A happy Beckham exactly what Giants need to succeed
IT REALLY doesn’t matter to Giants fans that Odell Beckham Jr. met the media Saturday for the first time since last Oct. 4, days before suffering that devastating fractured left ankle, two months before Ben McAdoo and the man who drafted him, Jerry Reese, were fired, three months before Dave Gettleman and Pat Shurmur were hired.
What matters are that his actions are ready to speak louder than his words, and that he is in a perfect place to al l ow his otherworldly actions to be loud enough to be heard ’round the NFL.
He is healthy and happy and having fun and maybe all grown up at 25, and it makes everyone around the Giants believe that the best is yet to come from him.
It is his actions over the past five months that have convinced a John Mara who wouldn’t label him untouchable and the rest of the franchise decision-makers that he belongs as a Giant, if not a Giant For Life, if not a $100 Million Giant.
Because you don’t break the bank unless you grow up and Act Like A Giant, and by all signs, Beckham finally has been.
He is healthy and happy, and a healthy and happy Beckham gives the Giants hope, allows them to
explode away from the 3-13 nightmare that brought the flagship franchise to its knees.
The marriage between Beckham and the Giants has been rocky at times, and well-documented, partly because of a competitive fire that has been both a blessing and a curse, partly because of a desire for showmanship that better serves a rock star than a football star who acts like he’s been there before.
But through it all, it is Beckham’s obsession with becoming a legend, his addiction to the game he loves, that endures.
And now, Beckham comes to the 2018 season with a new lease on life, forged having to literally crawl back to the game he missed so dearly.
“I remember waking up 4 in the morning, crawling upstairs to my bed and laughing to myself — this is going to be a hell of a ride for me to get back to where you’re at, and now I’m here and there’s still a lot more for me to do,” Beckham said. “I’m just thankful that God is able to put me back out there.”
It is a Beckham who promises to be unencumbered at last by perceived haters.
“I took things personal, and I really have gotten that out of my heart to not take anything personal,” Beckham said.
It is a Beckham with a “What, me worry?” attitude about when he will strike it rich and fulfill his objective to become the NFL’s highest-paid receiver.
“Whenever it happens, it’ll happen,” he said. “I’m optimistic. I’m confident it’ll all work itself out. Life always does.”
It is more than having his world turned upside down and the successful rehab that followed that has Beckham in this emotional stratosphere:
In Shurmur, he has the kind of relationship with his head coach that he never had with Tom Coughlin or McAdoo. And a playcaller who will make the offense unpredictable again and put Beckham in the best possible positions to succeed.
“Coach Shurmur’s great,” Beckham said. “When we first met in L.A., we sat down and talked football, and to see his mentality and how he’s gonna run the ship. ... It’s just been phenomenal to come in here every day. ... He makes it fun for us. He’s just doing a great job. He’s got everybody doing what they’re supposed to be doing.”
In Saquon Barkley, he has a Robin to his Batman, and a young pup he can show the ropes.
“Nice little running back, he’s all right, Saquon,” Beckham cracked.
He chose not to hold out. He chose to trust that the Giants would take care of him. Does he have a deadline in mind when talks might stop?
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” Beckham said.
For Beckham and the Giants, it is no longer a bridge over troubled waters. “It’s gonna be a good team,” Beckham said.