There are two ways to look at Odell Beckham Jr.’s latest ride on the emotional roller coaster. He cares so much and it means so much to him. Or he needs to chill out and grow up a bit.
You know something is up when Eli Manning — who prefers to stay in his lane and steer clear — feels the need during the game to check in with his combustible receiver to find out what the heck is going on.
You know something is up when Ben McAdoo, the first-year head coach, is using the dreaded ‘D’ word — as in distraction — to describe his prize receiver’s comportment.
Beckham early in the fourth quarter of the 29-27 loss to the Redskins was losing it on the sideline, moments after a Manning interception cost the Giants points as they trailed 26-24. Beckham was trudging around the bench, looking as if was about to burst. He took a swipe in anger and frustration at the kicking net, knocking it down and into his face, which actually was fairly comical. Twice, he actually appeared to be tearing up.
The Beckham fire burns bright, sometimes too bright. He did not let this outburst affect his performance on the field, as he pretty much dominated his individual matchup with Josh Norman. He caught seven passes for 121 yards and, according to Pro Football Focus, five of the receptions for 88 yards were directly against Norman.
There were moments when Beckham was operating at hyper-speed. Before Manning’s first interception, Beckham on three consecutive plays had a catch for 19 yards, a catch for 24 yards and was held by safety David Bruton for a 5-yard penalty. He was rolling, and Manning should have gone to him again, instead of forcing the ball into tight end Will Tye.
Still, Beckham needs to keep it together.
“I thought between the white lines he controlled himself,” McAdoo said Monday. “Emotionally on the sideline, in between series, he needs to do a better job, that’s all of our responsibilities, mine included. But he needs to control his emotions better and be less of a distraction to himself and his teammates. It’s our job to help him with that process.’’
Who comes to Beckham’s aid?
“It takes a village,’’ said McAdoo, who twice during the game spoke with Beckham about ramping it down.
Manning sees the behind-the-scenes version of Beckham, sees the joy and intensity and work ethic. He sees everything else, as well.
“I thought he held his composure during the game,’’ Manning said Monday on WFAN. “He got a little fired up on the sideline one time, and he’s just got to learn any little act that he does is gonna get blown up. He’s got to learn to keep it inside or just find a way to deal with it, come talk to me, see what’s on my mind. We’ll work on that just so it does not become a distraction after the game, we’re talking about football and not stuff that happens on the sidelines.’’
Again, the ‘D’ word.
“It’s just a learning process with him,’’ Manning said. “He is an emotional guy. He plays hard, he practices, he does all the right things. He wants to go out there and have success and win games and make plays. I understand where it’s coming from.
“But he’s got to understand he can’t — when it becomes so public it can be a distraction. People are wondering what he’s doing, it can kind of mess up the flow and rhythm of what people are doing.’’
There is too much drama here. Beckham already feels as if he is unfairly scrutinized and last week lamented, “They fine me for everything … they fine me for smiling.’’ No, they fine him when he goes off the rails, when he throws his body around like a missile, when he goes over the line and acts out.
He is one of the NFL’s greatest stars and social media darlings. There is no reason the league would in any way be out to get him. To watch Beckham off the camera is to see a young man who cannot stand still. He dances to the music blaring from the speakers or in his head. He does not walk, he bounces. He laughs, he jokes, he kids with his teammates. He is 100 miles an hour. The meltdown on the sideline was not a good look. He is only 23 years old, and he needs to purge some of this from his system, if he can.
Other observations coming out of the first loss of the season for the Giants:
– Sure, the Giants appreciate the skill set Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie brings to the field, but there is a growing undercurrent that he is unreliable. He took himself off the field often last season, sometimes at critical points in the game, with ailments and physical issues that did not preclude him from going back into the game. His snap count is down this season as rookie Eli Apple has supplanted Rodgers-Cromartie as an outside cornerback. Rodgers-Cromartie has been a team player in accepting his new role in the slot — where he will take more physical abuse — but increasingly, the Giants view him as someone they cannot count on play after play for four quarters. Now he is injured with a strained groin — he played only 32 of the 71 defensive snaps against the Redskins — and, judging from the way he was moving around after the game, he will be out a few weeks.
– Do not figure to see Rodgers-Cromartie, Apple or Darian Thompson for Monday night’s game in Minneapolis. Apple has a strained hamstring. Those do not heal in a matter of days. Thompson is dealing with a left foot issue, and the feeling is he will not be ready to return this week. A source with knowledge of Thompson’s injury told The Post there is not much concern about a long-term absence and a visit to see specialist Dr. Robert Anderson in North Carolina on Monday was more about due diligence than worry about extensive damage. That visit assured Thompson there is no significant injury and he should be back in a few weeks. Without three of their top defensive backs, the Giants will have to rely even more heavily on veteran Leon Hall, who has been an important and versatile addition but might be over-extended if his snaps increase dramatically.
– Jason Pierre-Paul’s stamina continues to impress. The Giants were on the field for 71 defensive snaps, and Pierre-Paul was in for every one of them. He finished with eight tackles, one sack, two tackles for losses and one quarterback hit. He also forced a fumble and deflected one pass. That is called filling up the stat sheet. The best defensive lineman probably was Damon “Snacks’’ Harrison, who went to work in his limited (43 snaps) action. Harrison had a team-high 10 tackles and was able to generate some pass-rush pressure.
– Is Manning relying too heavily on his reads and not seeing the field as clearly as he should? In Week 2 against the Saints, Sterling Shepard somehow was uncovered at the line of scrimmage, but Manning stuck with the play-call and handed it to Shane Vereen, who lost one yard and then fumbled the ball away. On his first interception against the Redskins, Manning looked down the middle for Tye running a post route to the goal line. The tight end never achieved any separation from cornerback Quinton Dunbar. Tye had the size and strength advantage, but the pass was forced and Tye — never confused with Tony Gonzalez — did not exactly fight for the ball to prevent the interception. On the play, Manning had Shepard and Victor Cruz as much better options to his right, around the 10-yard line. “Poor throw right there,’’ Manning said. “Could have gone into my other progressions and possibly had someone else who was open.’’
– The Giants are a three-receiver team, all day, every day. That is their base offense. They ran 67 offensive plays against the Redskins: Beckham was on the field for all 67, and Shepard and Cruz for 66.
– There was no attempt to shield Beckham from Norman. During the week, word leaked out that Norman would follow Beckham all over the field, except when Beckham lined up in the slot. Well, the Giants stuck to their game plan and Beckham lined up on the outside for 60 snaps, moving into the slot only seven times all game, according to Pro Football Focus.
– Will Beatty finally made his 2016 debut, but if you blinked, you missed it. He played one snap on special teams in his first game activated since re-signing. There does not seem to be any reason to accelerate him or rush him onto the field. Bobby Hart subbed for injured Marshall Newhouse (calf) at right tackle and held up fine. He was not called for a single penalty, unlike linemates Ereck Flowers and Westin Richburg, who turned into penalty pals.