My editor walked over to my desk and was all, "Hey, I need you to write the Post Football Therapy session on the New York Giants."
"No problem," I replied. Then I scribbled the name Odell Beckham Jr. on a Post-it Note and handed it off to him.
I mean, is there anything more for Giants fans to be excited about for the upcoming season?
Sure, there are going to be those haters who will say OBJ will have no chance to regain his lofty status from last season. Most of these folks will be the fantasy football types who are probably going to try to sandbag his value so they can snake him in the second round of drafts. But really, I don't see any reason for Beckham to take a step back next season. But don't take my word for it. Here is what our own Gil Brandt had to say about Beckham.
"In Beckham's excellent hands and unbelievable hand-eye coordination, I see (Cris) Carter, the Hall of Famer who didn't have Beckham's speed but produced at a prolific level thanks largely to his ability to catch the ball and run routes. In Beckham's get-off-the-line quickness, and in the threat he poses to defenses - Beckham might run a fly route, a corner route or a crosser - I see (A.J.) Green, the Cincinnati Bengals stud who is similarly impossible to stop. Green (6-foot-4, 207 pounds) has five inches on Beckham (5-11, 198), but Beckham makes up for it with his mind-bending jumping ability. Beckham really looked like a man among boys in 2014."
And remember, Beckham was able to do this after missing all of training camp and the early part of the season with an injury. It's almost scary to think what he can do for an encore next year. Plus, Victor Cruz is going to be back on the opposite side of the field. All of a sudden the Giants are in the conversation for the best receiving-duo in the game, so you have all of that going for you, which is nice.
The one thing you might need for the coming year is a better offensive line and a solid running game. But to me, the Giants are one of those teams (along with the Ravens) who you can always count on to make the right pick. I mean, did you not see the NFL Network series "Finding Giants"? The Giants always seem to make a smart pick. I mean, if OBJ isn't evidence enough for you, I don't know what I could write to convince you otherwise.
So, I expect the Giants to land an offensive lineman like Brandon Scherff to be an immediate starter. Or something obscene like defensive end Shane Ray will fall to them because everything always seems to work out for the Giants. Seriously, think about this. The Giants had just two more wins than the Jets. But who had a better season? The Jets are a pure dumpster fire. The Giants seemed like they had a playoff run because OBJ was so great. That's how things always break for the Giants. Could you imagine what would have happened if OBJ went to the Jets last year? We'd probably never hear from him again.
So, that's all well and good. Besides, the New England Patriots did you a solid by winning the Super Bowl this season. It's true. I'll be honest, I don't know if the Patriots-Giants rivalry is on the same level as Red Sox-Yankees. I know from a Southern California perspective it certainly isn't looked at that way. (But in fairness, as an Angels fan, I have a keen interest in this baseball rivalry because the Angels were a part of it in the 2000s. So, I might be a touch biased.)
But the Patriots went out and established themselves as the team of the 2000s. Tom Brady cemented his status as the best quarterback of his generation and also put in his bid for best quarterback of all-time. And you know what? The Giants beat him twice. TWICE! So the Patriots win in Super Bowl XLIX actually elevated your status this year. It's like if the Patriots are John Cena, the Giants are Brock Lesnar. Cena might be the wrestler of his generation (I really hate to admit that), but you were the ones who conquered them. So, if the Patriots had the best year (and they kind of did), then I would say the Giants were a solid No. 2, maybe a No. 3 if you put the Seahawks ahead of them.
This was the nicest thing Adam Rank has ever written about a New York sports franchise. So follow him on Twitter @adamrank.
