QUAD WILLING
Odell still bothered by bruise, but hopes to play against Titans
Odell Beckham Jr. still believes the Giants will make the playoffs, and his predictions have credibility, especially now that Big Blue has won four of five since his Week 10 proclamation they would win out.
“I still see us going 8-8, and I just feel like (God has) got a plan and it’s all gonna fall together,” Beckham said Thursday. “And whoever needs to lose, … and all the pieces that need to fall in place, I feel like they’re gonna fall in place and we’re gonna be in the spot that we want to be in.”
There’s only one problem: Beckham might not be able to help the Giants (5-8) do it.
The star receiver might have to sit out at least a second straight game Sunday against Tennessee (7-6) due to a bruised quad that forced him to miss Thursday’s practice and go to the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan for a scan and further evaluation.
“It’s doing much better than it was,” Beckham said of his injury.
When asked to describe what the scan revealed, he said: “S--t ain’t right … I honestly don’t know (if I can play) until Sunday gets here.”
The reason behind Beckham’s sudden scratch last Sunday in Washington, however, might have come into slightly better focus.
OBJ said the injury had been “lingering” ever since Eagles LB Kamu Grugier-Hill’s leg-whip Nov. 25 in Philadelphia.
Then Beckham, who played in the following week’s victory over the Bears, said: “I just kinda played through it and then it just aggravated,” which led Beckham to “speak up” to the Giants’ medical staff last Friday, get tests done and ultimately be ruled out Saturday morning.
Such an injury progression is consistent with what is known as a hematoma, or a mass of blood
pooled in one area of tissue, that can slowly develop over time. It is an injury that can be managed but also warrants caution, depending on the severity of any underlying issues, which are unknown in this case.
Beckham called the injury a “timetable thing,” but it’s not clear yet what that timetable is or whether there even is one.
“It’s not my expertise,” Beckham said of the medical determination. “I know a little bit about it, but I kind of let them read and figure out everything that’s going on and just go with their gameplan.”
The bottom line, Beckham reminded reporters, is that he often has played through injury and never would sit out a game unless something truly was wrong. Even sitting out practice Thursday — after participating in a limited fashion Wednesday — was tough for him to stomach.
“It sucked (missing Sunday’s win in Washington),” Beckham said. “I felt like, all right, it’ll get better, it’ll get better, then there was that part where it was like, there was nothing I could do.
“I remember a game two years ago in London, I was hurt bad, and in the Baltimore game, I literally didn’t run until warm-ups,” he added. “And I just couldn’t miss the game. So if I miss a game, then I really miss a game. Of all the things to miss, I wouldn’t be trying to miss a game.”
According to sources, though, Beckham and head coach Pat Shurmur are on the same page with how they’re managing the injury. And Wednesday was not a war of words between the two.
Shurmur says his remark Wednesday about players sharing injury information was a more general reference to his policies, and Beckham’s Instagram post about following rules was completely unrelated, too, according to the Giants.
Shurmur also said that “no,” Beckham had not suffered a setback to prompt Thursday’s scan. And the Giants coach also clarified that on Wednesday Beckham truly did not practice as Shurmur had said he wouldn’t. But the team still listed Beckham as limited because the wide receiver did some light early work.
“He actually didn’t practice (Wednesday),” Shurmur said. “He went out there and stretched and moved around a little bit, and after a little bit of individual (work) he went off to the side. And he left the field just shortly after you (media) did. So he didn’t really do much, but by rules — and we try to be very transparent — because he did a little bit of that, we put him as limited.”
Beckham said the bottom line is he wants to play. But he can’t play if the injury won’t let him.
“Whenever it’s better, I’ll definitely be out there,” he said. “I don’t even like missing practice.”