Eli expected no Beckham
Eli Manning saw his star receiver on the field, but for the past 18 days, it was from afar, not on the same field, working with the Giants on offense during practice. Instead, Odell Beckham Jr. was off to the side, going through all sorts of drills with trainers. It was enough to convince Manning in the days leading up to the seasonopening 19-3 loss to the Cowboys that he was not going to have Beckham to throw to.
“I did not think he was gonna play,’’ Manning said Monday on his weekly WFAN spot. “I mean, he didn’t practice all week, he hadn’t practiced in three weeks. I think it’s kinda tough for a guy not to practice in three weeks and then show up and play on Sunday. And it’s not like he hadn’t just practiced, he hadn’t run routes, he hadn’t really done much of anything. It would have been tough.’’
Without Beckham, it was not tough, it was mission impossible against the Cowboys, as the Giants produced only 233 total yards and no touchdowns. Beck- ham did not look terrible running routes prior to Sunday night’s game at AT&T Stadium, but he did not run with his normal gait and speed and did not get in and out of his cuts with his usual crispness. The sprained left ankle he is dealing with is healing, but not yet healed.
The Giants have an extra day for Beckham this week, because they do not play again until Monday night’s home opener against the Lions.
“He’s gonna come in and get treatment and work with the training staff,’’ Ben McAdoo said, when asked when Beckham might practice. “I mean, he was out there working out in pregame, that’s all I have.’’
WR Brandon Marshall played 48 snaps in his Giants debut. He was targeted for passes four times and produced only one catch for 10 yards — on the final play of the game. He nearly was held without a reception for the first time since his 2006 rookie season.
“It was a product of a lot of things,’’ McAdoo said of Marshall nearly getting shut out. “There may have been times we were trying to get him the ball, couldn’t get hit to him for one reason or another. Could have been where he was in the progression based on the coverage we were seeing. It’s not one factor. It was a variety of things. We certainly want Brandon to get a touch earlier than he got a touch.’’
CB Janoris Jenkins “might have got nicked up there, with a hand,’’ according to McAdoo. Jenkins left the field wearing a bulky wrap on his right hand but exited the locker room at AT&T Stadium without the protective covering. … CB Eli Apple, who missed practice time in training camp and snaps in preseason games dealing with two ankle issues, did not have a strong game. At times it looked as if Dak Prescott was focused on throwing the ball to Apple’s man.
How about B.J. Goodson? What a starting debut for the second-year middle linebacker. He was on the field for 73 of the 74 defensive snaps, had 18 tackles — 14 of them were solo — and was a ball-seeking terror from first snap to the last.