ARLINGTON, Texas _ Odell Beckham Jr. came out of the tunnel and onto the field at AT&T Stadium, wearing a hoodie and shorts and looking spry as he warmed up before last night's Giants-Cowboys season opener. Despite speculation that he wouldn't be sufficiently healed from an ankle injury he suffered Aug. 21 against the Browns, Beckham had one more chance to convince his coaches _ and himself _ that he could make it back in time.
He jogged a few routes and looked reasonably comfortable, raising at least some optimism that he might be available. But then came a route that told you the time wasn't right. He raced upfield about 20 yards, then ran diagonally toward the middle of the field _ essentially a post pattern. He still wasn't at full speed, and he looked to be favoring the left ankle slightly.
Beckham is one of the most intensely competitive athletes you'll ever see, and he desperately wanted to be there for his team. But in this case, physiology trumped psychology. The ankle was not ready to withstand the kind of stress required to play a football game, especially after Beckham hadn't practiced since the injury. As much as the Giants wanted him back, and as much as Beckham yearned to be back, this wasn't the right time.
Rather than possibly exposing Beckham to injury, the Giants did the smart thing and shut him down for the night. After his warm-up drills, Beckham walked over to a couple of teammates and gave them hugs, as if to tell them they needed to soldier on without him. Coach Ben McAdoo then came over to Beckham, patting him on the backside as they finished their brief conversation.
A few minutes after that, it was official: Beckham was declared inactive.
It was the right decision.
Beckham is too valuable a player not to have at his best _ or at least as close to his best as he can get in dealing with what most likely is a high ankle sprain. The Giants haven't detailed the extent of the injury, but you don't miss three weeks with a garden variety ankle sprain. If there had been any chance Beckham could have been out there, he would have been.
The risk was too great to put him out there and possibly set back his timetable for return. The Giants don't play again until next Monday night in their home opener against the Lions, so as much as they could have used him against the NFC East rival Cowboys, it was better to give him more of a chance to rehab. And if he's not ready for the Lions, then let him sit until he can go.
There was talk during the week that Beckham might be able to fill a role similar to the one Plaxico Burress played in 2007, when he was bothered most of the season by an ankle injury. There were weeks Burress didn't practice, yet he still played in the games, essentially serving as a decoy. He still managed to catch 70 passes for 1,025 yards and 12 touchdowns, and he played in all four of the Giants' postseason games, capping the season with the winning touchdown reception in Super Bowl XLII.
McAdoo was noncommittal when asked about using Beckham in a similar role, saying he would play only if he was medically cleared. After watching him in warm-ups, it was readily apparent that there would be no clearance from the Giants' medical staff.
It was surely a major disappointment for Beckham that he wouldn't play under the bright lights against the team that helped launch him into instant stardom on that November night in 2014 at MetLife Stadium, when he made a spectacular one-handed catch as a rookie.
But there was no sense tempting fate this time, no reason to put Beckham in harm's way. Better to wait this one out and get him right before putting him back in the lineup.
Next week or next month, whenever the time is right.
