Odell Beckham Jr. isn't happy with the New York Giants' passing attack, and it goes beyond the need to "play with some heart."
In a wide-ranging interview with ESPN's Josina Anderson that aired in full on Sunday before Big Blue's game versus the Carolina Panthers, Beckham was asked if the team had a quarterback problem. The receiver didn't rule out the idea of Eli Manning holding back the Giants.
"I don't know," Beckham said. "Like I said, I feel like he's not going to get out the pocket. He's not -- we know Eli's not running it. But is it a matter of time issue? Can he still throw it, yeah, but it's been pretty safe and it's been, you know ... cool catching shallow [routes] and trying to take it to the house. But I'm, you know, I want to go over the top of somebody."
Manning and the Giants' offense rarely stretches the field, opting for the safe, quick, short throw. The QB suggested this week he'd rather check down than take a risk down the field.
Beckham, who signed a massive contract extension this offseason, seems frustrated in his role. Defenses have rolled defenders his way, and with Manning's aversion to fitting the ball in tight windows, Beckham's opportunities have dwindled. The Giants seem to expect him to take short dump-offs and turn them into big gains.
"I feel like in the past five years, they found a way to run a Cover 2, keep everything in front, and that's how they played me," Beckham said. "And there's no way to -- how do we beat this? I feel like I'm being out-schemed, and then I also don't have a chance to, like, do something where I've got to take a slant and go 60. And not to say that's not fun, but it's like I want some easy touchdowns too. I watch everybody across the league. All the top receivers get the ball the way that they, you know, should. And if they don't, they say something about it."
Through four weeks, Beckham ranks 14th among receivers with 331 yards, despite sitting at third-most in receptions (31).
Beckham could get past his diminishing numbers if the Giants (1-3) were winning.
"And since I've been here, I've put up numbers and records have been broken and all those good things which, not to say they mean nothing to me, but I know that they could have been double or triple whatever they are now," he said. "That's the part that bothers me. I want to win. I want to be great at what I do. I feel like I can score a touchdown the first half, a touchdown the second half. Honestly, I feel like score every quarter if I'm given the chance, but it's not the case ... my goals are set very, very high. And if I don't get to help contribute to a team's win or do anything like that, I'm not going to be OK with it. Money or no money, I'm just not going to be OK with it."
