Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield and wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. have spent much of the offseason taking pot shots at the New York Giants, which was a trend that continued on Tuesday.
Mayfield took unprovoked aim at rookie quarterback Daniel Jones, while Beckham made a claim that the Giants traded him to Cleveland as part of a personal vendetta aimed at destroying his career.
Giants head coach Pat Shurmur waved the BS flag on both accounts, laughing off Mayfield’s criticisms as unoriginal before making it clear that nothing the two say mean anything in East Rutherford at this point.
“[Baker] is in a long line of people that criticized that move,” Shurmur told reporters. “That’s not originally commentary, is it? . . . I know [Jones] is a winner. Don’t confuse calm and composed for a guy who is competitive and a winner.
“Quite frankly, on our list of issues of the day, it really doesn’t matter what Odell or Baker say. There’s many other things we should be discussing.”
Shurmur added that he did make Jones aware of the comments, but advised him not to respond. He’ll likely share a similar message to the rest of the team as it relates to Mayfield and Beckham’s obsession. The Giants are focused on their own business, unlike the Browns, and don’t want to usher in any potential distractions.
There’s clearly one adult in the room here — a major reason why the Giants hired Shurmur to replace Ben McAdoo in the first place — and he’s handling the situation appropriately.
Eventually, Mayfield and Beckham will get tired of hearing themselves talk and portraying themselves as victims. Or maybe they won’t, but either way, the Giants simply don’t care.
