No one knew what to expect when the New York Giants decided to reunite with former All-Pro wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. after seven years.
They certainly didn’t expect this.
The 33-year-old Beckham is not only acting as a sage to the Giants’ young players, but he’s turned back the clock on the field as well.
“He’s working hard, and he got some balls that came his way, and he made some great plays,” head coach John Harbaugh said after Wednesday’s workout at the team’s training camp in West Virginia. “He addressed the team; maybe it was that. He addressed the team yesterday morning. We do a wise words to start our meetings in the morning, and he was up, and he did a great job with that. So, maybe that was the football gods right there. You never know.”
Harbaugh added that he did not know what words of wisdom OBJ imparted on the troops, but said, “They were very wise though. He had like five really good points.”
Beckham wouldn’t get into too much detail regarding his message during his media session on Wednesday, but it was apparently an uplifting one.
“A quote that I kind of shared with the team was, ‘yesterday’s touchdown doesn’t win you today’s game.’ I feel like I came out yesterday and I was like, ‘I want to have my best day,’ and I feel like I had a good day,” he said. “Some things to work on, to learn from, to get better, and I was like, ‘I want to have an even better day tomorrow.’ And I feel like the whole team is carrying that mentality, but personally for me, it’s just about stacking those days. Just finding ways to build confidence, build confidence from within the team and myself included.”
Beckham still holds himself to a high standard and believes he is inching towards the form that made him a folk hero here with the Giants for five seasons from 2014-2018.
“I feel like I’m getting better,” he said. “I feel like with repetition, with mistakes, unfortunately I’m one of those people who has to touch the stove to know that it’s hot and to not touch it again, so I learn from a mistake, and it’s like, all right, that’s something that I corrected. So, I definitely feel like I’m getting better. There’s definitely been more opportunities. It’s just a combination of both. But kind of just fizzle all that out and I’m just like – I’m just locked in the moment. I’m truly grateful for being where my feet are at and just trying to enjoy that each and every day and bring the best energy that I can.”
Beckham ended his presser by describing how it feels to play in front of and for the Giants and their fans again.
“A lot of juice. It’s a lot of love,” he said. “Most people don’t get a chance to double back, and this is a place that made me into a man, made me into who I am. I have so much love for this organization, this city. I’ve got New York tatted on my back; you know what I mean? And I’m from New Orleans. So, all I ever wanted to do was win a championship for the New York Giants and just having an opportunity right now to – the end goal in mind, but stack those days, that’s all I want to do for this city, this organization, is bring one home.”
One step at a time. For now, Beckham is doing what’s required to make the roster. After that, no one knows.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Odell Beckham Jr. stepping up both on and off the field for Giants
Reporting by John Fennelly, Giants Wire / Giants Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By John Fennelly, Giants Wire | USA TODAY Network
