It's 'A Wonderful Giants Life' without Odell

Odell Beckham Jr. is engaging in one of his favorite pastimes while on injured reserve with the Cleveland Browns. That is, talking about the New York Giants.

His latest lament comes on the most recent episode of the "All Things Covered" podcast with Bryant McFadden and Patrick Peterson. Here's what OBJ said via NJ.com:

"I’m gonna tell you. I never thought I would play for another team besides the Giants. I never wanted to win a championship for anybody more than the Giants, bro. It was such a legendary place. I was very proud to be a part of that organization. I’m gonna tell you where I ran into trouble. It was when I felt like we had the pieces. We know that Eli’s a little older. I’ve been here now, I’ve given you two seasons. I’ve shown you what I’m capable of. I can hoop. And I felt like they never put people around Eli. It bothered me because I felt like they never built around him. And we just kept drafting, we were drafting not like building an organization or the franchise. You know, we were just never … good. I ran into that problem, bro, when I felt like they weren’t growing and evolving as an organization. Like, I wasn’t winning. I hated losing that bad. Great, I was having great seasons. I hated losing. I hated it. I hated it."

He goes on to say,

“I feel like at the end of my career, I’ll be able to say to everybody the real truth of all the s**t. I’ll come out and tell everybody everything. It just felt like I was coming to the end of a road and I was pushing for something that wasn’t really tangible, bro. And that was where it all, like, went haywire for me. You know, we got a new coach in there, and I feel like that’s a situation I can be honest about now because people have come out, and it’s like anonymous coaches, but we really know who it was. I felt betrayed in a sense, like this coach tried to turn me against my brothers and my people and was telling the young guys to stay away because I’m not a good person or not a good teammate or role model or this or that.”

So basically, Beckham is upset at former head coach Pat Shurmur and general manager Dave Gettleman, who eventually traded him away.

In this the Christmas season, let's play "It's A Wonderful Life." The Frank Capra classic movie where George Bailey, played by James Stewart, wonders what life would be like if he wasn't there. What if Odell Beckham Jr. had stayed with the Giants? Imagine what that would have been like, Giants fans.

Imagine Odell dealing with all of the losing last year while Daniel Jones was learning how to play quarterback in the NFL. Imagine the post-game comments and off-the-field drama. Further imagine, if you will, Odell Beckham Jr. living in head coach Joe Judge's world. Surely he would have totally bought into running laps in training camp, and we probably wouldn't have heard a peep as the team goes 1-7.

Here's something else the Giants wouldn't have had if Odell were still here. Three defensive starters who are coming into their own on a defense that is fast becoming dominant and getting more ad more respect throughout the league. Think they would miss Dexter Lawrence, Jabrill Peppers and Oshane Ximines? Who would you rather have right now?

Next Sunday night, we'll see the Giants in a nationally televised game when they host the Cleveland Browns. This is a game that was flexed into primetime because the Giants are that good. We'll probably hear about Beckham's comments because playing or not, he needs to be the story. BTW, he won't be playing.

Among those who will be playing, Dexter Lawrence, Jabrill Peppers and Oshane Ximines. We won't hear about their comments because there aren't any. On Joe Judges' Giants, actions speak louder than words. Just like the movie, every time they make a tackle, the defense gets its wings.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Steve Trevelise. Any opinions expressed are Steve's own. Steve Trevelise is on New Jersey 101.5 Monday-Thursday from 7pm-11pm. Follow him on Twitter @realstevetrev.