New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is not yet the pariah former tight end Jeremy Shockey was while with Big Blue.
No player on the New York Giants, or maybe in the NFL in general, triggers the hot takes among local sports talk radio hosts, columnists and fans than wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. three weeks into the current campaign. Beckham’s talent is undeniable, but it’s his propensity for generating headlines with antics that have nothing to do with scoring touchdowns that make him a lightning-rod and an easy target for those looking for clicks and easy content.
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Comparing Beckham to former New York tight end Jeremy Shockey takes little effort, in part because Beckham is, on paper, headed down a similar career path. Shockey, like Beckham, was one of the best players at his position while with the Giants, but he was also a headache who caused problems on and off the field. It also cannot be ignored that the Giants won little of note with Shockey in the lineup. That’s been the case throughout Beckham’s tenure with the club.
Revisionist history is often humorous in multiple ways, and that’s the case here. It seems some are either purposely or unintentionally forgetting about the worst aspects of Shockey’s New York stint. Back in 2009, Bleacher Report/Pro Football NYC published “The Fall of Jeremy Shockey,” an in-depth look at an offensive weapon who went from being a fan-favorite to an individual happily dismissed by all involved with the Giants.
Shockey openly bashed then-head coach Tom Coughlin in interviews, per ESPN/the Associated Press. He shouted at quarterback Eli Manning during games, presumably when he felt he wasn’t receiving enough targets. His career, and ultimately the fate of the 2007 Giants, changed when he suffered a broken leg in December of that season.
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Shockey’s absence from the lineup may or may not have made things quieter in the huddle for Manning, depending on how you viewed the matter. One thing that quickly became clear was that things opened up for the likes of Plaxico Burress, Steve Smith, Amani Toomer and tight end Kevin Boss once Shockey went down. Would the Giants have defeated the unbeaten New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII with Shockey taking passes from any of those players? We can’t say, for certain.
We do know what happened after that championship game. As explained by Tom Pedulla of USA Today, Shockey chose to skip New York’s Super Bowl parade and ring ceremony. The Giants traded Shockey to the New Orleans Saints the subsequent summer, ending one of the team’s most-bumpy roller-coaster rides of the decade. Shockey, of course, went on to win a ring with the Saints, so one could say the transaction worked out well for all parties.
Say or write whatever you will about how Beckham’s hijinks and celebrations annoy, bother, disgust or otherwise upset you. He isn’t yet a fraction of the problem Shockey was during his final seasons with the team. By all accounts, Beckham is well-liked inside the locker room. Teammates have defended him while speaking with reporters after games and during midweek press conferences.
Yes, Beckham is likely on his way to a holdout. Anybody who views that as a negative should remember how Victor Cruz’s career changed in the blink of an eye and on a single play. Beckham, unquestionably one of the best offensive players in the NFL, needs to take care of himself and make as much money as he can while he is still in his prime. Neither the Giants nor any passionate fan can reasonably blame him for making a smart business decision.
Unlike what happened once Shockey suffered his injury in late 2007, the New York offense is a total disaster without Beckham. The 24-year old saved no fewer than four games that easily could’ve been losses for the Giants last season, and he’s the main reason New York wasn’t blown out by the Philadelphia Eagles last Sunday. As Beckham goes, so goes this offense.
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Beckham isn’t perfect. Even his biggest defenders can’t say otherwise. Those who would dump him off to another team should realize the Giants will never get fair value in such a transaction, and also that at least a dozen teams would gladly take Beckham, baggage and all, today. Beckham’s positives outweigh his negatives, and no hot take changes that as of the final week of September.