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00:04We just got our first look at the new three wide receivers that the Giants have signed.
00:10Juju Smith-Schuster, Braxton Berrios, and the headliner, Odell Beckham Jr.
00:15This is your Blue Rush post-practice report for OTA number nine.
00:19Paul Schwartz, Brendan London here.
00:21Paul, I look up. I'm looking for 13. I look for 13. I see him.
00:25This is Jalen Hyatt. Odell goes back to three, which he wore at LSU.
00:29You covered this guy since his first day in the league.
00:33What was that like, seeing the return of OBJ?
00:36You know, he said it was surreal. I think it was a little surreal.
00:40You know what I mean? I mean, look, you know, he spent his first five years here.
00:43He was, you know, he was Odell Beckham when he got here, and he quickly became OBJ.
00:48Yes.
00:48Right? You know, he was a rookie phenom.
00:51You know, it's funny. Odell doesn't forget anything.
00:53He said, you know, when I first got here and I had a hamstring,
00:56and I know he looks around at some of us and says, I know some of you were wondering and
00:59doubting me.
01:00You know, he doesn't forget anything good or bad.
01:03He's got a big brain in that head of his. He really does.
01:06And that's not a negative. I'm complimenting him.
01:10But it was surreal to see him.
01:11You know what he said was interesting?
01:12He said, I left a helmet here.
01:15He said, I left a helmet here, one of my old helmets, and it had dust on it.
01:20Perfect, right? Because it had dust on it.
01:22Now we get to see how much dust Odell Beckham has on that 33-year-old body.
01:27Someone also asked him, oh, you're 33?
01:29And he goes, like, you're making it sound like that's old.
01:32You know, look, Odell's feisty. He's competitive.
01:36You know, he was classic Odell today.
01:37It's dust versus juice.
01:40How much dust does he have on him versus how much juice does he have left in his body and
01:44the media?
01:45We all ask John Harbaugh about that.
01:48So here's John Harbaugh on all three receivers and, of course, Odell.
01:53I'd say just principally doing everything you can to be the best team you can be
01:57and give yourself the best chance to be the best team you can be.
02:00Those are three guys that were out there that we were monitoring.
02:03We've been talking about all three of those players for a while.
02:06It probably was a catalyst when we lost Gunner.
02:11It didn't have to be a one-for-one.
02:13We had to make a few moves in the specialist department.
02:16Those are guys we could still bring back if it worked out where we wanted to,
02:20obviously, as long as they don't get claimed by somebody else or until they do.
02:24But try to be aggressive and give ourselves as many opportunities as we possibly can
02:29to have the strongest roster we can.
02:31So we'll see what happens.
02:33I mean, they'll be competing for roles.
02:35They'll be competing for their opportunity just like everybody else.
02:38So we'll see how it goes.
02:39But they've looked good out here, and they've been working hard.
02:42And obviously, they're veteran players who've had highly decorated players in the league.
02:48It's just a matter of what can they do now.
02:50And that's what we'll find out.
02:52He said what we're all thinking.
02:54He said to Odell, and he was very real and transparent with the conversations that those two had,
03:00you can't just be okay.
03:02Yeah.
03:03You have to be Odell.
03:04And I think everyone needs to manage their expectation, both players, coaches, and the fan base,
03:11on what the expectations on Odell Beckham Jr. to be a successful comeback or return, Paul.
03:17What were your thoughts on what Harbaugh said about OBJ?
03:20You know, this is not a nostalgia tour.
03:23You know, there wasn't a lot of sentimentality.
03:25You know, Harbaugh knows Odell from 2023.
03:29Odell said, I wasn't very good then.
03:31I was just coming back off a knee.
03:33You know, it wasn't right.
03:35It wasn't, you know.
03:36Now, you know, to play devil's advocate, he wasn't great in 2023 with the Ravens.
03:41He was really poor in nine games for the Dolphins, and he didn't play at all last year.
03:45So, you know, what are we getting with Odell?
03:48But look, John Harbaugh is, you know what, he's a head coach who's selfish.
03:52They all, the best head coaches are selfish.
03:54What can you do for me?
03:56What can you do for us being the Giants?
03:59So he's not bringing Odell for feel good, for nostalgia.
04:02He's bringing him in, can you help me and this offense?
04:05Can you help Jackson Dart win games?
04:10John Harbaugh's not sure, but he's willing to give him and Juju Smith-Schuster and Braxton Berrios.
04:15You know, but, oh, look, Odell is the headliner here, right?
04:18If they cut Braxton Berrios and they cut Smith-Schuster, it's going to be a transaction.
04:23And we'll say, what happened?
