An ode to Odell

By now, anyone even remotely familiar with the concept of news and media has already been made aware of what happened on the field at Giants Stadium last Sunday. Odell Beckham's actions have been, and still are, all over sports news channels, and I have seen stories about him on national television news channels, newspaper stands, and over the radio airwaves. So, for the sake of saving some space, I won't give you a summary of what happened, because you most likely know. What I want to do is tell you all about what I was thinking watching the game on Sunday, and what I think now, a few days removed from the game.

As usual, going into any Giants game, I had no clue what to expect. I thought the Giants had a chance to win, and I said that the reason for that is that they play to the level of the competition. They have done it this year, and they have done it for a long time now. If you look at the results of the 14 games that the Giants have played this year, it is mostly games decided by one possession. In Weeks three and four, the Giants had two convincing wins over Buffalo and Washington. Two weeks after that, the Giants were completely shut down by the Eagles in a game that was really hard to watch. Aside from those games, the only other one decided by more than one possession was a win over Tampa Bay, and that was only so because the Giants got a defensive touchdown on the last play of the game, so I don't really factor that into the equation, because the game was still technically able to be decided as the final play began.

That means out of 14 games, 11 of them were competitive to the final whistle. And that is why I thought the Giants had a shot to beat Carolina last Sunday. When I saw Eli Manning throw a long pass down the middle of the field and Beckham running underneath it, I knew that the game was really on. However, Beckham dropped what would have been a sure touchdown, and the Giants blew an early chance to jump out to a lead over the undefeated Panthers. I usually watch the first half of games that Giants play at 1:00 at work, so while I am able to watch, I can't really get completely into the game until I leave and can fully watch the second half. During the first half, I saw that things seemed to be getting heated with Beckham and whoever he was matched up against. It was mostly Josh Norman, but it certainly wasn't only those two. However, it always involved Beckham, and it started to seem like a problem.

When the second half began, and I could really take in the rest of the game, it wasn't about the players on the Panthers anymore, it was only about Beckham. It seemed like he was getting into unsubstantiated confrontations after every play, and some time about halfway through the third quarter, I thought that no matter what the score was, and no matter what the game meant, that Beckham should be off the field. Could the referees have ejected him? Sure. Would they have been right in doing so? Definitely. But, in my opinion, this should not have been a decision made by the officials. The team should have told him to go to the locker room, and that he was not going to play for the rest of the game. People I was speaking to during the game seemed to agree with me for the most part, and earlier today I heard a clip of Bob Papa and Carl Banks doing the game for WFAN, and I was glad when I heard both of them reacting the same way as the game was going on. I don't care who you are, what you have done, and what you might do for years to come. Odell Beckham, Jr. should not have been allowed to complete that game.

So the first question to ask is, why did he stay on the field? The answer varies depending upon who you ask. According to the league, his ejection would have been warranted, and in suspending him for this Sunday's game, they have somewhat backed up that stance, although I still wonder if the officials had the thoughts lingering in their minds during the game that if they threw Beckham out of the game, they would take heat from their bosses for tossing one of the marquee names in one of the marquee matchups of the week.

For the most part, I lay the blame at the feet of the Giants team and coaching staff. Where was Eli Manning when all of this was going on? Eli, I love you, and I know you aren't as vocal a leader as some people would like, but how could you see this happening and not do anything about it? Tom Coughlin is the head coach, so he certainly has to take some heat here as well. Following the game, Coughlin said that he was "trying to win the game" and the sad reality of the NFL is that sometimes, in the case of a head coach, winning means putting morality aside. Is Coughlin on the hot seat? Maybe. I think it is closer to probably than maybe, but in order for him to keep his job, he needs his best players out on the field, and right now, Beckham is the best player that the Giants have. It is a sad contradiction, but I think in the back of Coughlin's mind, even though he would never admit it, he had to have been thinking that if Beckham was out of the game, the Giants had no chance to come back and win. And what makes that point even more valid is that the Giants did score 28 straight points (including Beckham's game tying TD) and did have a chance to win. So Coughlin's answer as to why Beckham stayed in the game was completely true.

As I was watching the game though, I really thought that Beckham was going out of his way to be a problem. I don't mean to sound like some naïve old man who thinks that football is a sport of gentlemen. I know guys are going to talk and fight. Did Beckham taunt Norman when he caught the touchdown pass to tie the game? Yes, he absolutely did. But is that a terrible thing? No. If Norman didn't want that to happen, he should have made a play. It was a late-game tying TD, and Beckham made a great catch. I was happy. Eli Manning was happy. Tom Coughlin was happy. Odell Beckham was happy. But in the end, that play should never have happened, because Beckham should have been long gone from that game by then.

