot of Beckham, which played out on Twitter in real time (of course it did.)

Mills writes Monday: "As my boss said to me, 'Sometimes the meteor hits you.' It sure does."

Beckham, whom the Giants drafted 12th overall in May and turned 22 three weeks ago, kept everything in perspective Sunday night.

"I hope it is not the greatest catch because with time I hope I can make more," he said after a 10-catch, 146-yard, one-touchdown performance. "It really means nothing. You still go home at the end of the day with a loss, and that's just not a good feeling."

Unreal. All of it.

*******

Here are some other nominations for "Best Catch." Feel free to add your own in the comments.  (No idea why we even wrote that last sentence; you've no doubt done just that, most likely in all-caps for full effect. Duly noted.)

Feb. 3, 2008. Jan. 10, 1982. The Catch: Dwight Clark hauls in Joe Montana's TD pass. (Getty Images)
Jan. 10, 1982. The Catch: Dwight Clark hauls in Joe Montana's TD pass. (Getty Images)

Obviously much different circumstances than Beckham's grab; Clark's touchdown beat the Cowboys in the NFC Championship game and sent the 49ers to the Super Bowl. Several players could have been on the receiving end of The Catch. Only one person can do what Beckham did.

Dec. 23, 1972: The Immaculate Reception, Franco Harris. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Dec. 23, 1972: The Immaculate Reception, Franco Harris. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

John Madden and Raiders fans will never concede that Franco Harris actually caught the ball cleanly, even if the league contends more than 40 years later that there was no conspiracy to send Oakland home.

Nebraska WR Jordan Westerkamp's no-look catch from August. (Getty Images)
Nebraska WR Jordan Westerkamp's no-look catch from August. (Getty Images)

There is no historical significance to this catch by Jordan Westerkamp -- the game took place Aug. 30, 2014 in Nebraska's 55-7 win over Florida Atlantic -- but it might be the second most impressive catch of the football season.