Odell Beckham Jr. has been in the spotlight since he came into the NFL. Since the first game he played for the Giants all eyes have been on him. We all remember “The Catchâ€, The Kicking Net incident and his numerous other standout moments. He has become a mega star that not only took over New York but has taken over America. Certainly Odells play has backed up that attention he received. No one can debate what Odell has accomplished statistically up to this point. Breaking numerous records and becoming elite quicker than anyone who has come before him. He is the best receiver in the league and hasn’t even reached his prime as of yet.  With all of that being said we have not seen his play lead to wins as of yet. The Giants have not made the playoffs in his short time in the league and that is something we need to see from him sooner rather than later. This is Odells first year with a chance to make the playoffs so let’s look at what he needs to do to lead this team to the playoffs.
He needs to sacrifice some of his touches:
Look we understand Odells talent. He makes some of the most spectacular catches and is dangerous with the ball after he makes these catches. The problem is that he is limiting the flow of this offense. He needs to realize he alone will not make this Giants offense great. They need the help of Victor Cruz and Sterling Shepard. Both of these players are above average receivers who aren’t being given the chance to make a difference. Two weeks ago against the Browns Shepard had zero targets, last week against the Steelers Cruz had zero targets. For good reason both of these players were frustrated with the fact they played an entire game and weren’t even thrown too. Lets look at how many targets these receivers have seen so far this season.
Odell- 125 targets
Shepard-80 targets
Cruz- 49 Targets
As you can see Odell sees the ball a whole lot more than his counterparts. This has a lot to do with his antics on the sideline and the fact Eli feels the need to throw the ball his way in order to keep Beckham happy. This is not a healthy thing for an offense to deal with and makes getting into a rhythm nearly impossible. Now im not saying Beckham shouldn’t get the most targets but if he wants to win it is going to start with him sacrificing some touches and letting these other stud receivers impact these games.
Odell needs to get on the same page as Eli:
When a quarterback is on the same page as his receiver it is easy to tell. They make plays when all the money is on the line and just connect for huge plays. It seems that Odell and Eli haven’t been clicking as much as we would like to see this year. We have seen Eli and Odell not be on the same page all too often this year. The fact they haven’t has caused the Giants big in a few games. They struggle to score as it is and if you are throwing away opportunities due to a lack of communication you are digging yourself an even bigger hole.
 Odell needs to find the endzone:
Odell has struggled this season at finding the end zone on a consistent basis. Yes, he has caught an impressive 8 touchdowns this year but he has also had three 2 touchdown games. This means if you take those 3 games out he only has 2 touchdowns in the other 9 games. With the amount he sees the ball he should not have 7 games where he doesn’t reach the end zone. This is where I wouldn’t mind seeing Odell ask for the ball more. The difference in the game against the Steelers was the missed opportunities on 4th down and the lack of being able to finish drives in Steelers territory. This is where I want to see Odell go to Manning and say “Give me a chance to make this play†and then go and make it. I am tired of seeing Odell not see the ball on key plays for the Giants. Im not sure if this is Eli or Odells fault but moving forward I want Odell being thrown the ball on 4th down in the redzone. Not uh Will Tye. Don’t get me wrong I love Will Tye but he is no Odell Beckham.
My message to Odell would be a simple one. You are playing on an offense that has looked anemic all year and is holding this team back from being amongst the NFL’s elite teams. It is time for you to put your ego aside and play winning football. As I have stated before it does not matter how many catches you have, I care more about how meaningful those catches were.
If I’m Odell I am going to talk to Eli and let him know that I am in this to win games and as long as we are winning I don’t care who is touching the ball. If Odell allows Cruz and Shepard to make big catches early defenses will be forced to cover all three of them and this will make life much easier for Odell. He will find himself open and with a lot more room to run after he makes a catch. They also would be able to open up the playbook more and stop being so predictable on the offensive end. Im not joking when I say that if this team can find a rhythm offensively there receiving core will be unstoppable to guard and may just be the best in the league.
So Odell this is your first taste of playing on a winning team, your first taste at a chance to play playoff football. You have a defense that Is already playing at an elite level and is waiting for this offense to catch up. How are you going to answer that call? Will we see an Odell who accumulates a lot of stats and fame but doesn’t make his teammates better or will we see an Odell that makes the plays in the big moments and makes everyone around him better. Only time can answer this question but either way it is going to be entertaining to watch.
