Adam Henry has known Odell Beckham Jr. since Beckham was 19 years old, having coached the now 24-year old wide receiver at LSU before getting hired by the Giants to do the same job. He knows how much Beckham's outsized personality has always been a part of his game, and he believes he remains a grounding influence for a man who has become one of the NFL's biggest and brightest attractions.
But when it comes to sharing opinions on Beckham's continued absence from the voluntary team activities that entered their third and final week Monday, Henry maintained the company line already set forth by head coach Ben McAdoo.
"I just coach who's here," Henry said Wednesday. "When he's here we have great work, but I coach who's here."
Still, there's no avoiding reality. That Beckham hasn't been here remains the main story of this portion of the Giants' offseason. Again, it's worth emphasizing the word 'voluntary' as it pertains to these practice sessions. By this time next week, when Beckham is presumably in attendance for the Giants' mandatory mini-camp, perhaps the drama and worry about his relationship with his employers should go down a notch. Or two notches.
Or maybe a hundred.
But that's how life goes for one of the NFL's best players, and perhaps even more importantly, one of its rising stars, a man who can make equally resonant headlines for attending an NBA Finals game as he can for making a spectacular play on the football field. That the latter have been scarce lately while Beckham chose to work out on his own rather than with his teammates only fed the countless conversations about his feelings, motivations and desires, pinning his absence on everything from contract demands to injury fears to a lack of affection for the New Jersey weather.
When Beckham retweeted a video clip of ESPN national football reporter Adam Schefter insisting the absence is over money (and Beckham's base salary of $1.8 million for the upcoming season is far below market value) that became a story.
When Giants owner John Mara said at a fan event Tuesday night he wants Beckham play his entire career with the Giants, that's a story too.
Not much about Beckham goes unnoticed. But nor does this latest episode seem to be causing any real issue back in East Rutherford, at least not in a locker room that knows he is one of the keys to this team's chance of improving on last year's first-round playoff loss.
"We love him," defensive backs coach Tim Walton said. "He's family to us. We know what he brings to the table. He's good. He's good for us. Our guys love him, coaches love him, players love being around him. He brings a lot of energy, he loves to compete and he has fun. And he's a good dude. I have no problems with him."
Only his DBs do, at least in practice, where they face the daily challenge of stopping the singular force of football nature that other teams face each week.
As Henry admitted, opposing teams often create new and different schemes to deal with Beckham, adding wrinkles that have not yet appeared on film as they try to find ways to deal with Beckham's speed, separation, hands and run-after-the-catch ability.
Many times last season, when the Giants' offense did not feature a bigger, taller target to balance Beckham, when Victor Cruz was playing out of position on the opposite outside spot, when emerging slot receiver Sterling Shepard was still finding his way, when no tight end on the roster proved a consistent receiving target, Beckham found it tougher and tougher to get the ball.
Now, the Giants signed Brandon Marshall. Now, they drafted Evan Engram. Now, they should be able to open things up even more for everyone, but most of all Beckham.
Come Tuesday, perhaps the melding of that new unit can really start, with Beckham, Marshall, Shepard, Engram joining the likes of Tavarres King and Roger Lewis Jr. (though the second-year player is facing a hearing on a recent arrest on suspicion of DUI). But for now, Henry is OK with Beckham working out on his own, including sessions with Hall of Famer Cris Carter.
"Most definitely," Henry said. "My thing is that I don't know everything. I've never been the type of guy who thinks he knows everything so I encourage guys to get life lessons, coaching lessons from other people. The more coaching you get form other people the better you can use it."
Still, it would be good for Beckham to be back with these coaches again, before his ongoing story reaches even greater heights of hysteria.
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