Odell Beckham’s most important relationship is also the Giants’
He is the 13th Wonder of the World at Giants training camp, his one-handed catches accomplished with the greatest of ease, his dancing made for “Dancing with the Stars.”
But on that one hand, he is desperate for one ring.
Odell Beckham Jr. tells you he is in a good place in his life, and now it is time for him to win his first playoff game and first Super Bowl championship because for Beckham, there is no better place than that, no bigger obsession.
A small hole in a wall outside the visiting locker room at Lambeau Field can bear witness to the anguish he felt after failing in Green Bay in January in his first playoff appearance.
It was the spark that has ignited a raging fire that burns within him.
I asked Beckham how much the playoff loss fueled his drive to win a Super Bowl.
“You have no idea,” he said. “I really thought about it, and I’m thinking about it, even growing up: The Giants … historical team. The Packers, historical team. Lambeau Field, ice cold. Perfect conditions, everything that you could dream of, and we weren’t able to capture the moment. And did it in a horrible way. In a way that I woke up out of my sleep, too.
“Didn’t think it was real, but I use that pain. I use that pain and I turn it into positive energy. I posted on Instagram the other day, I said, ‘If you can’t see it, you’re gonna feel it,’ and that’s just how I feel. If you can’t see where I’m at, then I’ll make sure that you do.”
If you can't see it, u gon feel it. Promise. A post shared by Odell Beckham Jr (@obj) on Aug 12, 2017 at 4:03pm PDT
It is doubtful there will be a boat trip before the playoffs next time. The tantrums in the face of provocation … who can say for sure? Beckham is the kind of gameday lion Lawrence Taylor used to be around here. He loves being the showman, but the Giants want him to be a Giant For Life because they believe he will be instrumental in getting them that fifth Lombardi Trophy.
He doesn’t care if his numbers go down because of the arrival of Brandon Marshall and No. 1 pick Evan Engram.
He is stalking a championship.
“See that banner?” he said, gazing up inside the field house. “That’s all I care about. Honestly there’s — one, two, three, four in here — I don’t know where they’d put the fifth one, but they’re gonna have to make room ’cause we need it.”
His running back legs lead down into shiny gold cleats. His absence at voluntary minicamp has been long forgotten. He vowed to be in shape for training camp, and he is.
“Odell is in tremendous condition,” coach Ben McAdoo said. “He’s playing fast, he’s catching the ball very well, he’s blocking well, he’s in a good spot, playing good football.”
I asked McAdoo how his relationship is with Beckham.
“Odell and I, I talked to him the other day. We’re both connected,” McAdoo said. “We both got here at the same time. He was a first-round pick, my first year as a coordinator. … Without him, I wouldn’t be standing here. I recognize that, and I hope he does. Sometimes he may not think so, but I have a lot of respect for him and what he’s accomplished over his first few years in the league, and I look forward to his future.”
Their relationship will be crucial given the play-caller/coach has only one football for Eli Manning to distribute.
“The numbers are always gonna be hard to come by,” McAdoo said. “The better football team we have, the harder the numbers will be. Can’t play with more than one football. He’s gotta realize that a little bit this year. But I think it’ll be easier to get him touches with a better football team.”
Beckham knows McAdoo has his back.
“He loves to win, I know that for sure. He loves to win,” Beckham said. “He loves to coach us. Second year being a head coach, I still feel as if there’s a little bit of head-turning and whatnot. We’re all growing, and we’re all in this together. I love being with Coach McAdoo. I came in my rookie year, he was all over me, and now we have a certain relationship from a respect level.
“I pray that this is our biggest year yet.”
McAdoo still is attempting to harness Beckham’s passion that is more a blessing than a curse.
“I like him on that line being physical and playing with that high intensity, and his teammates rally around that,” McAdoo said.
As we have learned, it is such a fine line.
“I think development takes time,” McAdoo said. “Development doesn’t happen overnight and you can’t expect it to happen overnight. It’s something that he’s working at and we’re working at.”
For all his fame, Beckham is hailed as a great teammate, almost to a man.
“He does stuff for the team. He gets us book bags every year. He doesn’t really act selfish. He’s a great teammate. I love being around him as a teammate. He’s a great guy,” wide receiver/special teamer Dwayne Harris said.
“He cares about his teammates,” McAdoo said. “He communicates with his teammates. He wants what’s best for his teammates. He practices with an energy level that raises everyone’s energy around him.”
I asked McAdoo if Beckham reminded him of anyone.
“Charles Woodson when he first got into the league is a tremendous athlete in a lot of ways,” McAdoo said.
“Odell is just a peak performer.”
Super Bowl Peak-or-Bust.