04:24They were good players.
04:24What happened?
04:25With Odell, it's different.
04:26It's Odell.
04:28We'll see.
04:29We'll see.
04:29Look, it's as I wrote in the post.
04:31From when they signed him to when day one of the regular season starts is 104 days.
04:37Odell has 104 days to stay healthy, to stay in shape, and to do something to make the team.
04:43You know, this is a couple of days into it.
04:45Yeah, I think all three of those guys did something today to help their case to make the team.
04:49And it's the first day we get to see them.
04:52It's the second day that they were actually out there on the field.
04:55Braxton Berrios had two really nice catches.
04:57Juju Smith-Schuster had a nice catch where he won on some press man to the inside.
05:02Had a great grab.
05:03Odell showed catch radius.
05:05The hands are still there.
05:07And then there was a 50-50 ball, a go route on the fourth down thrown by Jameis Winston
05:11that had really good coverage by Taye Banks.
05:14Couldn't bring it in.
05:15I think I credited Taye Banks with the pass breakup.
05:18But I'm evaluating three with two different sets of eyes.
05:24One, as a guy that, okay, you can make the team.
05:27You'll be a rotation player.
05:29Maybe, if lucky, you'll get two to three targets in the game.
05:33But then I'm evaluating him as a maybe potential starter or even a guy that can audition for a lot
05:42of targets in the game.
05:43And maybe, when I mean a lot, four to six range.
05:46Because we know who the ace is.
05:49We know who the number one guy is.
05:51And that's Malik Nabors.
05:52He rocks the number one.
05:52When healthy.
05:54We know who the number two is.
05:55And who I feel is like is going to be the number one receiver.
05:59And I use air quotes by that.
06:00Until Malik Nabors is back.
06:02And that's Isaiah Likely.
06:03You can see that they line him up all over the field.
06:06So that catch Odell made, where we were all like, ooh, ah, we've seen that before.
06:11That's the one where I'm like, okay, solid rotational piece.
06:14But not coming down with that football.
06:16And I know it's early right now.
06:18Those are going to be the ones that gets more targets, Paul.
06:21It's too early.
06:22It's too early.
06:23He just literally was trying out on Monday.
06:25You know what I mean?
06:26And now he's here.
06:27So I don't want him going up and extending himself and doing something heroic to make a catch to impress
06:33Brandon London and Paul Schwartz.
06:35You know what I mean?
06:35On our podcast.
06:36But those catches build confidence, though.
06:38But he doesn't need to build confidence today.
06:40You know, they have a practice tomorrow.
06:43They have a three-day mandatory mini camp next week.
06:46And then they're done for like six weeks.
06:49So get him through that.
06:51Let him take his paces.
06:52And let him show up for training camp at the end of July, raring to go.
06:56Look, this is a marathon for him.
06:58He's got to make the team.
07:01Look, I know he can catch the ball.
07:03Odell was interesting.
07:04He said, you know, here's one of the things.
07:06And I know, you know, he talked about this with John Harbaugh when they were talking.
07:10Look, the money is the money.
07:11One year, vet minimum, $1.3 million.
07:14That's what he was going to get.
07:16There's no guarantees.
07:17That's literally the story of Odell Beckham right now.
07:20Nothing is guaranteed.
07:21But they had a discussion.
07:22You know, and John Harbaugh said to him, look, I don't want to be a guy who has to cut
07:25you.
07:26You know what I mean?
07:27You know, you're coming in.
07:28You have no guarantees.
07:29We may cut you.
07:30You don't want to cut Odell Beckham Jr.
07:32And Odell said, look, I was sitting home.
07:34I couldn't stomach going out that way in my career.
07:37I needed to go out on the field.
07:39He said, if you cut me, you cut me.
07:40But I'm going to go out on my sword.
07:43But we'll see.
07:44We'll see.
07:45You know, he's got a young son.
07:46He wants his young son to see him play.
07:48His young son was, you know, really not around when he was Odell Beckham Jr., when he was a great
07:54player.
07:55This is day one, day two of it.
07:57He's got a long road to go.
07:59I wouldn't put it past Odell because he is a great competitor and he's a tough guy.
08:06And he has some of the best hand-eye coordination I've ever seen as an athlete.
08:10I mean, like I wrote in the New York Post, if he wanted to make a lot of money in
08:15bar bets, he could go in bars, right?
08:17You know, you've seen him with ping pong balls, with this, with that, spin a football, kick a 30-yard
08:22field goal.
08:23I mean, he's a freak in that way.
08:24But he's had a lot of wear and tear in his legs.
08:27So he's got to get – his hands are great.
