New York Giants Rumors: Is Odell Beckham the next Jeremy Shockey?
By Curt Macysyn
As much as many fans are resistant to it, the Odell Beckham – Jeremy Shockey comparison is a fair one.
The purpose of this article isn’t so much to knock one New York Giants player or the other. Rather, it’s important to understand that an NFL career can change at the drop of a hat. Just ask Victor Cruz.
Some career defining events are self-inflicted, like Michael Vick, Josh Brown or Ray Rice. Others players have the game taken away from them. Put former New York Giants David Wilson and Kenny Phillips in that category.
A fair amount of fans rotely defend Beckham. After all, this player is an all-world talent with personality, or an edge, depending upon with whom you speak. Statistically, he matches up favorably with the greats at his position to this point.
New York Giants
Unfortunately, the pro-Beckham crowd stipulates that we accept his football statistics alone as evidence of his greatness.
End of story.
Sorry folks, life doesn’t work that way.
The Disease of me
Jeremy Shockey could still be playing NFL football. Believe it or not, he is younger than future Hall of Famer Antonio Gates. When Shockey retired after the 2011 season, he was only 31-years old. The former University of Miami star had just caught 37 passes for 455 yards and four touchdowns for the Carolina Panthers.
By comparison, Will Tye caught 48 passes for 397 yards and a single touchdown in 2016. Tye was the de-facto starting tight end for the New York Giants last season.
The point being that at least statistically, Shockey still belonged in the NFL at his retirement. But his combustible personality, and focus on himself, greased his way out of the league.
In Pat Riley’s words, he had the “disease of me.”
"“Bad teammate,” former Giants receiver Amani Toomer said via Twitter according to the New York Daily News on March 15, 2012. “Worse person.”"
Obviously we haven’t reached that point with Beckham. But initially there were many who made similar excuses for Shockey that are being uttered for Beckham right now.
The Shockey effect
Paul Schwartz of the New York Post made the first Beckham – Shockey comparison on Oct. 5, 2016. Ironically. Schwartz wrote that Beckham had not gone as far as Shockey in criticism of his coach or general manager.
"“Beckham has yet to stray into Shockey territory — Shockey once called Tom Coughlin ‘an ass,’ prompting Coughlin to respond: ‘My wife has called me that a few times.’ Shockey eventually felt put upon and picked on — ‘Everyone puts me under a microscope. It’s unfortunate. I can’t control it.’ Beckham is drifting into those murky paranoia waters with his ‘I’ve got to know it’s all against me and it’s going to be that way’,’’ Schwartz wrote in October."
Since that time, Beckham has several more sideline flameouts, went on a boat trip less than week before a playoff game, showed up small in the New York Giants loss to the Green Bay Packers and punched a hole in the Lambeau Field wall.
Must Read: New York Giants: Odell Beckham antics hit low point
But it hasn’t reached Shockey-like proportions?
For good measure, Beckham was recently publicized playing catch with Johnny Manziel, skipped OTAs without a word and brought on Cris Carter as an adviser.
For anyone keeping track, Beckham is clearly inching closer to Shockey territory.
Remember that Shockey still had to deal with the press in his early stages. Twitter was not invented until 2006, and took off about five years later. Second, whatever Shockey said came from his mouth. Conversely, Beckham has been petulant through Twitter and the mouth of his adviser.
This week, the New York Post reported about comments that Carter made clarifying why Beckham missed OTA sessions.
"“Carter, referring to Beckham’s absence from the OTAs, said: ‘This is not something that’s new. It’s because of the boat trip. It’s because of who he is. It’s because of the loss in the playoffs [to the Packers in the wild-card round], and because the general manager went out and said Odell has to be mature’.”"
It’s not a stretch to think that Carter’s words are Beckham’s words, or at least Beckham’s thoughts. So if Beckham is salty because of criticism from his lack of playoff production, too bad. If the boat trip issue hasn’t died because Beckham laid an egg in the playoffs, too bad. and if Beckham is missing OTAs as a message to the New York Giants about all things Beckham, once again too bad.
Most concerning is that fact that people think this will resolve itself organically. It won’t, and most of the signs right now indicate that the New York Giants – Beckham marriage will end badly.