Odell Beckham leads chorus of Giants receivers angry at game plan
PHILADELPHIA — On paper, it was a mismatch. Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard against the Eagles no-name cornerbacks, a slew of backups only playing because of injuries.
It didn’t play out that way Sunday, particularly in the second half, and the Giants’ receivers didn’t believe they were given enough opportunities against inferior opposition.
“Coming in knowing they’ve struggled in the secondary, personally I would’ve loved to attack them,” Beckham said following Big Blue’s crushing 25-22 loss to the Eagles. “But it wasn’t in the game plan. … I don’t know. I don’t call the plays.”
When asked if he was surprised by his lack of touches, Beckham deferred to coach Pat Shurmur initially. But later he admitted his disappointment. He had just two catches for 22 yards in the second half. Shepard had four catches for 37 yards. Neither was much of a factor.
When asked if they were getting open, Shepard said: “You can go back and watch the film, can’t you? Tell me what you see.”
“We were confident in the run-game, I guess,” he added. “We tried to attack them in the running game in the first half, and they made adjustments.”
It was a frustrating afternoon for everyone in blue, as they saw their dreams of running the table meet a harsh reality, coughing up a 16-point lead. Beckham, whose goal of winning out had become a rallying cry in recent weeks, knew what Sunday’s loss to the Eagles meant.
“It’s pretty obvious,” the clearly frustrated wide receiver said, a hooded sweatshirt covering most of his bleached-blond hair.
He repeated the three-word phrase again, when a similar question was asked. A more detailed explanation wasn’t needed. His disappointment was understandable, especially after how the game went, a fast start dissolving into another dismal result in a season full of them.
Beckham missed the opening series of the third quarter after needing an IV to help with a cramped calf, the third time Beckham has needed fluids in a game this year. He had what looked like a touchdown reception, a fourth-quarter play that could’ve been the difference, bounce off his hands after it appeared he was interfered with by cornerback Cre’Von LeBlanc. No flag came.
“It’s football, s— happens,” he said. “I play receiver, not referee. All you can do is go out there, control what you can control. I don’t control the calls. Whether it was pass interference or not, it doesn’t really matter.”
The Giants offense produced just 56 net yards of offense after halftime following a 346-yard effort in the first 30 minutes. The passing game accounted for just 61 yards in the final half against a beaten-up secondary that was without cornerbacks Jalen Mills, Ronald Darby, Sidney Jones and Avonte Maddox, and entered 25th in the league in pass defense.
“Forget the depleted secondary and all, these are NFL players that you are playing,” Shurmur said.
Beckham declined to say if he was 100 percent in the second half, repeatedly saying, “I’m ready to go.”
Before cramping up, Beckham was productive, catching three passes for 63 yards in the first half.
“They came out, made their adjustments,” Beckham said. “They made better adjustments than we did. Ran better plays. They made the plays.”
