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Michael Irvin: Odell Beckham Jr. Should NOT Tone It Down

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin can't get enough of Odell Beckham Jr.

He thinks the Giants' wide receiver is going to be a big-time player -- the 22-year-old has already proven what he can do -- and this past Sunday at the Pro Bowl, Irvin reminded members of the Cowboys' coaching staff what they might have to deal with for the next decade.

"One thing we talked a lot about was, 'Man, you guys are going to have to deal with Odell Beckham Jr. for the next 10, 15 years,'" Irvin said on Tuesday during Super Bowl XLIX Media Day. "They were like, 'Yeah, we've got some real problems.' He's just a great player."

Michael Irvin

Beckham was brilliant in his first NFL season. The PFWA Rookie of the Year caught 91 passes for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns in just 12 games. He also displayed remarkable athletic ability in the form of acrobatic catches.

The only damper on the All-Pro's season was the controversy that came with his loud celebrations and somewhat over-the-top antics.

When addressing Beckham's behavior, head coach Tom Coughlin admitted that he'd like to see his young playmaker "tone it down."

Irvin, who happened to be called "The Playmaker" during his illustrious career, couldn't disagree with Coughlin more.

"I'm going to tell you this," the NFL Network analyst and weekly guest of WFAN's "Joe & Evan" program said. "New York should know better. Out of all the people in the world, New York should know better. You can't take the lion out of the man. They did it to Jeremy Shockey and he wasn't the same player. Guys like this are a lot like me.

"They create these fights for themselves and then they come out on Sunday and they fight like a dog. Don't you stop them from creating those fights. Don't calm them down and you'll get something special. Calm them down and you'll get the start of something special like we got the start of Jeremy Shockey, and then it fell off toward the end.

"Leave ODB alone."

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