08:29He's got to get through that and get through that.
08:31He doesn't like hearing 33 years old.
08:35In receiver years, 33 is up there.
08:37Well, let's hear it from the man himself.
08:39He spoke to us at length post-practice during his media availability.
08:44So here goes three, Odell Beckham Jr.
08:47It feels great.
08:50You know, I had a lot of time off to – taking a step away from the game was best
08:56for me at a time in my life
08:58where, you know, you love something so much that it kind of became detrimental, became bad to me.
09:04And just being able to take that time off and be with my son and be with family
09:09and just reprioritize what was important to me.
09:14And knowing that, you know, I still love this game so much, it felt great just being back out there,
09:19being back in the building, just on this field, looking at this stadium.
09:25It's a pretty surreal feeling.
09:26So I know I got a lot of work to do.
09:28I know Harbs and I have already talked about it.
09:30Like, I came here to – I came here to earn anything, you know, everything in my life.
09:36Nothing was given to me.
09:37So I came here to earn it, just work hard every day, and be the best I can for the
09:42team.
09:42I go back to what you said – well, what he said about wanting to go out on his own
09:49sword.
09:50And then I pair that up with John Harbaugh telling him, you can't just be okay.
09:54That's why I talk about that pass breakup on the sideline.
09:59And it's not to be like, oh, he looks 33 or he looks old.
10:02Those are the ones that's going – coming down with those balls are going to be the ones
10:08that John Harbaugh is going to be like, okay, Matt Nagy, Brian Callahan, Greg Roman.
10:14This kid is more than okay.
10:17That's what I meant by that for that catch.
10:19But we still have time.
10:21Don't forget, in the Giants' real world, Malik Neighbors might be running that route
10:28and making that catch.
10:29Darius Slayton is going to be stretching the field.
10:31You know, those guys aren't here, which is part of the reason why they needed
10:35to bring in three veteran receivers.
10:36Now, Braxton Berrios is a little different.
10:38He's kind of a like-for-like with Gunnar Olszewski, who, you know,
10:41was out for the season with an Achilles.
10:42So that, you know, I can see him making the team just because of that
10:45because he's a return guy and a little, you know, shifty slot guy.
10:49I think, you know, Odell is not – he was asked a bunch of times about Malik Neighbors.
10:54You know, they're two LSU receivers.
10:56Can you be a mentor?
10:57Can you be good for him?
10:59They didn't bring him in to be an assistant coach, Odell.
11:02No.
11:02Now, will Malik watch some of the stuff that Odell does and kind of take notice of it
11:08and quietly look at him as a guy he can learn from?
11:11I hope so.
11:12I mean, you would hope he would.
11:13Absolutely.
11:14But, you know, Odell said, look, I know what to do and what not to do.
11:19And that was really interesting.
11:21That was self-awareness that, look, Odell said he never wanted to leave New York.
11:25He never wanted to leave the Giants.
11:27We know that after five years, he said some things, he did some things,
11:30they got tired of him, and they traded him to the Browns, right?
11:34Dave Gettleman, the GM, traded him to the Browns.
11:36He said he never wanted to leave.
11:37But he kind of – he wasn't playing with matches and then a little fire.
11:42But, you know, you remember, he did some things to hurt his longevity with the Giants.
11:49For sure.
11:49He was not fully – you know, he had some culpability there.
11:53But he knows what to do and what not to do.
11:56So Malik Nabors has done some things that are kind of like, okay,
12:00maybe he shouldn't have done that, right?
12:01So if Odell can talk to Malik on that level, on a superstar to hopefully a budding superstar level
12:08and say, look, the media is going to blow this out of proportion
12:12and everyone's cool with this, but you've got to think about this.
12:15You've got to think about that.
12:16That is very meaningful, and that could be something – look, he's got to be a great teammate.
12:20You know, a diva receiver doesn't always have to be a great teammate.
12:23He has to be a great teammate, then he has to – that's a bonus to being a guy that
12:29on Sunday
12:31there's only 45 players in uniform, 46 players in uniform.
12:35He doesn't play special teams.
12:37Why do you get a uniform?
12:38That's what he has to show.
12:39So they didn't bring him in to be an assistant coach.
12:41They brought him in to be a big homie because Malik Nabors, you think about his two years he's been
12:46in the league,
12:46who in that Giants receiver room has he been able to look up to or respect?
12:52And that's no disrespect.
12:53A little bit of Sterling Shepard.
12:54Okay, a little bit of Shepard, but I'm the guy.
12:57Yeah.
12:57Like, I'm the guy.
12:58First year in, I'm the man.
13:01I got them to un-retire, number one.
