By Joe Bianca
You can say one thing for Sunday’s game at MetLife Stadium: the fans got their money’s worth. Well, at least the ones who stayed did.
It was one of the most fascinating games of the year on paper and, in the end, it certainly didn’t disappoint. The shockingly 13-0 Carolina Panthers came into the concrete wasteland of East Rutherford on a rare cold day this December to face the giant-killing Giants in front of a raucous Meadowlands crowd. A titillating subplot would be New York’s superstar wide receiver, Odell Beckham, Jr., going against the reigning top cornerback in the NFL, Carolina’s Josh Norman. But that’s all it was supposed to be — a subplot. Something to keep one eye on while the Panthers tried to stay undefeated and the Giants scratched and clawed for a playoff spot.
Then, less than a minute-and-a-half into the game, this happened:
https://twitter.com/_MarcusD_/status/678638228161896449/video/1
One of the most sure-handed receivers in the league dropping an easy touchdown became the catalyst for what would be a very weird and wild day in New Jersey.
Beckham played it off nicely after the drop, calmly telling the crowd ‘my bad, my bad’ and the assumption was he would just make an even bigger play sooner rather than later. But instead, it was the first spool of a total unraveling inside the mind of #13. Shortly thereafter, Norman dropped Beckham to the turf with a pseudo body-slam and that was all she wrote for the receiver’s mental fortitude.
Frustration building, battling through several more chippy plays, getting held without a reception in the first half and watching his team being destroyed 35-7, Beckham finally crossed the line in the 3rd quarter:
Ostensibly running to block downfield, Beckham swipes at Norman’s face on his way past. Norman is able to deflect the blow and shove Beckham away, at which point Beckham completely loses his mind and flies in, full-speed, from 10 yards away to blindside Norman with a helmet-to-helmet hit. This was an extremely dangerous and bush league play that should’ve gotten the receiver thrown out of the game on the spot. The refereeing crew in this game, led by Terry McAulay, did a lousy job of maintaining order, but the lack of ejection in this case shows embarrassing incompetence. If somehow all of the officials missed this flagrant headhunting by Beckham, the NFL’s replay headquarters should have been able to buzz down to McAulay and help him make the right decision.
As it is, Beckham was allowed to stay in the game and eventually, he and Norman stopped throttling each other long enough to relinquish the stage to a remarkable comeback. Helped by a blocked field goal and a careless turnover by Carolina, the Giants amazingly got the ball back down 35-28 with 4:17 left in the 4th quarter. Beckham shined on that drive, producing a big 40-yard catch-and-run to get New York into the red zone, then on 4th & 5 with the game on the line, he beat Norman for a touchdown and proceeded to step over him Allen Iverson-style:
It sure looked like a dude who shouldn’t have even been in the game at that point would get the last laugh. At least, until I saw this:
Cameron Jerrell Newton, whose swag could power the International Space Station right now, was having none of it.
Seven plays. 49 yards. Zero third downs faced. A ridiculously confident laser off his back foot to Greg Olsen for 16 yards. A breathtakingly smooth first down run, a spike. Field goal. Game over. A 28-point comeback negated in what felt like seconds.
It’s pretty funny to see Newton, of all people, of all seasons, out of the spotlight, if even momentarily. This is a player who has taken an almost presidential level of scrutiny in his young life. From coming out of high school as a nationally-coveted recruit, to an absurdly overblown story about him buying a stolen laptop at Florida (nevermind the question of why the school didn’t provide one for him), to having to play a year in junior college before transferring to Auburn and winning a national championship, to being a #1 overall draft pick. All of this attention has bred plenty of resentment, particularly from older white people. The zenith of that came when a Tennessee mom felt compelled to write an incoherent and vaguely racist screed earlier this season admonishing Newton for having too much fun.
Not that there haven’t been valid critiques of Newton. He’s been average in three playoff games with his only win coming versus a third-string quarterback. He’s never appeared to be a guy his teammates really rallied around. His body language and demeanor after losses have at times been sullen and petulant, which has an effect from his leadership position.
Odell Beckham, Jr. is 23 years old. That’s the good news. He is an extremely emotional player, which is a huge part of his broad appeal. He is also one of the rare players in professional sports who can do something you’ve never seen before on any play. By pretty much any measure, he has a brilliant future.
Like Cam Newton, Beckham likes to celebrate. Hard. Like Newton, he wants the camera on him at all times. Newton grew as a player and as a man to use that to his advantage. In under two months, he will almost certainly become just the second black quarterback to win NFL Most Valuable Player. He still will ultimately be judged by what he does this postseason and fairly so. But Newton, in these waning moments of 2015, is the best-case scenario for Odell Beckham, Jr.
Unfortunately for the Giants’ supernova, he might have opened Pandora’s Box yesterday. There had been complaints earlier this season from opponents about Beckham’s dirty play and questions about his mental makeup:
“He’s different,” Gilmore told The Buffalo News. “It’s kind of like you’re playing your little brother and he gets mad at you for being too physical with him — throwing a tantrum. I’m like, ‘Man, we’re playing football. It’s a physical game.’
“He’s a prima donna. He feels like he’s on top of the world and nobody’s supposed to do anything to him.”
Being a “diva” as a wide receiver in the NFL isn’t a disqualifying trait. The position, for whatever reason, attracts big personalities. But what you can’t be seen as among your peers is mentally weak. When that reputation gets established and, more importantly, exploited, as it was Sunday, things can go south in a hurry.
Josh Norman, like just about every other cornerback in the NFL, knows he can’t match athleticism with Odell Beckham, Jr. Cornerback is a tactician’s role and Norman gambled that his physicality, excessive in some cases but not outrageous, would unnerve Beckham. Some blame Norman because “he started it.” Well, yeah! He saw weakness in Beckham when he so uncharacteristically dropped that early touchdown and he pounced. And he won.
Beckham got a decent highlight at the end, but was held well below his season averages. He took three 15-yard personal foul penalties. And the loss. It’s also possible he’ll face a suspension for his helmet-to-helmet hit as the Giants cling to mathematical viability in the playoff race.
The tide has turned against Odell Beckham, Jr., and quickly. From his fellow players to the media to fans, most are looking at him differently today than they did on Saturday. He finally showed a chink in the armor and looked unmistakably bad on national television. There is now a widely-distributed blueprint on how to beat him. The way he responds to this will be one of the defining moments of his career.
As Cam Newton is proving this season, perception does not always equal reality. He is forcibly changing minds by playing outstanding ball and saying all the right things while still staying true to his exuberant self.
No one wants Beckham to suddenly be buttoned up or stop being him. His emotion fits his pyrotechnic game and the passion of this city perfectly. But self-reflection is a good thing, especially in times of great scrutiny.
Cam Newton used the constant heat of his microscope as fuel to ascend to the top of the sport. To succeed without compromising who he was. And now that he’s finally won over most of the sports world, Newton looks as if nothing can rattle him.
Beckham has the potential to get to that point. But it’s going to take more than just his talent to do it.
Running the Point 
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