Odell Beckham Jr.

The New York Giants making the playoffs is kind of a ridiculous idea at this point. It’s one of those things that technically could happen, according to math, but the odds are so low right now that it would be safer to bet on yourself winning the lottery. With that being said, Odell Beckham Jr. isn’t backing down from it.

Even if it seems like he’s the only one that believes it can happen right now, along with the others within the Giants organization. The team is 2-7 right now, of course, but it’s only days after they started the second half of their season with a win against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football.

“I don’t know what would make me not believe it. That’s just the goal. Same thing I said before the season: The goal is to win a Super Bowl. It’s always going to be to win a Super Bowl,” said Beckham, speaking about the idea of winning out down the stretch to make it into the playoffs with a mediocre but passable record.

It’s an extremely far-fetched idea but if it were to happen, it would likely be because of the weakness of the division. The top team right now is the Washington Redskins, who hold a decent but not great 6-3 record. The defending divisional and NFL champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, are experiencing a Super Bowl hangover and sit in third place with a losing record. That 4-5 record is also shared by the Dallas Cowboys.

However, the Giants barely beat a terrible 49ers team, so winning out would require a large improvement on their part. Not mathematically impossible, but not likely either. But Odell Beckham Jr. doesn’t care that most consider the task impossible, and maybe that’s a good thing.

Someone has to be optimistic, after all, when a team is going through a season like this.

“My mentality is going to be to win these last seven games, no matter who believes it or what’s said, anything like that,” said Beckham. He might just be that leading figure that keeps team spirits from breaking completely during this down time.

Even if the New York Giants organization is quitting at this point in the season by trading away players such as Damon Harrison, top receiver Odell Beckham Jr. isn’t ready to quit. Beckham talked to the New York Daily News recently and, of course, one of the things that came up was the team’s fate this season. Always the competitive player, Beckham’s mood seems different from the mood surrounding much of the team.

“You just don’t quit. I really don’t know how to quit. As long as I’m here I’m always going to care. Sometimes the process is ugly but there will be better days. Obviously this is not where we want to be but this is where we’re at. We got nine more games to do something about it,” said Beckham.

One thing that Beckham also mentioned was his contract, which because of its size, ensures that he’s one of the few players that will not be at risk of a trade during the ongoing fire sale. Beckham was asked if he regretted signing the contract now that the Giants are 1-6 to start the season, but had a reassuring answer for Giants fans.

“No. I just wish we had a better record than we have.”

It’s an interesting answer because before signing the contract, Beckham was linked to a trade with the Los Angeles Rams who are currently undefeated. Beckham would surely have bigger numbers and the Rams offense would almost certainly score even more than it already has, which is a big contrast from the current New York Giants offense that cost the team the game against the Atlanta Falcons with its poor output.

“It’s hard to think about that now and it’s really irrelevant to think about now because I’m here and I will be here,” Beckham also said. And that’s the truth. With his contract, Odell Beckham Jr. is set to outlast some of the other big name players on the team such as Eli Manning. He’s the key player on offense that the Giants will build around going forward, along with running back Saquon Barkley, so it’s good to know that even with the way the season has gone so far, his mind is still on the New York Giants and not on what could have been with the L.A. Rams.

The New York Giants currently stare at a 1-6 record on the season as they prepare to face off against the Washington Redskins on Sunday afternoon, and one player that will remain focused and poised is Odell Beckham Jr.

The star receiver recently signed a massive contract with the very team that drafted him just four years ago, yet his destiny has been stained by a massive amount of losses due to a revolving roster and inadequate decision makers. Former general manager Jerry Reese is to blame for most of the problems on the team, while new-comber Dave Gettleman has had his fair share of issues as well.

Reese was deadly poor at hitting during the NFL Draft, but had good luck in free agency. Gettleman is the opposite, which is good for the Giants, being that draft picks are the foundation of any team and not veteran free agents.

Beckham has proved his worth on the field for the Giants, but has caused commotion along the way in the media. His words have been heard this season more than ever, especially his interview with ESPN that told the truth in regard to his feeling towards New York and his team. Now, after two players have been traded this week, the narrative has changed to focus on the rebuild of the organization, and Beckham seems to be caught in the middle of it.

Gettleman traded cornerback Eli Apple and star defensive nose tackle Damon Harrison to clear cap-space for the near future. The rebuild surely isn’t accepted by most players, especially for determined ones like Beckham.

Here’s what Odell Beckham Jr. had to say on if he has any regrets or feelings about the franchise:

“I got New York tatted all on my back,” Beckham told The New York Post. “My whole back is covered by New York.”

In regard to his record breaking deal :

“I can’t take anything back, I don’t have any regrets.”

“I don’t really know. It’s not really re-sign, I kinda signed something, I could have been here for another three years, so. … It’s hard to think about that now and it’s really irrelevant to think about now, ’cause I’m here, and I will be here.”

Everything the star receiver said was good in terms of media usage. We can assume his feelings have changed internally, but on the outside he has said the right things to ensure he doesn’t stir up any more drama going into week 8. Moving forward, we should expect to see the younger players on the roster receive more game experience, but it will be pushed by a progressive mentality that only wants to improve the team in the long-run.

