New York Giants star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. isn’t too pleased with the team’s passing attack.
Beckham, in fact, didn’t rule out that Eli Manning was holding the Giants back when asked in an ESPN interview if the team had a quarterback problem. Manning has been Beckham’s starting quarterback since the wideout entered the league in 2014.
“I don’t know,” Beckham said. “Like I said, I feel like he’s not going to get out the pocket. He’s not — we know Eli’s not running it. But is it a matter of time issue? Can he still throw it, yeah, but it’s been pretty safe and it’s been, you know … cool catching shallow (routes) and trying to take it to the house. But I’m, you know, I want to go over the top of somebody.”
Per Jay Glazer of FOX Sports, Giants coach Pat Shurmur took issue with Beckham saying the team lacks heart and was “absolutely livid” about the wideout saying that he didn’t know if Manning is the problem with the Giants offense.
Beckham apologized at a team meeting on Saturday night and told the club that it was the “wrong message” to send, per Glazer.
Manning noted earlier this week that he’d rather check down than take the risk down the field. The Giants (1-3) have failed to reach 20 points in three of their four games.
Beckham, who signed a five-year, $95 million contract extension prior to the season, entered Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers without a touchdown reception. He has a league third-most 31 receptions on 45 targets for 331 yards.
“I feel like in the past five years, they found a way to run a Cover 2, keep everything in front, and that’s how they played me,” Beckham said. “And there’s no way to — how do we beat this? I feel like I’m being out-schemed, and then I also don’t have a chance to, like, do something where I’ve got to take a slant and go 60. And not to say that’s not fun, but it’s like I want some easy touchdowns too. I watch everybody across the league. All the top receivers get the ball the way that they, you know, should. And if they don’t, they say something about it.”
Beckham has gained the attention of the league’s fans after recording at least 90 catches, 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns in each of his first three NFL seasons.
The three-time Pro Bowl selection reached 200 receptions and 3,000 receiving yards in just 30 games, getting to those milestones faster than anyone in NFL history.
“And since I’ve been here, I’ve put up numbers and records have been broken and all those good things which, not to say they mean nothing to me, but I know that they could have been double or triple whatever they are now,” Beckham said. “That’s the part that bothers me. I want to win. I want to be great at what I do. I feel like I can score a touchdown the first half, a touchdown the second half. Honestly, I feel like score every quarter if I’m given the chance, but it’s not the case … my goals are set very, very high. And if I don’t get to help contribute to a team’s win or do anything like that, I’m not going to be OK with it. Money or no money, I’m just not going to be OK with it.”
