The hype this week for Josh Norman-Odell Beckham Jr. II, Mayhem in the Meadowlands, will be a boxing promoter’s delight.
Except this isn’t a boxing match. This isn’t for the heavyweight championship of the NFL, or even the NFC East.
Giants versus Redskins on Sunday, however, will be a referendum on whether Beckham truly has matured into the kind of leader new Giants coach Ben McAdoo expects him to be.
It means that no matter how hard Norman tries to bait Beckham with words during the week, and more words and perhaps another early body slam early on in the game, Beckham must honor McAdoo’s desire for a team that is sound, smart, tough and committed to discipline and poise.
NOdell.
Don’t let Josh Norman get in your head this time.
Don’t let the raging competitive fires that make you great burn your team’s chances to go 3-0 and bury the winless, reeling Redskins. Just burn him with your wondrous gifts.
Remember what your boss, John Mara, said in January:
“Look what happened at the end of the Steelers-Bengals game,” the Giants co-owner said of the penalty-filled wild-card game. “I just don’t want our players to conduct themselves like that.”
Remember what your new head coach, who was your offensive coordinator last Dec. 20 when the Panthers came to MetLife Stadium, said in January:
“I should have been better, and I take full responsibility for that,” McAdoo said. “Odell feels as bad as anybody about it, and it’s my job to pull him out of that when we go down that road.”
Remember what you yourself said when you returned from your one-game suspension:
“I don’t think I’m going to change the way that I play, but I think I’ll change the actions that were on the field that Sunday. It’s not what we should be doing, it’s not what I would want to represent the Giants as, and like I said, most importantly it’s not something that I would want the kids looking up to and learning from me that way. That’s definitely not what I want to put out there for them.”
Norman somehow didn’t shadow Antonio Brown in the opener, and only briefly covered Dez Bryant in Week 2. With the Redskins 0-2 and desperate, it is inconceivable that Jay Gruden and defensive coordinator Joe Barry would keep their $75 million man glued to his office on the left side of the field when McAdoo will be moving Beckham all over the place.
The Norman-versus-Beckham questions began Monday on McAdoo’s conference call:
“Do you talk to Odell on facing Josh Norman again?”
“We’ll hit more on the next opponent on Wednesday,” McAdoo said.
“But specifically with Odell, do you need to talk to him about controlling his emotions?”
“We’ll talk more on the next opponent on Wednesday,” McAdoo said.
Message delivered. Message received by Beckham.
Beckham knows what is at stake. He has endured back-to-back 6-10 seasons, and no one wants to place a fifth Lombardi Trophy in the lobby window case more than he does. His goal, before he even caught a pass from Eli Manning, was to be legendary. He is on his way. Can’t let Josh Norman get in his way.
NOdell.