New York Giants

New York: Don't blame Beckham for the Giants' sloppiness

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Ever since Week 3’s 29-27 loss to the Washington Redskins, attention has been on Odell Beckham’s emotional unpredictability. This media division has gone to for and overlooks the general sloppiness of the rest of the team in the last two weeks.

Blame should not be assessed on Beckham alone

Per the New York Daily News‘ Pat Leonard on October 6, 2016, Beckham is only a small part of the Giants’ poor performances. If one is mindful of this media diversion, then one can see missed tackles, a bumbling offense, a sluggish defense and a coaching staff that is as distant from the players as fans of the Big Blue on the West Coast.

Sure, the Wednesday briefing allayed fears about how the Giants would fare against the Green Bay Packers this Sunday. This was a positive step for head coach Ben McAdoo who is performing his due diligence by making sure that the entire Giants organization bears responsibility for each loss, and not just Beckham.

Oct 3, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; New York Giants head coach Ben McAdoo looks on during the first quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings defeated the Giants 24-10. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

McAdoo concern is apparent from his post-game press conferences in which he is quick to produce statistical evidence as to why the team is losing games. He could be more blunt as columnist Pat Leonard was recently:

The Giants (2-2) need to involve Beckham more in the offense if they want to win. McAdoo needs to call better plays, as the coach admitted in his Tuesday conference call. Manning needs to complete a higher percentage of his passes and must stop turning the ball over. Everyone needs to stop committing penalties and turnovers.

Watch as Giants’ special teams botched a punt return in last week’s contest as the season slips through the hands of the Giants.

😱😱😱😱

The @Vikings recover the fumbled punt! #NYGvsMIN https://t.co/HBfGYpoq30

— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2016

The challenge for a new coach is to not merely gain the trust of the players; it’s to ensure each player receives the proverbial “memo” and comports their behavior to accomplish the goals of the coaching staff.

Avoiding the blame game by offering soul-searching for players

John Mara’s conference at the Vatican may provide guidance for what the Giants’ coaching staff can do to turn around what appears to be another losing season.

It may be better to have the Giants offensive line have one-on-one meetings as former head coach Tom Coughlin had with his son-in-law in critical games in his office, much like a client would visit an attorney when there is a legal controversy that needs attention.

McAdoo can also learn from last Monday’s loss. As the Giants organization has noted and other outlets, the Giants are falling into a negative pattern of an ineffective offense supported by a feeble defense.

It may be easy to scrutinize McAdoo for the Giants’ coming apart of late. There is, afraidly so, no other person with such grave responsibility as McAdoo and this constructive criticism is not taken as a sleight but rather as a nudge toward edifying the Giants 53-man roster.

If there is any potential to defeat the higher-ranked Packers at Lambeau Field this Sunday, it will be hard to tap into so long as the Giants do not learn from the past.