Beckham shows N.Y. commitment
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Odell Beckham Jr. was in attendance Monday as the Giants began their conditional program. His decision to fly from Los Angeles, where he is training, to be with teammates and the new coaching staff for these voluntary sessions will be dissected for weeks to come.
It’s clearly a sign of his commitment to the Giants — well, not showing up would have been perceived as the contrary — and while new coach Pat Shurmur viewed Beckham’s arrival as a positive, he opted not to blow the situation out of proportion.
“I’m not overthinking this,” Shurmur said. “This is the first day of work; this is the first opportunity for all of us to be here together. And I think it’s important that Odell is here, and I’m looking forward to him getting one day better by being here, and I’m looking forward to him inspiring some of his teammates to get better because he’s here and he’s a terrific player and I think we can all learn from one another.”
Shurmur was asked whether he believed recent trade rumors — whether based in fact or fiction — would affect Beckham moving forward.
“I’m not worried about it. I really believe that Odell is a professional and he wants to be great,” Shurmur said. “He understands the importance of the offseason, and he’s a competitive guy and, again, we had already started communicating before all that information kind of got out there and was talked about a great deal. He’s a professional, and I’m glad he’s here.”
Quarterback Eli Manning said he paid no attention to any of the recent speculation involving Beckham’s future with the organization.
“I think over the years you just can’t get caught up with what’s being said on TV or in the news or what people assume is happening,” Manning said. “It doesn’t help. You don’t know where these things get started or where it’s going.
“I think it’s important when those things happen to just have great communication with your coaches and with the ownership and whatnot and make sure everyone is on the same page. I never got too concerned with it. We all know the talent that Odell has and what he brings to the football field, and I look forward to playing with him this year and for years to come.”