 

The ride never ends. There’s been a lot of drama around Odell Beckham Jr. during the last year, and most recently, it continued in the form of New York Giants co-owner John Mara making some statements to the press about the receive, saying that Beckham should do more on the field rather than make headlines off of it. The statement was most likely a response to Beckham’s infamous interview with ESPN, which has been a conversation point for weeks now.

However, Beckham himself has now responded to the criticism, and it seems that he’s keeping a cool head about it and taking the high road. “I respect and value his opinion… I’m ready to talk about the Atlanta Falcons and that’s really it. That’s the focus right now. We need to start winning games. I feel that. I want to win, too, just as bad as anybody else. That’s really it, I just wanna win.”

The Giants need those wins desperately, going into a primetime game that they in hindsight probably don’t deserve to be playing in. Of course, the answer here isn’t exactly surprising. Beckham isn’t in a position where it would be smart to hit back with comments against an owner of the team, as there’s already enough controversy around him and even politely disagreeing would generate much more.

Beckham did, however, say that he had talked to Mara. That represents some progress, as Mara claimed before that he hadn’t talked to Beckham about the interview, stating that enough people already had.

At this point in the season, Beckham has 506 yards. His yards per catch is slightly down from past years, however, and he had been criticized for only having one touchdown. That might need to change against the Atlanta Falcons, if the Giants are to take away a win against an Atlanta team that picked up their second victory of the year last Sunday.

The narratives that continuously flow around the New York Giants change drastically at any comment or collection made available to the public. Recently, star receiver, Odell Beckham Jr., weighed in on the current state of a team that currently boasts a 1-5 record and is arguably the worst in professional football.

It’s important to realize, before these quotes, that Beckham Jr. is not at fault for the lack of offensive production so far this season. The offensive line has been in shambles, with center Jon Halapio suffering a season ending injury, Patrick Omameh struggling heavily in pass protection, and undrafted sophomore Chad Wheeler filling is filling in for the waives Ereck Flowers.

Throw in the fact that big free agent signing, Nate Solder, has been inconsistent at left tackle. Quarterback Eli Manning has been overwhelmed by pressure due to a lack of protection in the pocket. General manager Dave Gettleman attempted to piece together the offensive front during the offseason, but clearly he made a few significant mistakes. Despite his free agent signings, Gettleman had a fantastic draft. Left guard Will Hernandez has been a bright light among a cloud of darkness.

To establish the foundation of the Giants’ problems, we must look no further than the offensive line. Manning on the other hand deserves some of the blame as well, considering his lack of confidence to stand in the pocket and deliver passes. Beckham has been held back by the play of his quarterback, which is what likely caused him to lash out towards ESPN in an exclusive interview.

“I feel like, in the past five years, they found a way to play cover two. Keep everything in front of them,’’ Beckham stated in the ESPN interview.

“How do we beat this? I feel like I’m getting out-schemed. I can take a slant and go 60. All the top receivers get the ball that they should, and if they don’t, they say something about it.

“Everything at the moment. It’s just everything. It’s just everything. Not to say that it isn’t going to work. But, right now, I feel like I have to work entirely too hard.”

This can be perceived as a shot at head coach Pat Shurmur, simply because “out-schemed” would imply that his tactics aren’t working. Or, it can just be frustration towards how the opposing teams are defending. But, if you think about it, you can understand the fact that both offensive and defensive coordinators are in a strategic game of chess with the intention of making the right moves at the right times.

Here’s where things get interesting – the offensive coordinator needs his players to carry out their assignments with perfect timing and efficiency, but having a bad offensive line throws everything off. The receivers don’t have enough time to complete their routes, causing Shurmur to play dump-off football, which is easily stopped by playing cover 2 consistently. It allows two safeties to play about 15 yards back and swarm to the ball once Eli Manning inevitably dumps it off to Saquon Barkley. You can’t imagine what this offense would look like without Barkley making the impossible seem possible.

So, to review, the foundation of the Giants is compromised by a bad offensive line. The systems are not running smoothly and it’s holding the entire team back. It was expected that Big Blue would struggle out of the gate after a massive front-office overhaul.

Now, it comes down to Manning not being able to escape the pocket and wait for his receivers to complete their routes.

Beckham stated:

“I don’t know. I feel like, he’s not going to get out of the pocket. We know Eli’s not going to run it. Can he still throw it? Yeah. It’s cool catching it shallow and trying to take it, but I want to go over the top of somebody. ”

His vaguely negative comments are what seem to bother me the most. “Can he still throw it? Yeah. It’s cool catching it shallow…” This could be perceived as a shot at Manning, since he’s saying Eli can throw it short, but he wants the ball deep and he can’t get it there. This was another portion of his comments that questioned his intention to inspire, apparently.

My opinion on the matter is rather negative, but only because the Giants now have a leader that’s quietly showing his intangible abilities. The truth is, the Giants haven’t had a true leader in years – a guy that stands up and inspires not just a unit, but the entire team. A voice of humbleness and reason that resonates within every player.