There are countless reasons that the Giants always have been, and always will be, my favorite team in all of sports. In my opinion, they do things the right way. The ownership of the team is full of class thanks to the Mara and Tisch families. Some of the greatest players to ever play the game have played for the Giants. Michael Strahan, Lawrence Taylor, Frank Gifford, Harry Carson, Eli Manning, the list goes on and on. Ask fans of the Cleveland Browns or the Buffalo Bills or the Detroit Lions if they would love to have been able to witness some of the things that the Giants have done. Each and every one of those people would say yes, they would. The Browns have Jim Brown and then what? The Bills are the most famous Super Bowl losing team of all time. The Lions have Barry Sanders and home games on Thanksgiving Day. None of that comes close to matching what the Giants have done as an organization.

Odell Beckham, Jr. has a chance to join that list of great Giants players. The fact that I am saying that even plays more into the fact that Beckham was the center of attention last Sunday. The entire football world has seen what this kid can do. I don't care what you think about his pregame routines or his cleats. What no fan of football can deny is the talent that this kid possesses. It is only his second season and he is already being mentioned with the greatest receivers to ever play the game. Is it too much hype? Absolutely. Are we crowning him too soon? Probably. However, it is impossible to see Beckham play and not see a world of talent.

One week ago, Odell Beckham's lasting image was making a one-handed touchdown catch on a Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys. Now, that image has changed completely. I hope that this image is not one that defines him. The Giants have tolerated some wild personalities before. The greatest player in the history of the franchise was not exactly a choir boy to say the least. Beckham is still very young, and if he can use last Sunday as a learning tool, I hope he does just that. I honestly would not be mad if he didn't see the field for the final week of the season as well in addition to the one game that he has already been suspended.

When you are so young and so talented, sometimes you need landmark events to occur in order for you to keep yourself focused on the main goal at hand. There is going to be a time when Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning are gone. Coughlin's time might be sooner than Manning's, but that time will eventually come. As a Giants fan, I think that Odell Beckham has so much talent that he could surely become the face of the franchise after those two men leave. However, what I saw last Sunday worries me.

As a lifelong Giants fan, I implore the players, the coaching staff, the organization, but most of all Odell Beckham, Jr. himself. Please, get this right. This is a once in a generation type of talent we have. Decades from now, I hope that number thirteen on the Giants will be immortal. I think it can happen, but it isn't given. Nothing is given to you in professional football, and I think that nothing should be given to Odell Beckham by the Giants for the rest of the season. We are witnessing potential greatness here, but every rose has its thorn. I hope for the sake of Giants fans everywhere that last Sunday was only a small bump in the road.  The New York Giants organization is too good to let a chance like this slip, and I hope that everyone there, from top to bottom, remembers that.

Daily Giants Update: Obviously, I don't need to elaborate much more, but the season is on the line this Sunday night against Minnesota. Win and there is still a chance. Lose and it is over.

Daily Rangers Update: The Rangers finally got a win last night against Anaheim, but the team has hit a very rough stretch over the past few weeks. Henrik Lundqvist has been nowhere near sharp, and the fact that the team still remains near the top of the Eastern Conference is a testament to how hot they were to start the season. Maybe a little holiday break will be good for the team, because they have looked nothing like an upper-echelon team in recent weeks.

Daily Diamondbacks Update: I think the offseason spending spree is probably over, as the Diamondbacks were being mentioned in the Mike Leake sweepstakes, but he just signed with the Cardinals. Nonetheless, Arizona has officially declared itself all in for the 2016 season, and it has been quite a while since I have been anticipating Opening Day like I will be this season.

Daily NBA Update: The Warriors are good and the Cavaliers are good. We get it. Christmas Day should be really fun when they face off for the first time since the Finals last season. However, I saw today that Dirk Nowitzki is only 10 points shy of passing Shaquille O'Neal for sixth on the all time scoring list. I never realized historically, how great Nowitzki really has been. That means, 10 points from now, Nowitzki will trail only five people as far as all-time leading scorers go. Chamberlain, Jordan, Bryant, Malone, and Abdul-Jabbar. It will be tough for him to crack the top five, but wow, what an underappreciated legend you are, Dirk Nowitzki.