Opinion: New York Giants Shouldn't Change Odell Beckham Jr.

New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is just fine being the on-the-field personality he was during his first two seasons in the National Football League.

New York Giants superstar wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. needs to give the Giants 16 straight starts in a single regular season. That should be the first objective on Beckham’s list as he and the Giants prepare for preseason action and the start of the 2016 National Football League campaign.

Beckham missed a total of five games throughout his first two seasons in the NFL. Lingering hamstring issues sidelined Beckham as a rookie in September 2014. Beckham then earned a one-game ban last December after he instigated multiple skirmishes with cornerback Josh Norman during a game involving the Giants and the Carolina Panthers.

Beckham is again banged up this summer after being “cleated” during a team practice. Beckham is expected to be just fine when it matters most, and thus we will instead focus on the issue the landed Beckham in the doghouse of then-Giants head coach Tom Coughlin during the 2015 Christmas season.

Beckham gets emotional during games. It’s a trait we’ve seen time and time again since his rookie campaign. Yes, those emotions got the better of Beckham every now and again over the past two years. Beckham is a 23-year-old superstar who set records in his first two pro seasons, who is featured on the cover of at least one video game and who is the most popular football player on the most successful team in this country’s biggest sports city.

There are worse problems the Giants could have this August.

Beckham obviously cannot get himself suspended once a season. New York fans realize this. It is why so many sounded off to Joe Giglio of NJ.com and on social media last December following the Giants-Panthers game during which Beckham was flagged three times for personal foul penalties. Beckham absolutely must keep better control of himself, especially now that defenses around the NFL know he can be riled up even before kickoff of a game.

More from New York Giants

With that said, Beckham’s emotions can serve as a positive for himself and for the Giants.

Former NFL safety Darren Woodson spoke about this for a segment uploaded to ESPN.com earlier this week. Woodson explained that a talented defensive back such as Norman should go out of the way to attempt to get into Beckham’s head before and early on in a game. A younger and less-experienced CB, however, would do well to take an opposite approach.

“If you don’t have the personnel, you don’t want to get (Beckham) riled up,” Woodson explained.
“The one thing about Odell is this: His emotions are much like Dez Bryant’s and some of the other great receivers. When he is emotional and he’s going, there’s energy and guys feed off of him. He has to have that edge to play at a high level.

“Now, the Josh Norman game got a little out of hand last year. Other than that, the kid played at a high level because of that energy he presented.”

Much has been made about Beckham’s antics when matched up against Norman last season. The matter became all the more interesting when Norman signed a deal with the Washington Redskins of the NFC East, ensuring that he and Beckham will line up across from each other at least twice every season.

All would do well to remember that Norman did not completely shut Beckham down last December. Beckham finished the contest with 6 receptions, 76 yards and a touchdown that tied the game late in the fourth quarter.

Top-tier wide receivers have massive personalities and also try to get around rules and regulations during games. Think of some of the greatest wide receivers in NFL history. Jerry Rice may or may not have applied a certain sticky substance to his hands depending on what story he is telling these days. Terrell Owens was every bit of his “T.O.” persona on and off of the field. Randy Moss played himself off of multiple teams during his career, and he’ll be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame sooner rather than later.

Perhaps the day of the “diva wide receiver” is dying if not completely dead. That’s fine. Beckham does not need to change his personality in order to comply with the current state of the NFL.

Both Beckham and Norman got out of hand during last December’s game. Both men were guilty of cheap shots. Beckham’s attempted helmet-to-helmet blow was the ugliest incident of the contest, one worthy of more than a one-game suspension if we are being honest about it. That is why Beckham is remembered as the heel of the two.

Beckham can and should learn from that game, and the hope moving forward is that Beckham will come out as the winner of any future similar on-the-field quarrels. Beckham shouldn’t shy away from getting lippy with Norman or any other cornerback who wants to test him. After all, it takes a certain level of self-confidence to believe you can win any one-on-one battle as Beckham did against Norman in the fourth quarter of last season’s encounter.

It’s safe to assume 2016 is a pivotal year for the Giants. Ben McAdoo is a first-time head coach after serving as New York’s offensive coordinator for the past two seasons. Eli Manning is 35 years old and not getting any younger. Jason Pierre-Paul is attempting to make a full recovery from the fireworks accident that nearly cost him his career in the summer of 2015.

More nfl spin zone: Beckham is the Best WR in the NFL

The Giants need an emotional presence like Beckham on the field, in the huddle and inside of the locker room, and that is why New York cannot afford to change Beckham.

Beckham merely needs to dance on that fine line that separates being an aggressor from getting suspended.

Home/New York Giants

Opinion: New York Giants Shouldn’t Change Odell Beckham Jr.

By Zac Wassink | Aug 3, 2016

New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is just fine being the on-the-field personality he was during his first two seasons in the National Football League.