13:04I'm the one with the chain, the iced-out chain that says leak.
13:08Like, now you bring in a guy that I've done everything you've done, plus some.
13:13Plus, plus, plus, plus.
13:13And guess what?
13:14I've also torn my knee up the way you've torn your knee up.
13:18So I know what the fall is like, young man, LSU, go Tigers.
13:23You know what I'm saying?
13:24So now you got a guy that as long as Odell is making those catches and he's around
13:30and he's having some sort of production, Malik Nabors is going to sit there and all,
13:35maybe not all, but they're going to compete together, but he's going to listen.
13:38Because here's the guy that's done it.
13:40And if you're Malik Nabors, this is having Odell Beckham there is going to,
13:44that's your wake-up call right there if you need a wake-up call right there
13:48because it's like you don't want to disrespect him and be like,
13:50I don't want my career to go left like his.
13:54And also, as you said about the ACL, Odell's had two of them.
13:57Two of them.
13:58So he can say every, you know, he's a speed receiver.
14:01He's agility, speed.
14:02So he can say to him, look, I felt that same way.
14:05That second day in training camp, you've got to be careful.
14:08You've got to do this.
14:09Don't worry about it.
14:10It's going to come.
14:11So, you know, that is very valuable.
14:12Other than the lessons about what to do and not to do off the field, it's also, I've been there.
14:17I know, yeah, you feel a little sluggish today.
14:18I remember that.
14:19You've got to push through it or, you know what, you don't have to push through it.
14:23You know, don't make yourself crazy here.
14:25They understand through this.
14:27So, look, it's going to be fascinating.
14:30You know, I think fans are really pumped up about it.
14:33You know, I posted just some, you know, we only get a small segment of time that we can video
14:38out there, as you know.
14:39I posted just some basic videos of Odell doing some things, and it got like 100, you know, likes or
14:46comments or whatever, just because.
14:47Just like that.
14:48It's like just him literally running, turning, catching the ball on air, you know what I mean, with nothing.
14:54There's nothing there.
14:54You know, one guy comments and says, that's our WR1.
14:58Yeah.
14:58Okay, I don't know about that.
14:59Why relax?
14:59One guy said, okay, he's already better than Jalen Hyatt.
15:02You've got to worry about that.
15:02Don't worry about it.
15:03One guy already comments, Darius Slayton would have dropped that.
15:06You know, so this is, you know, we'll say, look, if he stays healthy, then I think he's got a
15:12great shot to make the team.
15:13But that is a big IF, that is a big two-letter word, IF, and we'll see, we'll see.
15:20Everybody needs to manage their expectations here.
15:23And again, like you told me, it's only the second day he's been back in a jersey.
15:28He doesn't have to be Superman with the cape.
15:30He doesn't have to be anything.
15:31Just get through it and talk to us.
15:33And, you know, like I said, then it's three days next week.
15:37You know, I wouldn't expect him to, you know, go crazy and work him in, work him in.
15:42Then you get that long break.
15:44Look, he's in great shape.
15:45You know, it looks like he's in great shape.
15:46Now, he said he's fast.
15:48He's as fast or faster than he was.
15:50Than he was.
15:51I don't know about that.
15:53He said the analytics.
15:54They say they got a lot of analytics around the building.
15:56But look, look, his legs have not been the same in many years.
15:59He didn't play last year.
16:00Maybe that works to his benefit.
16:02We'll see.
16:03You know, no one's rooting against him.
16:04I mean, some people are, but some people root against everything.
16:06I think it's a great story if it can happen, and we'll see.
16:10Everybody's fast on day one and two.
16:11It's about the day five, 12, 16 in training camp.
16:16And what about with pads?
16:17And with pads that were.
16:18And they're hitting you, and they're roughing you up.
16:21You know, now it's, you know, as you know as a wide receiver, you've got to dominate now, right?
16:25Like John Harbaugh said last week, the offense has got to make these plays now.
16:29You know, nobody's hitting them.
16:29You know, so these plays are these plays.
16:32We'll get in the training camp.
16:33We'll be in, you know, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.
16:36And we'll see Odell running around.
16:39After four or five days, they'll put pads on.
16:41Things will slow down.
16:42And that's the grind he's got to get through.
16:44I'll tell you what, that first preseason game, whether it's Jackson Dart to OBJ or even Jameis Winston to OBJ,
16:50everyone in New York, West Virginia, wherever you are, they're going to stand up and applaud because it's great.
16:56It was really good to see Odell back.
16:58All right.
16:58That was your Blue Rush post-practice report for Paul Schwartz.
17:01I'm Brandon London.
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