Ben McAdoo said he spoke with Odell Beckham Jr. after Sunday’s game, with the head coach and star receiver both wishing this reality was not real.
“It’s a sad situation,’’ McAdoo said Monday.
He was referring to Beckham’s plight, but might as well have been talking about the entire entity that is the 2017 New York Giants season of discontent.
Beckham’s season is now officially over, McAdoo confirmed. He will have surgery this week to repair his fractured left ankle and was placed on season-ending injured reserve. He was one of four Giants receivers injured Sunday as the Giants dropped to 0-5 with their latest football atrocity, losing a fourth-quarter lead for the third consecutive week, overtaken by the Chargers 27-22.
One of the other ailing receivers, Brandon Marshall, will join Beckham on the outside, looking in. Marshall took to social media Monday night to state he, too, is done, and will have season-ending surgery Tuesday.
It has gone from bad to far worse, for the Giants.
Marshall hurt his ankle in the second quarter and the 33-year-old ends his season after only five games.
“Tomorrow I’ll have surgery ending year 12,’’ Marshall posted on Instagram. “I’m filled with mixed emotions. I wasn’t able to produce for my team the way I wanted to but this was my greatest year to date. The game has shown me who I really am good and bad. The game has given me the opportunity to grow as a man, father, husband, teammate, leader … I’m so thankful for this game.’’
He ends his 12th NFL season and first with the Giants having made little impact on the field. He finishes with 18 receptions for 154 yards and no touchdowns as he struggled to pick up the offensive system and to get in sync with Eli Manning.
After playing the previous two years with the Jets, Marshall signed a two-year, $11 million contract to cross over to the Giants. It is certainly possible this turns into a one-and-done with the Giants, who might not see the need to bring him back in 2018. None of his money for next season is guaranteed.
There’s more. Sterling Shepard sprained an ankle on the same series as Marshall and, although he is considered day-to-day, his availability for this weekend in Denver is in doubt. Dwayne Harris’ season is over with a fractured fifth metatarsal, a foot injury he sustained returning the second-half kickoff. Harris will have surgery Tuesday.
These are the darkest of days for the Giants, with ownership blindsided by this shocking turn of events. The Giants were supposed to contend for the NFC East title, yet after five games they are in look-toward-the-future mode. McAdoo knows those who sign his checks are not pleased.
“Everyone’s disappointed, I’m aware of it,’’ McAdoo said. “Everybody’s irritated, I’m aware of it. My focus right now is trying to help with the personnel department to field a football team, give us a chance to prepare and win.’’
Good luck with that. The Giants face the Broncos on Sunday night at Sports Authority Field at Mile High and there is no evidence to suggest the Giants will be able to compete without their top receivers and a roster full of bruised egos.
“It’s gonna be an adjustment,’’ Eli Manning said Monday on his weekly WFAN spot. “[Beckham] is a tremendous player and he’s out for the season. We’re gonna have to get some young guys and some different guys to step up.’’
There was no bite to McAdoo’s words as he spoke on a conference call, his voice devoid of much emotion. He knows this season has gone off the rails, goals will not be met and the remaining 11 games are about something other than contending or stacking victories to gain valuable postseason credentials.
“No one thought we’d be sitting here like this in this position,’’ McAdoo said. “I said it once, I’m gonna say it again, I believe in this group of players and coaches and what this team could be. We’re not there yet. We owe it to each other and the organization to handle ourselves with class, prepare well this week and give us a chance to win a ballgame Sunday night.’’
Rather than widespread issues and problems, McAdoo said the Giants are in a “slump,’’ especially with the way they have failed to extend or protect fourth-quarter leads in dispiriting losses to the Eagles, Buccaneers and Chargers.
“You got to find a way to win with each team you have, and year-to-year it changes and we haven’t been able to get that done,’’ McAdoo said. “And that’s my responsibility.’’