NEWSLETTER
Not unlike the Chicago Bears, the New York Giants entered the 2018 season with a clean slate and a ton of optimism – the juices really start flowing for fans of a proud franchise when it brings in a new general manager, head coach, and star player. Indeed, hope springs eternal when fresh blood gets inserted into any situation. But unlike the Bears, who are off to a 3-2 start and sitting atop their division after six weeks, the Giants have stumbled out of the gate and their owner is not pleased about it.
John Mara offered up defenses of struggling quarterback Eli Manning and the front office’s decision to take Saquon Barkely over a quarterback not named Baker Mayfield, while also issuing a vote of confidence for Head Coach Pat Shurmur and GM Dave Gettleman.
HOWEVER, when it came to Odell Beckham Jr., the mood seemed to turn:
John Mara on Odell Beckham: "I think he needs to do a little more playing and a little less talking."
— Judy Battista (@judybattista) October 16, 2018
Went back and listened to the tape of John Mara. More on Odell: "I wish he would create headlines by his play on the field as opposed to what he says and does off the field."
— Judy Battista (@judybattista) October 16, 2018
Wow. Well, that’s pretty direct. Imagine George or Virginia McCaskey coming down hard on a player like this publicly. Yikes. And to do so after paying said player the biggest contract ever given to a wide receiver? Double yikes.
To go this route after going great lengths to make Beckham happy and keep him in town for the foreseeable future says a little something about the bad place the Giants are in right now. Because these are the types of things that are said when a team is frustrated and slogging through a 1-5 start after coming off 3-13 season the year before that led to a complete housecleaning. The Giants are a mess. So much so, you almost want things to continue to unravel as the weeks go on so we can have extra fodder to dissect when they host the Bears in Week 13.
(As an aside: Reading Mara’s words should make you want to appreciate what the Bears have in Allen Robinson a little more than you might have previously. Beckham is a more athletically talented and gifted receiver than Robinson, to be sure. But Robinson (even as a lesser talent) fills the similar role on offense as a play-making receiver and has done so while embracing a leadership role. Finding a No. 1 type of receiver who isn’t a lightning rod is like finding a needle in the haystack. Needless to say, the Bears lucked out here so far.)
