Odell Beckham’s Sunday NFL Countdown interview – in which Lil Wayne was riding sidecar – has put some panties in a twist and I’m here to tell you the overreaction to it is unwarranted.

I didn’t catch OBJ’s interview on Sunday NFL Countdown. I was trying to clear out the fog in my brain from being up all night with a baby. After watching it on YouTube this morning, I can say the reactions are ridiculous. This is a guy who cares a lot about winning. He wants to win more than anything. And right now, the Giants aren’t winning. Before Sunday’s game against Carolina, Beckham had mostly been held in check. He’d put up some good-looking numbers on paper, but no touchdowns and no big plays. My dude’s frustrated. He desperately wants the roster to gel. He wants the team to come together and show some life. And I don’t blame him.

Odell essentially voiced what many Giants fans have been thinking. There’s this unwritten rule or maybe it IS written in some official NFL PR policy handbook that you’re not supposed to be honest. That you’re supposed to do what Eli does, take all the blame on yourself (even if it’s so obviously not your fault), never bad-mouth fellow players or staff, and shit out canned responses all day. I get that. I understand why that might protect a team from derailing. A fragile team. But sometimes you need to light a fire. And Odell lit an inferno. And while many “mature professionals” turn their sophisticated nostrils up at that approach, I don’t hate it.

Of course, the coach can choose to hate that. He can emphasize how the media can blow shit out of proportion just like they did with Odell’s words. The coach can repeatedly tell Odell that his statements will be the focal point of all ensuing talks with the media, which I’m sure they will be. But that’s part of being a coach. A good coach will address it, which Shurmur did, and move on. Don’t make a mountain out of a mole hill.

It’s not like Odell was completely off-base. It’s not like Beckham was foaming at the mouth and out of control. He miiiiight have been high. I mean, Lil Wayne was sitting next to him. If Lil Wayne isn’t there, it’s probably a different interview. But, if you’re a teammate and you watch that, you’re probably a Lil Peeved but you have to laugh at some point. LIL WAYNE IS THERE! E*PN is an entertainment property. They try to be entertaining. That interview was dramatic comedy from the jump.

I get not airing dirty laundry. But Odell wasn’t disseminating ancient Chinese secrets here. He was just saying out loud what I’m sure most people within the organization were thinking but too scared to say. Eli isn’t mobile. SHOCKING! Either we’re not calling mid-level or ‘deep’ routes or we’re not throwing. PREPOSTEROUS! And the energy level comment is dead on. A considerable percentage of this roster straight up gave up in 2017. Players were walking out on practices! Do we all have amnesia? The shit players not named Odell were saying last season was unreal. Landon Collins called Eli Apple a CANCER (which I still think wasn’t totally inaccurate)!

Who knew the New York media would gaslight the fuck out of this situation? So unlike them.

Thank the Almighty for guys like Art Stapleton. We need more reporters like him. I tend to dookie all over this team way too much but even I roll my eyes at the negativity generated by most NY media personalities. Odell is LT 2.0. Lawrence Taylor was emotional and full of flames. He carried the team on the field and had his issues off it. LT had his fair share of bad quotes and flare-ups with teammates and staff. Critics are torching Odell for speaking the truth but he wasn’t burning any bridges.

Former Giants safety Antrel Rolle had the perfect response:

OBJ just wants to see some fight. He’s sick of the three-and-outs and the shallow crosses that go nowhere and the apathetic collapses that were so commonplace in 2017. Sure, was the comment about rather being in Los Angeles a bit disturbing? Yeah. But this didn’t sound like a guy who was quitting on his team. I think people mistook his calm and casual demeanor for giving up on the team. But even he said in the interview that he’s got a Hulk inside him. When gametime hits, he cranks it up. He no longer has butterflies because he’s not nervous about what he’s gonna do. He KNOWS he’s the best and he’s confident he’ll come through.

How did Odell respond post-interview? He apologized to his team and had his best game of the season…

From NFL.com:

“Odell Beckham Jr. just became the first player in the Super Bowl era with 50+ yards and a TD passing and 130+ yards and a TD receiving.”

The hate on Eli might be a bit exaggerated but it’s not completely erroneous. Weird that I don’t see more criticism on Big Ben or Matt Stafford.

The Giants didn’t lose in Week 5 because Odell was a distraction. His muffed punt led to 7 points.

That’s on him. But the guy couldn’t do much more to win the game. Passing touchdown, receiving touchdown. I think he might’ve dropped one pass but he also reeled in another one-hander that most receivers can’t.

To me, Odell is a volcano that had one major eruption (2015 game against Carolina) with lil mini ‘splosions that make people anxious and want to move far away. As long as he gets older, gets more experience, and learns from past mistakes, he’s going to be just fine. And if he doesn’t trade him to an LA team for all their first round picks for the next 5 years and put together a monster offensive line one time.