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New York Giants: Was Odell Beckham Jr. a target of cheap shots?

By Nick Ziegler

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The New York Giants recorded their first win of the preseason against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but the game had some controversy surrounding it.

In the Giants’ win, the injured Victor Cruz believed that the Jaguars were going after his fellow teammate Odell Beckham Jr. Cruz believe that the Jaguars were taking cheap shots at Beckham, and he didn’t like seeing that from the sidelines at all.

“I was a little unhappy last week, I felt like some of those defensive backs were kind of gunning for him, and it was sad to see that go down because I couldn’t help him,” Cruz said to Zack Braziller of the New York Post.

Cruz was held out from the second preseason game of the season with an injured calf, and certainly wished he was on the field for his teammate.

He would later say to Braziller: “Just when guys have the opportunity to get an interception and they don’t even go for the ball. I get it, it’s preseason, you’re trying to get a job, and I understand that, but let’s just keep it within the game a little bit.”

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Beckham didn’t lose his cool too much, as he was seen exchanged words with Jaguars’ safety Sergio Brown. Beckham would also shove Brown later in the game, but nothing to serious came from it.

“From the line, you can see it as you’re running your route and you’re running a vertical route, and you take a peek at the safety before you look at the ball, and you just see him head down trying to spear you,” Cruz said to Braziller. “You can see that from a mile away. He’s a smart kid, he understands that, but it’s just unfair. It kind of made me upset watching it.”

Anytime in the NFL, cheap shots are unacceptable. The league has made it a priority to protect its offensive players with the quarterbacks and wide receivers having rules in place to protect their safety. At least once in every game a defensive back will be penalized for hitting a defenseless receiver, as they are vulnerable to big hits that can hurt them.

Beckham is going to have a target on his back after a fantastic rookie season last year. Just because he has a target on his back, doesn’t mean that he should be subjected to cheap plays. Beckham is one of the best young wide receivers in football, and with players knowing that, they are going to be playing extremely aggressive against him to try and make a name for themselves.

Next: Who was the best Giants' player of 2014?

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