Giants Prove Living or Dying by Odell Beckham Jr. Could Cost the 2015 Season

It’s hard not to love New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. for his amazing playmaking abilities, his passion and his enthusiasm.

However, this week in a 38-35 loss to the Carolina Panthers, Beckham proved that for all the good he can bring to the operation, he can also sabotage it.

The fiery receiver, who matched up against Panthers shutdown cornerback Josh Norman, apparently let Norman get into his head even before the first play from scrimmage.

Norman successfully held Beckham to zero receptions in the first half, with Beckham also having an uncharacteristic drop of a pass that would have been a 48-yard touchdown reception had he hung on.

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“I dropped a post. I told people before, it is almost not even real,” said Beckham, who had two drops in this game.

“Like I always say, opportunities they come and they go, you can either seize the moment or let them go by and it was one that you thought was so easy and you let it go by and that is a moment you can never have back.”

The drops could probably be forgiven. However, Beckham’s flirting with possible ejection is something that needs to be addressed—and sooner than later.

To recap, Beckham and Norman started jawing at each other almost right from the start whenever they were lined up against each another. Pretty soon, the jawing turned into pushing, shoving and slapping of each other.

Pretty soon a barrage of yellow flags started falling. The Panthers were nailed for four discipline-related penalties while Beckham was called for three personal fouls, the third of which came when he launched himself helmet first against Norman.

“The guy ran 15 yards down the field—a dead-on collision,” Norman said after the game. “The play was all the way on the left side. He came back and was hunting; and it was malicious in every way.

“I hope the league offices get a chance to review the film and see what they can do, because players like that don’t deserve to be in the game. I mean it’s ridiculous. I understand you wanna play, but let’s play within the confines of the league rules. Don’t do all that extra stuff.”

Norman went on to say that Beckham’s actions uncovered just what kind of guy he really is.

“The guy took a shot at me I don’t know how many times. If you take a shot at a guy’s head, I mean come on now, that’s kind of going a little too far,” Norman said. “Maybe he’s fed up with the winter time. I think he’s in a dark place.”

After the game, Beckham refused to mention Norman by name or admit that he had carried things too far. “You never want to hurt your team like that,” he said of his three personal fouls. “I have learned it all throughout my life you know, always second man gets called, always that it is just unfortunate—you go back and watch the film tomorrow and you learn from it.”

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Beckham shook his head when asked if it’s difficult for him to keep his emotions in check.

“No it is not,” he said, adding that he wasn’t worried about being ejected from the game. “You are out there competing, competing against one of the best teams in the league. Anybody that has a passion for football is going to go as hard as they can.”

That’s all well and good, but Beckham then admitted that on his spearing penalty, he “didn’t know what the flag was for” and that he wasn’t worried about any consequences that might result from his actions.

“Not really. You can go look at the film, I caught a slant and the man is diving across my face. Like I said, this is a tough game.”

And what about head coach Tom Coughlin’s role in this fiasco?

Coughlin sounded in disbelief when he was asked if he considered removing Beckham from the game, saying, “You want me to take him out of the game?”

When the follow-up questions came, including reminding Coughlin that Beckham drew three personal foul penalties, the coach was silent for several second before saying, “Well, that just goes to show you again he lost his composure.”

Ya think, coach?

Although Coughlin later revised his answer and said it was a consideration, when pressed as to why he didn’t remove Beckham, he said, “Because I wanted him to play the game. He’s got to learn at some point how to deal with some things on the field.”

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So let’s get this straight. Wasn’t it Coughlin, who earlier in the season not only benched now former defensive end Damontre Moore for his stupidity and out of control play against the Eagles, a play that left Coughlin openly admitting as to whether he could trust Moore again?

The difference is that while Moore and Beckham are both young players with a lot still to learn, the former isn’t in the same class as the latter in terms of talent or the impact level he can have on a game.

And therein lies the shame of the whole scenario. When the dust settles, these Giants players might look back on how the entire fiasco was handled and realize the double standard that exists.   

If they do, Coughlin, who said he planned to have a talk with his fiery young receiver, might as well pack up his office now, because there’s little chance he’s going to be able to save his credibility with a team that is frustrated and without a clear-cut rudder to guide it through these stormy seas.

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.