The giants are not flashing concern all over the place about Odell Beckham's latest injury. He banged up his ankle in a preaseason game, and he limped off the field under his own power. The show he gave us in the locker room was a bit much as he lost his strength, but he may be hurt worse than the Giants are letting on. NFL teams hide injuries all the time, and I would not say a word if I were them.
What would we have them say?
We complain (the author included) about the injury reports in the NFL. We say that the teams give us nothing, and that is because they do not want to give their opponents anything.
Targeting in the NFL is a real thing, and injuries that can be hidden should be hidden for the good of the player. Beckham clearly hurt his ankle, and we have a report of that from ESPN and others. We cannot expect the Giants to come and explain to us, "Odell is really hurt. We do not know how bad it could be, but we might be screwed this season." We would laugh in their faces if they said that. So, they said nothing. This alone makes sense, but the problems comes in when we factor in Odell's lack of common sense.
The boat, the eclipse, and more
Odell looked into the eclipse, and there is the boat incident from last season. He does not seem to make the best decisions, and he is attempting to live the Hollywood lifestyle in the offseason.
The issue is not that Odell wants to have the Hollywood lifestyle so much as it is that he makes poor decisions while doing so. He must rehab the injury properly, and I am sure there are Giants fans who believe he will not do that properly. Some people may think it is time to move on from Odell because he is too much of a headache.
If you do that, you are in for a world of hurt.
Odell is the offense
Odell is the offense in New York, and they do not have an offense if you trade him in your fantasy sports world to LA for Aaron Donald. This is a theory that would leave the Giants with a great defense and no offense. Eli Manning cannot throw the ball to himself, and the Giants have no running game to speak of.
This is not the 80s, and there is no one to pick up the slack. Odell is, perhaps, the best and most electrifying player in the league. He can do things that no one else can, and Eli Manning needs that in the last few years of his career. Odell has to stay for the sake of every Giants fan.
I want to see Odell get back on the field for a season that is without drama. I do not trust that that will happen, but I am hopeful he can make it happen.
