It isn't enough for Odell Beckham Jr. to tell us he is "geeeeked" about the hiring of Pat Shurmur.
He needs to show us.
The call for Beckham to grow up, finally, and be a leader, is never louder than it is now.
If he wants to be a Giant For Life, this is the time for him to help ease the new head coach's transition and become one of his prime locker room lieutenants.
It will earn him considerable equity as John Mara decides whether to make him the highest-paid receiver in the NFL, quite possibly at $20 million per season.
Mara no longer has the time and patience to summon Beckham to his office for a sitdown to remind him that pretending to pee in the end zone like a dog is not the Giant Way.
There are new sheriffs in town now and the days of coddling and enabling are over.
New kick-ass GM Dave Gettleman has already put everyone on notice that there will be no more boat trips the week before a playoff game.
Of course, there will be no playoff game unless Beckham stays healthy, channels his passion and emotion in the right direction, and strikes fear into opposing defensive backs and defensive coordinators and marches towards his goal of becoming a legend.
That is the Beckham who can make Eli Manning's last remaining days as the Giants quarterback memorable and help the next Eli Manning hit the ground running.
Shurmur will be Beckham's third head coach, and the first two — Tom Coughlin and Ben McAdoo — couldn't make it past two seasons with him.
Shurmur has earned his reputation as a quarterback whisperer, but his whispers will be heard loud and clear if Beckham shows him respect and receives his messages well and reminds the world that he is first and foremost a New York Giant football player more than he is an actor in the TV pilot Leave It To Diva. It is all well and good that he has become an icon of sorts, befriended the likes of LeBron James and Drake and Justin Bieber, but he should never forget that it is what he has done on the field that has made him famous off it.
He is popular among his teammates, who are in awe of his talent and work ethic and enjoy his playful goofiness. But Beckham has yet to win a playoff game, and punched a hole in a wall inside Lambeau Field in in his lone postseason appearance — one week after the infamous boat trip.
He is 25 years old now, and it was encouraging to see him imploring poor Eli Apple to cut the crap and end his Twitter feud with critics. He can make a statement on Shurmur's behalf by showing up this time for OTAs even if they are voluntary.
The 2018 Giants will have much-needed new leadership at general manager and head coach. Beckham has a golden opportunity to become a leader inside the locker room and on the field.
Don't drop it.
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