Beyond his uncanny ability to catch footballs, the best things about New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. are his intensity, his passion for the game, his desire to be the best. Without these traits, the man they call OBJ simply wouldn't be OBJ. He's not the biggest guy, not the fastest, but he works hard and he's convinced every game that he's the best player on the field.
In his defense, Beckham usually is.
But a game earlier this season between Beckham's Giants and the Carolina Panthers and cornerback Josh Norman highlighted the uglier aspects of Beckham's style of play and approach to the game. Norman was physical with Beckham from the outset and it threw Beckham off and caused him to lash out in a manner that eventually resulted in his being suspended by the NFL for the following week's game, a Sunday night matchup with the Minnesota Vikings that the Giants had to have if they were going to keep their hopes for the season alive.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Beckham, back from his banishment, said that the suspension was a "learning experience," in the same breath as he said he won't change his play on the field.
"I don't think anything's going to change except learning from this experience," Beckham said, per ESPN. "I don't think I'm going to play with any less intensity. I don't think I'm going to play with any less emotion."
That's all well and good, and you'd likely be hard-pressed to ferret out any Giants fans who will go on record as to say that they don't want Beckham to play as hard or with as much emotion as he always does, but it's emotion that can and has gotten out of hand for OBJ in the past.
The game against the Panthers was the low point, but there has been talk from other players around the league that Beckham takes cheap shots after the whistle and often lets his fiery emotions get the best of him. During a preseason game against the Buffalo Bills, Beckham was allegedly tossing punches and acting like the team's defensive backs shouldn't be allowed to play a hard, physical game against him.
"I don't know what's up with him," Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore said then. "He acts like nobody's supposed to hit him and you're supposed to let him catch the ball. He's weird. He gets mad when you play physical with him. He's weird.
"He's different. It's kind of like you're playing your little brother and he gets mad at you for being too physical with him - throwing a tantrum. I'm like, 'Man, we're playing football. It's a physical game. ... He's a prima donna. He feels like he's on top of the world and nobody's supposed to do anything to him."
As one of the best, if not the outright best, wide receiver in the league, Beckham has a target on his back every time he steps on the field. It makes sense that he'd be wary of the way in which other teams defended him. And it'd be bad for the Giants and bad for the NFL if he suddenly stopped playing like he's capable of.
But there are limits and Beckham, who also spoke of poor sportsmanship and the kids for whom he is a role model, would do well to keep that in mind next time a defensive back hits him a little harder than he likes.
