The New York Giants Are An Embarrassment

These videos are overdone, but I’ve always wanted to try one. Also, as you can see in the replies, I apparently don’t know how to spell the word “lighters.” 

By now, everyone has seen that the Giants traded Odell Beckham Jr. to the Browns for Jabrill Peppers, the #17 overall pick, and the #95 overall pick. They also got back the #133 for the #155 pick (originally swapped in the Olivier Vernon trade). Clem blogged it. Jeff D. Lowe blogged it. Ohio’s Tate blogged it. Now I’m blogging it.

The New York Giants are god damn idiots. General Manager Dave Gettleman is single-handedly ruining a franchise one step at a time. He did it first in Carolina. Some people credit him for building that team when in reality he’s actually the one that tore it down. Now, he’s doing it in New York too.

In a vacuum, I understand trading Odell. He has a huge contract at a position where you don’t win with huge contracts. If they want to hit the reset button, shed his salary, and rebuild, I’d get that. I really would. But there’s two problems.

First, this return is not nearly enough for Odell. There are people saying this is a great return when compared to what the Steelers got for Antonio Brown (a 3rd and 5th round pick). Those people are morons. The Antonio Brown and Odell Beckham situations are entirely different.

Brown will be 31 next season. Odell will be 26. Antonio Brown is an actual locker room cancer who demanded his way out of Pittsburgh. He skipped practices. He got benched in a must win Week 17 game for his antics. He told the Steelers he wouldn’t play for them. He went on social media and embarrassed the city of Pittsburgh. He openly said he was moving on from them and flirted with other teams on Twitter/Instagram. So no shit he hurt his trade value. The Steelers had to trade Brown which gave other teams leverage. The Giants didn’t have to trade Odell.

Odell Beckham Jr. is not Mother Theresa, but he’s also not Antonio Brown. Fans and the media tried to create this narrative that Odell was a locker room cancer who you couldn’t win with. They made him out to be all the things that Antonio Brown actually was. When you look at it though, what did Odell really do? He danced. He danced a lot. OK? He was expressive on the sidelines. He’d hit kicking nets and slam his helmet. Good. I want passionate players who care about winning. Paul O’Neill became a Yankee legend for his passion and slamming coolers in the dugout. Why treat Odell any different?

Let’s see, what else? Oh yeah he went on a boat one time during an off day. A mistake a week before a playoff game? For sure. Enough to make him the villain lunatic people tried to say he was? No. He punched a wall after that playoff loss. Again that goes back to passion and caring about winning which I’m all for.

He was never really a problem for the media. There are guys who have been a lot worse.

Sure, shaking someone’s hand and introducing yourself isn’t deserving of a Nobel Peace Prize, but little examples like that show Odell wasn’t some monster people made him out to be.

There were some videos of him that would pop up on social media, yes. There was never anything too bad though. There was nothing problematic enough to get him in actual trouble.

This is the worst video involving him. He’s in bed with a woman who might be doing using some substances. MAYBE.

Not great, but also not conclusive at all and his hands seem to be clear. Videos like that led John Mara condemn Odell more than he condemns any other player.

“I guess my response to that is I’m tired of answering questions about Odell’s behavior,” Mara told reporters in Orlando for this year’s NFL owners meetings. “He knows what’s expected of him, and now it’s up to him.”

Mara never passed on an opportunity to criticize Odell to the media and fans. He was more lenient on wife-abuser Josh Brown. Never forget that the Giants knew Josh Brown had abused his wife and re-signed him anyway. This is an actual quote from Mara.

“He admitted to us he’d abused his wife in the past. What’s a little unclear is the extent of that.”

Punching a hole in the wall after a tough playoff loss? Time to “grow up”. Abusing your wife? Well, it’s complicated. That’s the John Mara school of thinking. The Maras used to be considered one of the proudest families in the NFL. They no longer deserve that title. The organization has recently become an embarrassment and laughing stock under their direction.

Anyway, back to Odell. He could’ve been better off-the-field, sure. But when these are his numbers on the field, you can put up with his minor issues.

He’s the only player in NFL history with at least: 5,000 receiving yards, 350 receptions and 40 TD’s in his first 60 career games. Not bad.

More deserving than the #17 and #95 pick. You’re not getting a franchise altering pick in those spots. There have been plenty of misses at #17, and I’m not sure I trust the Giants to make the right decision. And #95 is the last pick of the third round. Could there be value there? Yes. Are you likely to get an impact player? No.

The team just has no direction. Last year, it was all about “win-now” mode. They stuck with Eli. They drafted Saquon Barkley at #2 overall. They spent in free agency. They extended Odell. One bad season later, and it’s getting blown up, but not fully. Eli is still getting paid $23 million this year. Why? Well according to Pat Shurmur, “He can help us win games.” Are you a rebuilding, tanking team or not? If the Giants come out and say, “We’re tearing it down” and draft Dwayne Haskins or tank for Tua, it’ll make a little more sense. But I don’t’ trust the Giants do that, and if they take Daniel Jones, they’re as clueless as ever.

Saquon Barkley is the best running back in football, but running backs don’t last forever and he’s at his most valuable on his rookie deal. With this Odell trade, it’s unlikely that the Giants will be contenders while Saquon is still on this deal.

It all just sucks. Most of all, I’ll just miss watching Odell and rooting for him. He was so much fun. There was always an element of “What will he do next.” Will he make a circus one-handed catch? Will he take a slant route to the house? Will he leap over defenders to make a grab? He was electric every time he was on the field and became must-see TV.

Maybe this will all work out, and the Giants will be contenders once again. Right now, though, this sucks. Just enjoy the Odell highlights and try not to cry next time you hear “Middle Child” by J. Cole.