New York Giants: Divide on Odell Beckham Easy to Understand

How should we view New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.? Does his on-field production outweigh the sideline baggage?

New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham’s kicking net escapades have overwhelmed team coverage over the past the past month. First, he’s fighting with the apparatus. Then, there’s a make-up period and finally the marriage proposal on Sunday.

To some, it’s a hilarious turn of events and clear Beckham chose to have fun with his initial plight. On the other side, WFAN radio host Mike Francesa doesn’t see the entertainment value in the wide receiver’s antics:

Mike Francesa on @WFAN660 re @OBJ_3: His antics make me sick."
— Neil Best (@sportswatch) October 17, 2016

In the NFL, wide receivers carry the eccentric label. They’re supposedly selfish breeds with massive egos. Well, at a position that’s typically responsible for completing touchdowns in a pass-happy league, the spotlight can inflate a player’s perception of self-worth. Does Beckham celebrate like a kid in a candy store? Sure, he does. However, it’s best to allow him to express himself rather than turn him into a caged animal.

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At 23 years old, he’ll need a reminder or two every so often about maneuvering his celebrations around unnecessary flags, but head coach Ben McAdoo understands there’s a growth process. Beckham won’t become a mature stoic professional overnight or maybe ever. Nonetheless, he cares enough about winning to avoid damaging penalties over time.

Bad Beckham

Villainous Beckham shows up on website homepages and newspaper backpages after a poor game. Typically, after a loss or a poor showing similar to his career-low in receiving yards against the Minnesota Vikings, we focus on his sideline pouting. If he draws a flag, it’s the biggest crime in sports on any given day.

In reality, he admits to being a sore loser. It’s a very similar situation to Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, who abruptly ended a press conference after a Week 6 loss to the New Orleans Saints. Here’s a newsflash, no one likes to lose and some players show their authenticity more than others. It’s foolish to expect all athletes to react the same way after a highly emotional game.

While losing or after a loss, Beckham’s attitude becomes the focus. When in reality, 45 other active players are probably sulking just as much. Nonetheless, the most prominent figure in terms of sound bites and vine appeal garners the attention. As we all know, quarterback Eli Manning doesn’t show any emotion. But, we shouldn’t expect Beckham to emulate his quarterback’s demeanor.

Good Beckham

Don’t forget about fun-loving, lighthearted Beckham, who’s the same player as described above but in a winning situation.

As witnessed on Sunday, the Giants wide receiver can tilt his energy in the opposite direction during good times. The coaches may cringe at the antics as the referees keep their hands on the yellow flags. However, if he’s grabbing eight catches for 222 yards and burning defensive backs on slant routes, McAdoo and co. must take the good with the bad. There’s no doubt, Manning’s numbers spike when Beckham finds ways to beat the opposing defense.

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Thus far, Beckham’s targets range from eight to 12 over the first six weeks. After focusing more so on enjoying the game rather than the backlash afterward, he scored three touchdowns in two games. After he admitted the negative attention took the fun out of the game, his kicking net saga pulled him out of an emotional slump.

As an effective wideout, Beckham’s antics become tolerable. We see this every year in the NFL, teams will accept the baggage if the player matches the threshold with production.

At the moment, Beckham ranks No. 4 for most receiving yards (3,336) between the 2014 season to the current week behind Demaryius Thomas, Antonio Brown and Julio Jones.

As a special talent, Beckham is worth the trouble until he’s directly causing the team victories. Right now, the Giants have bigger issues with their ground attack, secondary and certain spots on the offensive line.

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