Because he boasts good speed (Shepard ran a 4.48 at the NFL Combine in March) and shiftiness, it would simply be another way for the Giants to potentially get the ball in his hands in the open field. And while head coach Ben McAdoo can’t exactly put his best player in bubble wrap until the regular season, being smart in preseason games that essentially mean little to Beckham’s growth as a player is paramount. “I’ll always try and be better than what I was past year”.
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Beckham and the Giants are poised for a huge season with a revamped defense and the addition of rookie receiver Sterling Shepard on offense. “He is just trying to learn the schemes and I am trying to learn the plays, so we’re doing the same thing”.
“I keep reminding him that his first game is September 11, even though you have to get your feet wet in the preseason”, Beckham said when asked if he said any encouraging words to his oft-injured teammate. “Not all the time, but they come to me with questions and I’ll give them the best advice – I would give them the advice that I’d give myself”, said Beckham.
“Iron sharpens iron”, Shepard said to Duggan. Sterling Shepard, this year’s hot rookie receiver, might not win the same award, but Beckham hinted today he has that potential.
“You just have to tune all the outside stuff out and that is what I do”, Shepard said.
“I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but he’s going to be a special player”, Beckham said.
“I’m getting used to his moves a little more”, Apple said, “but he will always pull something out that you just never expected”.
The recent news that Victor Cruz is dealing with groin tightness will only create more pressure on Shepard to thrive in his rookie season. “Just trying to be crisp at the top”, Beckham Jr. told ESPN.
The Giants’ Pro Bowl wide receiver remained inside the team’s training facility for treatment while the rest of the team conducted its final practice in advance of Friday’s preseason opener against the Dolphins.
“Again, I hate saying that, but it’s irrelevant”.
His attempted comeback from a devastating knee surgery 22 months ago was derailed last summer by a calf injury, one that placed even more doubt on his football future. It’s unknown if Cruz will play against Miami.
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“But I do feel as if this team is working harder”, the receiver added. “I try to give it 100 percent effort at practice all the time because it truly does show up in the games, so I expect that”. – Odell Beckham Jr. on the Giants’ chances at reaching Super Bowl LI.
