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Maturity of Odell Beckham Jr. Will Make or Break His Career With New York Giants

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By @AnthonyBeers

Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

New York Giants and NFL fans alike know very well about the sensationalism surrounding Odell Beckham Jr. He’s exceeded over 1,000 yards, has more catches in his rookie season than any other Giant in history and has caught 11 of Eli Manning‘s passing touchdowns with another game remaining.

The statistics, accolades and appreciation can go on and on. You simply have to watch Beckham to understand the magnitude of his impact. So far Beckham has absolutely flourished in the spotlight, while Manning has preached him one thing: Be humble. When a player at age 22 is at this high of a skill level, the thing coaches and veterans have to nurture is his mentality surrounding the game.

Head coach Tom Coughlin has rightfully taken Beckham under his wing. He confronted him mid-game when things got feisty between the Giants and the St. Louis Rams on Sunday. It was clear the Rams were doing what they could to get inside Beckham’s head with chippy play. Beckham’s teammates Preston Parker and Damontre Moore got ejected for throwing punches in an effort to protect their star player.

Coughlin was not pleased with the ejections and punches in the game. He took it upon himself to address the team, and Beckham separately on the flight home. Via ESPN, Coughlin said, “I spoke to him on the way out on the plane about a couple of things that I was interested in continuing to talk to him about. I want everyone to realize the quality of the young man and not be offset by some of the things that he has done. And he looked at me and said, ‘Coach, stay after me.’”

There is a serious level of respect Coughlin has towards Beckham and vice versa. After all, Beckham’s explosive play has helped lead the Giants to recent victories that will likely save Coughlin’s job. To say that these two appreciate one another is an understatement.

The wide receiver in most recent memory who had this type of immediate impact was Randy Moss in 1998. Moss will forever be known as one of the greatest to ever play, but his attitude was always his downfall. Moss was once traded to two different teams within one season for being difficult to play with. His ego often got in the way of his potential. But when you’re that naturally talented at football, it’s very easy to be confident, arrogant and egotistical.

This occurrence is often what leads star receivers to becoming prima donnas. Sometimes they’re so fast and shifty that they never really take big hits. This leads them to think they’re untouchable and is where cockiness and trash talk can come into play. There have been no critiques of Beckham’s attitude so far by either Coughlin or Manning, but it’s abundantly clear that the only thing that can hold this player back in the future is Beckham himself.

Recent sources have made it abundantly clear that Coughlin will likely be back with the Giants next season. Beckham’s stardom has helped the Giants claw out some victories, ultimately extending Coughlin’s career. Naturally, the thing Coughlin can do in return is make sure Beckham can live up to his promise in the years to come.

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