Where's Odell? Giants' Beckham Longs To See Field Against Falcons
By Curt Macysyn
Odell Beckham, Jr. was supposed to bring an added dimension to the New York Giants' offense this season. Big Blue's first-round pick from LSU, chosen with the 12th selection in the NFL draft, has unfortunately been a total non-factor for the team this campaign. A bad hamstring has literally plagued Beckham since he became a New York Giant, as the injury dates back to the team's organized team activities (OTAs). But hope springs eternal in the Giants' locker room that Beckham could see the field this weekend as the New York Giants (2-2) battle the Atlanta Falcons (2-2) at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
Giants' head coach Tom Coughlin was typically cryptic when asked if Beckham would play against Atlanta. "There are a lot of things. He has to practice, he has to practice consecutive days, he has to be able to show us that he’s not only strong enough but can endure day after day, so there’s some room here to make some progress and impress everybody," Coughlin said about Beckham as he met the media on Monday.
Beckham, who ironically went to the same New Orleans' high school as Giants' quarterback Eli Manning (Isidore Newman), was the 2013 Paul Hornung Award winner, an honor that is bestowed upon college football's most versatile player. Beckham led the Southeastern Conference with 2,315 all purpose yards last year, which ranked second overall in the nation. The player, affectionately referred to as OBJ, was a threat literally every time he touched the football at LSU.
The Giants, who gave up on 2009 first round draft pick, Hakeem Nicks, after an uninspired 2013 NFL campaign, were looking for Beckham to replace Nicks in the new passing attack, until his balky hamstring got in the way. After a couple of false starts in rehabilitation, Beckham was finally able to practice fully for the Giants this week, leading to speculation that he might play this weekend.
After the disappointment of being kept off the field for so long, Beckham longs to contribute for the G-men, but he also knows that he does not want to disrupt the chemistry that the team has going into the Falcons' game. "Definitely want to [play], but at the end of the day, that’s not really my decision. I’m just trying to stay right by coach, get as many reps as I can and go from there. If I get the opportunity to play, then I’ll do what I can do," Beckham said after practice on Monday.
At this point, the waiting may be the hardest part for Beckham, who figures to be a game time decision, if he makes it through full practices on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Prior to coming to the G-men, Beckham had never dealt with an injury that had kept him out of game action, which has been frustrating for the young professional. "I think a lot of people fail to realize that. I don’t think there’s anybody who’s been more frustrated than I have been, sitting out, coming in and leaving, this being your first year and you’ve already missed games and you’ve never missed a game in your life. It’s just not something that’s easy to deal with."
Undoubtedly, New York quarterback Eli Manning would like to have the dynamic Beckham in the Giants' arsenal, but the veteran signal caller knows better than to expect too much too soon. " He’s got to be able to do everything, everything that a receiver has to do. That’s running short routes, that’s blocking for the run game, being able to get open, beat man-to-man, do your job and be able to play fast for us. That just comes with time and reps. We don’t want to put him out there in a situation where he’s not comfortable and doesn’t know exactly what’s going on," Manning said when asked about Beckham this week.
An ancient Chinese proverb tell us that a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step, and this rookie receiver hopes his first NFL steps come this weekend.
For more Giants news and updates, visit Giants Central.
Curt Macysyn has been covering the New York Football Giants for the past two seasons for Examiner.com. Born and raised in northern New Jersey, Curt has followed and covered the New York Metropolitan sports scene for 35 years. He attended Seton Hall Prep School in South Orange, NJ and is a graduate of Rutgers University, New Brunswick. His work can be found on aExaminer.com.
