Ogletree: No bad blood with Odell
Alec Ogletree and Odell Beckham Jr. won’t be throwing fists at each other anymore now that they are teammates.
The new Giants linebacker, whose late hit on Beckham during a game in 2014 ignited a sideline melee, said on a conference call Thursday that the star wide receiver welcomed him to the team with open arms and insisted there is no bad blood between the two of them.
“That happened three, four years ago and we’ve seen each other since then and there’s never been any bad blood. It’s football, it happens,” said Ogletree. “He actually was one of the first guys to call me to welcome to the team. I didn’t know who it was, I was like ‘who is this?’ He actually sent me a video of that fight he was like, ‘We’re going after it every day in practice,’ and I was like, ‘Oh, yeah.’ So it is all good, like I said, I’m excited to be here.”
It is all water under the bridge as Ogletree, 26, begins a new chapter with the Giants, who acquired him and a 2019 seventh-round pick from the Rams in exchange for a 2018 compensatory fourth-round pick and sixth-round pick on March 7.
The trade — which was made official on Wednesday — initially came as a shock to Ogletree, who had just signed a four-year, $48 million extension with the Rams in October.
“I was definitely surprised,” he said. “But it happened for a reason. … I enjoyed the ride I had with the Rams and looking forward to getting started with the Giants.”
He has already started recruitment pitches for others to join him in New York.
Shortly after safety Tyrann Mathieu was released by the Cardinals on Wednesday, Ogletree tweeted, “come to the big apple bro!!! It’s going to be lit bro I promise!!! #1 defense.”
“I think he would have a big impact,” Ogletree said of Mathieu on Thursday. “Of course being in the division with him and just seeing his body of work...I know the type of football player he is and I definitely think he brings a lot to the table for sure.”
Meanwhile, the Giants are expecting Ogletree to bring a lot to the table himself.
He has already been dubbed the “defensive quarterback” by GM Dave Gettleman, which means he will be the signal-caller, a role the Giants struggled to establish on the defensive side last season due to injuries.
“You have to have trust in each other and they believe in me, and I believe in them and what they’re preaching to us,” Ogletree said. “It’s going to be a good thing. I’m excited to get there and get to work and get with those guys and be the quarterback of the defense. I’ve done it for two years now and hopefully can continue to do it this year.”
Gettleman also said Ogletree is a “leader, and that is very important to us” in his statement on Wednesday.
The Giants are certainly trying to incorporate high character guys in the locker room and while Ogletree may be a new face, he considers himself someone who will “lead by example.”
“Your actions speak louder than words do,” he said. “But at the same time, if something needs to be said, I don’t have a problem saying it and getting guys to do the right thing.”
Ogletree joins a new-look Giants defense, too, which will be transitioning to a 3-4 base defense under new coordinator James Bettcher, the same style in which Ogletree played while with the Rams.
“(Bettcher)’s the type of guy that knows how to use his players to get guys to play and I’m just an extension of him,” Ogletree said. “I’ve seen some of his work, of course he was in the same division as me and those guys had a great defense and we’re definitely looking to bring that to New York.”