New York Giants: How Odell Beckham Jr. Can Quiet Critics
A look at how New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. can squash growing opinion that he is a distraction due to out-of-control emotions.
New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. probably can relate to how Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, must feel every time she’s in public.
Beckham, the New York Giants ultra-talented receiver out of LSU who was their first-round pick in 2013, has seen his star ascend in record time, largely due to his enthusiastic personality, his stylish presence, and, of course, his amazing football talents that include his ability to make spectacular one-handed catches.
As a result, it seems his every move, regardless if it’s on or off the football field, is documented, creating a series of headaches, many of which are self-inflicted by Beckham himself.
The fame has slowly pushed Beckham to the edge into a situation where, despite his statements to the contrary, appears to be drowning in a sea of flashbulbs and cameras that document his every move on and off the field.
It’s all too much for a 23-year-old young man who otherwise is a model citizen off the field and who has shown himself to have a heart of gold and compassion in the community where he has held football camps for children youth and. Before the Giants’ Monday night game against the Minnesota Vikings for instance, he personally greeting every single member of the military in attendance.
Therein lies the tragedy of Beckham’s NFL story: the good that he does gets washed out by the histrionics which have now drawn public concern from notables such as former head coach Tom Coughlin, current head coach Ben McAdoo, quarterback Eli Manning, receiver Victor Cruz, and former Giants receiver Amani Toomer.
Getting back on the winning track will certainly help cure a lot of the woes that exist. But Beckham needs to do his part as well to erase this “bad boy” image he probably unintentionally created for himself.
Here are a few ways he can start, if he so chooses.
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Accept Responsibility and Move On
After the Giants lost to Minnesota, Beckham, as previous noted, pointed the finger everywhere for his problem everywhere except at the man in the mirror.
In an interview this week with ESPN’s Anita Marks, Beckham expressed frustration not at the opportunities he has blown, but rather at the team for not giving him more opportunities to make plays, saying that he isn’t “having fun” playing football.
He also blamed social media for his issues.
I’m not the one who puts a camera in my face. I don’t think many teammates knew about what happened last week [against Washington]. It all gets blown up. We live in the era of social media so it is what it is. Created, not created, it doesn’t matter. When you’re at the top of your game they are going to try and knock you off. That’s just the case. You keep it moving.
Beckham needs to understand that, when one is “at the top of your game” and has a larger than life personality, the camera will find you. He’s playing in one of the largest media markets in the country and he brings an energy to the Giants that the team hasn’t seen since the days of running back Brandon Jacobs
So yes, the camera is going to be in his face, just as it’s in the face of some of the world’s other athletes who laid claim to being among the top of their game, such as LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Peyton Manning, and many more.
Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Let His Play Do the Talking
If a defensive back gives you an extra hard shove when the officials aren’t looking, don’t retaliate because there’s a pretty good chance you’re going to get caught and penalized. Walk away and get your revenge later in the game by catching a ball and burning the defensive back or throwing a textbook type downfield block that knocks the defender into the next county.
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Such is the advice from quarterback Eli Manning, who in his weekly WFAN radio spot (h/t NJ Advance Media), said, “If someone hits him late, if someone says something, just go about your business. That’s part of being a professional.”
This isn’t to suggest that Beckham play the game like a robot. Emotions are fine so long as they’re channeled the right way.
That way is to show the world why you are the best receiver in the game, a feat that can be accomplished without taking a swing at an opponent who blocks you the wrong way or who wields a baseball bat that he’d be foolish to actually use in front of a stadium full of witnesses that include law enforcement officials. Make ridiculous catches and be a great receiver; leave the rest in the dust.
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Don’t Be Defensive
Beckham might feel as though it’s him against the world, but as hard as it might be for him to grasp, that’s just not the case.
Beckham bristled last week when told of how McAdoo said he needed to control himself.
“He needs to control his emotions better and become less of a distraction to himself and to his teammates,” McAdoo said. “It’s our job to help him with that process and maturing.”
“Nah, I’m not really. I’m in a great place right now,” was Beckham’s response a few days after McAdoo spoke.
“Mentally, physically, spiritually, there is not really much that bothers me at all, to be honest. So I’m going to go out and play football the only way I’ve ever known how to play, try my best to be the best teammate you possibly can.”
If he means that, then he needs to start contributing to the solution. Nowhere is it written that every Giants game needs to be the Odell Beckham Jr. show. He can contribute by drawing double coverage and freeing up teammates Sterling Shepard and Victor Cruz to make plays. He can also help the running game at the second level with downfield blocking, a great way for him to channel his emotions within the rules of the game.
No one is saying that Beckham can’t play his game. However, when his game becomes larger than the game, that’s a problem.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Take Control of Interviews
If someone made our job easier by literally handing us a day’s worth of work on a silver platter, how many of us would turn it down? Because Beckham is so sincere and speaks and acts from the heart, that’s exactly what he’s done for the media, and that needs to change.
No, he doesn’t have to take the Marshawn Lynch route. Instead try the Bill Belichick way of communicating: offer a generic answer to a potentially controversial question, especially if said quesitons have to do with an opponent.
Beckham did himself no favors by throwing gas on the burning embers when he claimed he made Josh Norman relevant in the August issue of GQ. While not every NFL player is a first-round pick, Beckham needs to remember these guys did something to get to where they are, with many not having the draft pedigree Beckham can boast.
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Be Patient
This last point is probably the most difficult given how Beckham has irresponsibly crafted his on-field image. Change isn’t going to happen overnight nor over the course of a few weeks. The first step for Beckham is going to be to self-evaluate not just how this season has unfolded, but how last year went down.
He already has proven that he’s an exceptional receiver who can single-handedly crack open a game. But talent will only take you so far, as the more people you alienate, the faster you’re going to drown in the sea of your own success.