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Keidel: Giants Hope Their Tale Of 2 Receivers Has A Rewarding Ending

By Jason Keidel
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For the last 12 years, there was a comforting sense that the Giants would win a Super Bowl ring every four years -- the algorithm created by Tom Coughlin, whose clubs twice wielded kryptonite over the superhuman Patriots.

But, as we know, Coughlin was canned (though he technically resigned), and left a large physical and spiritual gap in a team known for its corporate cool.

So the Giants scoured the world for a new head coach.

And wound up hiring a guy down the hall.

Former offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo -- please admit you've called him Bob McAdoo -- has assumed the headset from Coughlin, who had established a long-term sense of energy and devotion to excellence.

It's ironic that Coughlin, an offensive coach at his core, was fired, at least in part, for losing control of his best offensive player: Odell Beckham Jr. The world was treated to Beckham's darker impulses when he literally lost his mind at the altar of Josh Norman. It might have been the oddest meltdown in NFL history, and it surely drilled the final nail into Coughlin's vocational coffin.

Beckham led the conga line of guests at Giants camp on Wednesday, chopping it up with Boomer & Carton. As in any team sport, the Giants view the new season through the hue of great optimism. Yet they showed their customary reticence to talk candidly with the media, offering the predictable platitudes about what it takes to win -- with typical, Big Blue, Big Apple, blue-collar ethic and the blessing of good health.

Even still, there was some stark symbolism to the gaggle of guests on WFAN on Wednesday morning.

In particular, we had Beckham flanked by Victor Cruz: the new guard about to supplant the old. Cruz may have found the morning somewhat surreal, as just a few quick years ago he was basically Beckham, the darling of Gotham, literally exploding into stardom with a few great grabs.

Well before Beckham's ascent, Cruz became a cultural phenomenon with his speed, charm, and dance frenzy that made millions of Americans feeling Hispanic and twisting their hips to TD salsa dances. (Even the Material Girl, Madonna, became an honorary member of the Cruz dance squad.)

Perhaps Cruz can also admonish Beckham on the perils of NFL and cultural stardom. For as fast as Cruz flashed like a comet over the Big Apple, he seemed to crash just as quickly back into the Meadowlands swamp.

Mostly, Cruz suffered the lousy luck of acute leg issues. A knee injury has since morphed into a mangled calf, and the combination has sideline him for years. Cruz also found he wasn't above personal issues, as he was ensnared in an embarrassing cellphone scandal that seemed to reveal a host of infidelities.

Cruz's personal life should be his business. But we know that once you enter the fun house of fame, nearly all becomes fair game. Who can say if the injuries spawned the indiscretions or if we'd even know about the latter if not the former? Either way, Cruz serves as a walking billboard of caution.

Beckham is now in an orbit beyond Cruz's. With the air so thin Beckham would be wise to inhale slowly, absorb life in relative moderation. Humans aren't wired for this kind of success and adulation, particularly a pup like Beckham, who is only 23.

I'm not sure why some are shocked by Doc, Darryl, Tyson, and the gaggle of greats who plunged through the trap doors of stardom. Frankly, we should be shocked that more don't end up splashed across the police blotter.

For every Bryce Harper, Mike Trout, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant -- young men who bask in Broadway's glow without burning in its glare -- there are dozens more who end up like Chris Washburn, Lenny Cooke, and Ryan Leaf. There's an entire industry (documentaries) dedicated to those who slid down the slick edges of the American Dream.

Unlike Leaf or, say, Maurice Clarett, Beckham has already made it, at least by the standard metrics of stardom. He's not a living parable on blown potential, and has dashed out to the best start for a wideout in NFL history.

But if OBJ wants to be more icon than iconoclast, he needs to worry a little less about stats and ego and manage his temper. It's hard to overstate the aftershocks of his outburst last December against the Carolina Panthers.

It's time to not only lead the Giants in stats but also film sessions, to be equal parts savant and student. No matter how singularly gifted he is, his head and his heart will be measured as keenly as his 40-yard dash time.

Beckham's first quiz comes on Sept, 25, when he lines up against -- who else? -- Norman, a fortnight from opening night.

Follow Jason on Twitter at @JasonKeidel

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