Leaves door open for ’Boys but rest is best

Odell Beckham Jr. sounded Wednesday like he may be a game-time decision for Sunday night’s opener against the Dallas Cowboys. He sounded, after missing another practice, like he wants to but isn’t sure he can — or should — play on the left ankle he sprained in Cleveland on Aug. 21.

At best, we may see Beckham testing out the ankle pre-game down inside Jerry Jones’ spaceship in Arlington, and perhaps even dressing for the game but still taking precautions and maybe limiting snaps.

And that’s why it feels now, mid-week, as if Ben McAdoo and the Giants’ doctors should rest Beckham for this Week 1 matchup: give Beckham more time to heal and don’t risk losing your best player for the long term.

“I wouldn’t count it out, yeah,” Beckham said when asked if he could see himself playing. “And my heart, it’s just not gonna make this easy. So I can say it’s a day-to-day thing. I’m really trying to get better. It’s been two weeks (since the injury). I’m itching. I’m itching. But (it’s about) just patience and trusting.”

Beckham’s words at his locker were punctuated by a bit of calmness and some acceptance. He did not sound anxious even though he may be. He simply came off as realistic.

Of course, Beckham’s coyness and McAdoo’s reluctance to provide any information could be gamesmanship. Beckham provided a tease by stretching with teammates to open Wednesday’s indoor practice, before promptly leaving to stretch and catch balls on the sideline and jog alone on the outdoor fields.

Except Beckham’s uncertainty felt genuine, like when he reflected on the disappointment that his Week 1 status even was a question, given what he is out to prove this season.

“I had probably one of the longest offseasons ever in my entire life, and I feel like this camp, this season coming up there was no better season that I would have,” Beckham said. “So it’s just unfortunate, but it really was just a little setback. I just know I’m in a good place.”

McAdoo, cranky as ever when pressed for information, also admitted to the dangers of dressing a player who is clearly not 100 percent healthy. McAdoo continued to say Beckham must be medically cleared by the Giants’ doctors and that neither the coach nor the wide receiver will have a say.

“If it’s safe for the player to play and he’s not gonna do further harm to himself physically, we would think about playing him,” McAdoo said. “But I’d never put a player out there who would do further damage to himself physically.”

And even Beckham’s answer to whether he would wear a brace or wrap tape on his ankle was noteworthy in that Beckham entertained a hypothetical scenario in which he might not play.

“If I’ve got to wear a brace or tape it I’m probably not gonna play,” Beckham said. “I haven’t taped since high school? I don’t remember. I just stopped taping ankles. I go with the natural feel. There’s no way (I would tape the ankle).”

Beckham did say he has done some running and cutting. He rode the stationary bike on Monday, which was the first time he’d been seen anywhere near a practice field since the injury.

“I’ve been rehabbing an endless amount of hours and treatment, etc., so I’m just trying to get it right,” he said. “It’s getting there.”

But Beckham also admitted that his initial optimism the night he suffered the injury in Cleveland was tempered by the realism of the morning after.

“You still have that adrenaline and everything that was flowing through you (the night it happened),” Beckham said. “It was a whirlwind of stuff going on. So the day of, it wasn’t as bad, and the day after you wake up and it’s pretty sore. And the day after that it’s pretty sore. And then it takes its time and the body does what it does.”

Beckham still laments that the Browns’ Briean Boddy-Calhoun went low on the dangerous hit that caused the injury, even if he doesn’t blame the defensive back completely.

“In my opinion they made rules about safeties hitting high and it being a problem, and I know I probably shouldn’t say this, but I will: I’d rather a safety hit me up high. . .” Beckham said. “I’d rather him hit me up there every single time than go low. But it’s part of the game: you risk getting fined (and) you risk a suspension (as the safety). So I can’t really fault what happened. It’s what happened. It’s life.”

Beckham hopefully never takes the type of hit to the head since concussions and head injuries are severe threats to NFL players’ wellbeing and typically more detrimental to their long-term futures than any breaks or sprains.

Wednesday in many ways, though, was a positive day for Beckham. He said “I feel better.” And if he’s not ready to play in Week 1, it doesn’t feel like he’d be out longer.

Still, the Giants would risk too much by dressing Beckham if he’s iffy. Sit him, and live to see OBJ dance in the end zone another day soon.