Eli Manning is surely going to enjoy having his good friend Odell Beckham Jr. back on the playing field this season. The New York Giants lost Beckham Jr. to a broken ankle in week five of the 2017 regular season after a Los Angeles Charger fell on his leg, causing the significant injury.
The super athlete began his rehab immedietly after surgery, posting videos of his recovery and workouts throughout the rehabilitation process. One video even saw Beckham pull an SUV up a small hill. Here it is!
Well, by the looks of it, Beckham is well on his way to a 100% recovery. Manning must be happy, we know the fans are happy, but Dave Gettleman probably isn’t so happy… Now he has to pay him $18 million per-season! We all know he deserves it, and for those who think peeing like a dog negates his talent and justifies letting him walk, just remember that he was the reason the Giants made the playoffs in 2016.
Eli’s take on Beckham returning to the Giants as per Kimberly Jones of NFL Network:
“He wants to get back to scoring touchdowns & celebrating & having fun again. I think he misses that part of his life. … If Odell catches an 80-yarder, we will go into an electric slide or something.”
Let me tell you, I’m excited as well.
As for Manning’s future in the NFL and realistic goals:
“Obviously it has been an unbelievable run but I want to continue doing it. It’s not over. I know that. ..I’m excited for this upcoming yr & really prove that I can still play at a high level. We can win games. We can win championships.”
At 37 years-old, Manning is on the back end of his career, but according to head coach Pat Shurmur, he’s the most in-shape 37 year-old he’s ever seen. Of course age takes its toll, but Shurmur will play to Manning’s strengths, which undoubtedly are at the line of scrimmage and in the play-action. Being that Ben McAdoo never utilized the play-action with Manning, it will be interesting to see if he still has the arm strength to throw off his back foot or on the run to receivers moving away. Luckily, one of Beckham’s best routes is the deep button-hook, meaning he will be running back towards Manning to make the throws more manageable.
Eli also spoke about Shurmur and his methods:
“He tries to keep the game simple, which I enjoy. He’s not trying to make it over-complicated & it’s been great in practices & watching film with him after. We have a great relationship & are on the same page.”