Budding Superstar or Not, Odell Beckham Jr. Still Has Some Growing Up to Do

New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. desperately wants to do the right thing for his teammates. In the process, he might be missing what’s right for himself.

How badly does he want to do the right thing? Earlier this year, Beckham told reporters about how he watches veteran quarterback Eli Manning, who has set the bar for current Giants players as far as doing the right thing both on and off the field.

“A quarterback like that, and a guy who loves football, loves talking about football and being able to converse with him about football, and getting on the same page—what better way to start off your career, with a guy like that who enjoys, and wants the best out of you, and he’s going to push you to be the best?” Beckham said on August 26.

“I’ve learned a lot from [Manning] and just as far as watching what he does every day, how he comes to work and how he handles everything in general. Whether he knows it or not, my eyes are always on him.”

There’s no mistaking Beckham’s off-the-charts talent level. He’s one of the most successful receivers the Giants have had in quite some time.

However, when it comes to trying emulate Manning, Beckham is still trying to find that right balance between being competitive and being a good sport. If he doesn’t find it soon, that could have significant repercussions for the Giants.

To briefly recap, the feisty Beckham was caught on tape appearing to punch Buffalo Bills safety Duke Williams after Manning’s pass intended for Rueben Randle was picked off and returned by cornerback Stephon Gilmore.

His ill-advised action against Williams, an apparent retaliatory slap after the defender had just seconds prior laid a legal block on Beckham that sent him sprawling to the ground, landed the second-year Giants receiver in some hot water.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the NFL fined the receiver $8,681 for his actions. Beckham plans to appeal the fine.

Beckham, the master of the one-handed receptions, is clearly struggling with finding that right balance between doing the right thing for his team and being true to himself as a competitor—a struggle that was on full display when he spoke to reporters on Wednesday about the incident with the Bills.

“No, it doesn’t bother me. I’m fine,” he said when asked about the report by the Buffalo News’ Tyler Dunne in which several Bills players labeled him as a “prima donna,” “golden boy” and “weird.”

“I’m fine every single day. I sleep like a baby at night.”

Apparently, the events did bother Beckham if just a little.

Why else would he seek out his head coach for a private heart-to-heart, the nature of the conversation reminiscent of a child who has done something wrong, but in the hopes of circumventing any lectures or punishment, professes his love and devotion to the parent?

“Well, I went to talk to him because I walked by his office and I saw him,” Beckham said of his visit to the coach’s office. “I was just telling him just how much I love playing football, how much I love being here. This being my job, I want to be the best.”

That’s what Coughlin and the rest of the Giants want as well, which is probably why the head coach—who normally doesn’t disclose details about what is said in one-on-one meetings with his players—not only volunteered that Beckham had come by to chat but also offered comment on the situation.

“Obviously, I was disappointed because I think he’s beyond and above a lot of that stuff,” said Coughlin. “I think he’ll put it behind him.”

Al Bello/Getty Images

Can Beckham put this behind him? This was not Beckham’s first time ruffling the feathers of the opponent.

Last year, remember he was at the center of a sideline brawl in a game against St. Louis, a game in which two teammates—defensive end Damontre Moore and receiver Preston Parker—were ejected for coming to Beckham’s aid.

In the preseason, there were concerns that members of the Jacksonville Jaguars were looking to take Beckham’s head off and might have succeeded if Beckham hadn’t sensed the forthcoming hit and pulled up in his routes.

Add to that the incident in Buffalo, and Beckham is walking a very dangerous line that might see his luck in avoiding injury run out.

To his credit, the 22-year-old Beckham admitted that it’s a struggle to walk the line of being competitive while being a good sport.

In his August 26 press gathering, he said, “I could rub a lot of people the wrong way if they don’t know me. I wouldn’t want a [defensive back] breaking up the ball every single play and him dancing all in my face as well.”

If he’s truly serious about having his eyes on Manning at all times, Beckham would be best served in taking a page from that part of Manning’s playbook.

Bill Wippert/Associated Press

Score a touchdown? Great, give a little fist pump, hand the ball to the official and go celebrate on the sideline with your teammates and coaches.

Get beaten by an opponent? Hey, football’s a 60-minute game, so on the next play, make the guy who beat you look even sillier than he made you look.

Get pinched or slapped by an opponent? Walk away.

Unfortunately, Beckham doesn’t plan to change anything because he apparently doesn’t see the slippery slope he’s put himself and his team on.

“I feel like I do a pretty good job [controlling my emotions],” he said. “I don’t remember getting any flags last game. Controlling my emotions is not really any of my concern.”

Flags or no flags, controlling his emotions should be a concern because, as Beckham has already admitted, guys do come after him and he isn’t going to be able to help his team if he’s on the inactive list should one such hit turn into a knockout punch.

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

There’s no question that the uber-talented Beckham has a lot of room to grow personally and the capacity to do so quickly—just look at how rapidly his maturation as an NFL receiver has come about.

If Beckham wants to continue on a path of being the future face of a franchise and a budding superstar in the league, he needs to learn that his actions are always noticed, always scrutinized and always important—both on and off the field.

Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. All quotes and information were obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced.

Follow me on Twitter @Patricia_Traina.