Hey Odell, McAdoo Is Telling You, "Don't Take the Cheese"

The New York Giants (10-4) arrive in the City of Brotherly Love on Thursday, looking for a playoff berth. Odell Beckham and company take on the reeling Philadelphia Eagles (5-9) in a prime time affair. As the regular season nears conclusion, Big Blue’s focus should be on the field. As head coach Ben McAdoo warned, the road gets bumpier from here.

Odell Beckham Double Standard

No one has been a bigger Odell Beckham supporter than yours truly. After Beckham’s infamous meltdown against the Carolina Panthers, I wrote that blame should be shared. And yes, the Giants will not go far without OBJ leading the way.

But Beckham also complained that the team was not winning enough in his first two seasons. Now that has changed, but Beckham has not adapted. The tweet below is an example.

An error occurred while retrieving the Tweet. It might have been deleted.

The message is in response to the fact that Dallas Cowboys’ running back Ezekiel Elliott was not fined for jumping into the Salvation Army bucket in Sunday night’s game. “Beckham has been docked at least $108,926 this season for various issues, and that number is likely higher due to possible small fines for infractions like uniform violations,” according to NJ Advance Media in a story on Dec. 19, 2016.

Does Beckham have a point?

My response: who cares.

Take Up Cause for Odell

Any time I write something that doesn’t wax poetic about OBJ, it gets the usual immature reactions. “That’s BS,” some will write. Or better yet, “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

My response: I didn’t realize that you are the thought police. At least give me a thoughtful response, instead of being the team parent whose kid does no wrong.

Many media suck ups will take up the cause for Beckham this week, to give the story legs. Hey, it’s Christmas week, and maybe they don’t want to work too hard.

Dan Duggan of NJ.com did it on Dec. 22, 2016 by lambasting Beckham’s fine for illegal equipment for wearing Craig Sager memorial shoes. He writes, “So, the NFL fined Beckham for one deliberate gesture designed to raise money for a worthy cause, but didn’t fine Elliott for one spontaneous gesture that happened to raise money for a worthy cause. It’s hard to argue Beckham’s claim of a double standard.”

Maybe that was the difference: spontaneous versus deliberate.

Here’s another tweet that goes beyond journalism.

@SInow @OBJ_3 this is ridiculous…obj is officiated and monitored differently than other players. Let players honor what they want to

— Taylor Rooks (@TaylorRooks) December 22, 2016

In my opinion, the comment by Taylor Rooks is completely unprofessional for a media person. First, it’s subjective, not objective; and secondly, it has no context. Who is she comparing Beckham to? But good for her to cozy up to OBJ.

Odell, Listen to McAdoo

The most under-rated aspect of the Giants’ season has been the steady leadership of coach Ben McAdoo. The young head coach has been a rock this season. He has dealt with everything thrown his way in a professional manner. From the Josh Brown fiasco to his haircut, McAdoo has not wavered.

It would be good for Beckham to follow the head coach’s lead.

“I think it’s important that we don’t take the cheese this week,’’ McAdoo said according to the New York Post on Dec. 21, 2016. “I think it’s important that we focus on the task at hand. Be where our feet are. Not worry about what’s going on outside of the building. Don’t worry about scenarios, the holidays coming up, don’t worry about any of that other stuff. It has nothing to do with the ballgame on Thursday night.”

Dec 11, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants head coach Ben McAdoo coaches against the Dallas Cowboys during the third quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Great advice.

Agreeing or disagreeing with Beckham is irrelevant. That’s taking the cheese. And the cheese is what lures one into the trap.

For anyone who wants context, you can go back in history and tell me which Giants team thrived when it had a player personality problems.

Elvis Patterson…team didn’t win.

Tiki Barber-…team didn’t win.

Plaxico Burress…team didn’t win.

For the record, two of these three situations occurred after the team had won a Super Bowl with Patterson and Burress. Player misconduct in the year after the victory caused the inability to repeat.

A word to the wise is sufficient.