Saquon Barkley is now that man for Big Blue. Only six games into his professional career and he is as blue chip as they come. He answers respectively and takes all the blame for the failures of his team. He focuses on the aspects he needs to improve on, shielding his teammates from negativity. Beckham unfortunately allows them to eat away at his ego until he is forced to lash out under sensitive circumstances. And with an extroverted owner, John Mara felt it necessary to attack his $95 million man at a public forum. The idiocy and lack of judgement from Mara was truly unbelievable.

It’s hard to imagine the 2017 repeating itself, but we are two more losses from getting back to square one. The entire offense next year will be shaken up, you can bet your money on that. Half the line will be replaced, wide receivers will come and go, and Manning might not be leading from under center. It could be the change of the guard just a mere 15 years after Eli’s inception into the league in 2004.

Well, after looking into the comments, we can come to the conclusion that Beckham probably shouldn’t have spoken out. Simply because it questioned his leadership skills, and it forced the Mara to speak out aggressively towards his star player. But, the silver lining is that Barkley is shaping up to be the real leader of this team.

 

Odell Beckham Jr. is one of the players that needs to step up big time for the New York Giants. It’s not that Beckham has been bad. Far from it. There’s not a team in the league that would turn down the services of Beckham, if they could somehow add him to their roster without the salary cap coming into effect.

But we don’t live in a world without a salary cap, and the Giants are expecting more out of Beckham because of the massive extension that he signed earlier this year. That contract gives Beckham more guaranteed money than any receiver in history, and through he first four weeks, Beckham hasn’t put up the numbers of someone who will make that much.

The point isn’t to bash Beckham, it’s that higher paid players need to make more contributions to make their contracts worth it. Beckham has 331 yards so far, but despite the numbers not looking bad on the surface level, he hasn’t scored a touchdown yet and that’s the main point brought up by his critics at this point.

Beckham has had double-digit touchdowns in every season except for his last one, where he was injured early on when he had three touchdowns. But going into the game against Carolina, we’ll be past the mark where Beckham was injured last year, and he’ll enter the game without scoring. Still, despite having three less touchdowns than he did at the same point last year, Beckham is confident.

“That’s just the way I’m built, that’s just my mentality is I always feel like I can do the most, feels like I can go for a thousand yards every game, not literally, but it’s just how I feel. I don’t feel like I’ve been stopped,” the receiver said recently. “I just don’t feel like I can be covered. I’ve worked an entire offseason to be able to bring the best me to this team, and I just want to be able to do that.”

It’s a bold claim, but if Beckham can back it up against the Panthers, the Giants will have a much better chance of winning. After all, his two best statistical games were a close loss and a win, while the two losses where Beckham didn’t put up more than 100 yards weren’t very competitive. If the Giants pull out a win, the early season trends say that Beckham will have 100 yards or over.

But will that happen, or while the star receiver be covered well by a secondary that will certainly have a focus on him? We’ll see. It depends on whether or not the Giants passing attack can exploit every opportunity that does manage to come around. After all, that’s what Beckham himself said about how the Giants can improve.

“There’s opportunities, there’s not opportunities. It’s just about taking advantage of the opportunities that are there.”

Being that the New York Giants signed Odell Beckham Jr. to a massive five-year, $95 million contract, it’s only fair that we set forth the expectations for the seasons ahead.

The type of return the Giants should expect to see from Beckham trumps any stats that receivers have earned in the past few years. The closest we can get in terms of overall production can be derived from Antonio Brown’s numbers. Brown signed a four-year, $68 million contract which allocates $17 million per-season to the receiver. Beckham will earn $19 million per year.

What type of return have the Steelers seen from Antonio Brown?

This example uses Brown’s stats and contract as a foundation for Beckham’s expectations

After Brown signed his contract, he managed 101 receptions, 1,533 yards, and nine touchdowns. His TD totals were the lowest since 2013. Of course, maintaining the immense success he’s consistently enjoyed over the course of his career is nearly impossible, and there’s no doubt his efficiency didn’t waiver after signing a massive deal.

Let’s do the math – If you divide his numbers by 17 (17 million dollars) you get: 5.95 receptions, 90.17 yards, and 0.52 touchdowns per game.

If you add these numbers to include Beckham Jr’s. additional $2 million per-year, his numbers amass to: 113 receptions, 1,713 yards, and 10 touchdowns. These numbers would make him the best receiver in the league by a long shot.

What did Odell Beckham Jr’s. stats look like in his best season?

Beckham enjoyed his best year in 2015, recording 96 receptions, 1,450 yards, and 13 touchdowns. According to the numbers stated before, his touchdown totals surpasses the expectations but his receptions and yardage falls short.

How has Beckham looked this offseason for the Giants?

Giants co-owner John Mara was asked recently what persuaded him to get the deal done as soon as possible. His answer was clear and concise. According to Mara, after watching Beckham annihilate Darius Slay in joint practices with the Detroit Lions, his decision to move forward with the deal was final.

Some players have stated that they think Beckham has looked even better since returning from a broken ankle. While that’s very optimistic, his normal walking-highlight self has been on full display during practice. We can expect to see him reach expectations in 2018.