WR Odell Beckham Transcript

WR Odell Beckham Jr.

July 31, 2015



Q: How much of a luxury was it for you, last year, to play with a quarterback like Eli [Manning]?

A: I mean, he is the kind of guy who has been through it, been through the up and downs. Super Bowl MVP twice. He just knows what it takes. To be able to watch a guy like that every single day and him be a leader, and a guy who I have known for a little bit of time now, it’s just great, it’s just like we click. We kind of understand each other, and I understand from watching him what it takes to be that.



Q: What are your goals this year?

A: The same thing everybody else’s goal would be—to win a Super Bowl. I think at the end of the day, that’s the first thing you think about, is being there and being the last team to hoist up that [Lombardi] trophy.



Q: Can you just give us a sense of where you are physically. Was that a bad hamstring pull or anything in the spring?

A: I’m just ready to get out and practice. It has been a long time since we’ve been able to hit the field, and I’m excited.



Q: Are you full-go?

A: We’ll see today, I guess.



Q: With the defense undergoing a change, is it up to the offense to carry them a little bit?

A: No, it takes offense, defense and special teams. Of course, me being an offensive player, you want to put up however many points a game, and be able to help the defense out the best that we can. We all have our jobs, we all have our roles. We know that the defense has to do their job, offense has to do their job, special teams has to do their job, etc. We all lean on each other.



Q: You’ve been pretty open about the idea of playing with Eli from the moment you were drafted. Do you watch him off the field and learn as much as you do on the field?

A: He’s a ghost. You know, I only see him when we’re around here. I know he’s got a family and he has to take care of all that. A guy like that, you just watch and you watch what he does. You watch what he does in the meetings, you watch how he takes notes. You watch how he takes his notes then brings them to the field—not literally bring them to the field, but brings them to the field and he uses that every single day. Whether he or anybody else knows it or not, I’m always watching. I’m always trying to learn something new from these older guys.



Q: Are there any other wide receivers—is there a guy, past or present, you watch to try and emulate?

A: I’ve watched film on pretty much anybody you could think of, the Jerry Rices, the Randy Mosses, Cris Carter, even present day guys. Even guys on our team. I just watch and I observe because I like to see what people did to be successful. Make notes off of that and incorporate it into my own game and my own style of play. I am a watcher, I’m watching everybody.



Q: How important is it to get a full camp in after missing so much time last year?

A: It’s very important just as far as being there and going through this stuff with your teammates. Like I said before, I had never missed any practice, never missed any games. It’s always been frustrating having to sit out and sit there and watch people practice. With this being football, being what you love to do and have to sit back and take the backseat, I would definitely rather be out there and barely be able to walk off the field than have to stand there and watch every single rep.



Q: Did you have to do anything special to keep those hamstrings healthy, or are you doing anything different in this last month or so?

A: Same thing I’ve always been doing, just rehab, rehab, rehab. Training the muscles, training your body, and pushing it to an extent to see where it’s at. So, I’m excited to get back out here and looking forward to practice.



Q: When did you feel 100 percent?

A: You could ask anybody, I don’t know the last time anybody has ever felt 100 percent. Playing football since you were 12 years old, going through college, I don’t remember the last time I was ever 100 percent or anybody else.



Q: When were you unrestricted with your training and able to do everything you can and wanted to do?

A: I don’t even know. I think that’s really up to the training room. I haven’t decided if—I mean I don’t put the restrictions on. That’s not really my job. That’s not really my field.



Q: How explosive can this offense be?

A: Like I said, I’m just excited to have Vic [Victor Cruz] coming back, Reuben [Randle], who I just know that it’s going to be one of those years for him. Me playing alongside with him at LSU, I already know everything that he has. I think other teams tend to overlook him and that’s not going to be the case this year. I’m extremely excited for what we have coming up and the guys that we have, and how everything looks. It looks like it’s going to be a great year.



Q: Is it more comfortable, if that’s the right word, to not be a rookie anymore, and as training camp opens, you know what this is all about?

A: No, I’ve still got four more games. Hopefully I can get Rookie of the Week the first week or something like that. So, I don’t know. Eli tells me I’m a rookie all the time still, so you just have to take that and keep going every single day. Try and inspire somebody.



Q: You know because of what you did last year the expectation level for you is incredibly high. Do you like that everybody is kind of wondering what can you possibly do for an encore?

A: It’s whatever, man. It’s be where your feet at is something that we learned—something that we’re learning today. Right now, I’m here so this is what I’m doing. When I step on the field, that’s what I’m doing. When I get in the tubs, that’s what I’m doing. It’s day by day. I’m not looking to September, or whenever it is. It’s day by day and taking it one step at a time.



Q: Do you wonder at all, how can I top this, on and off the field? It was kind of an incredible year for you.

A: Just go out and do the same things that you did last year. You pray and hope for the same results, and that’s where you leave it at, you know.



Q: Do you find that that is a good thing that Eli refers to you as a rookie. Does that keep you hungrier, does that keep you on edge to kind of prove yourself every day?

A: No, I don’t need the extra-- I don’t need them to call me rookie to be motivated. I’m a pretty self-motivated person and I find things that tend to motivate me even more along the way. But, it’s always nice to have [Eli] clowning around and messing with you, and it’s all love. Whenever he jokes with you, it’s just all out of love and that’s what we do with each other.



Q: In the last year what have you learned about the New York media environment and kind of making the adjustments. How do you approach the media on and off the field?

A: Nah, just trying to stay out of trouble for the most part. Just stay focused on what you came here to do, which is play football. At the end of the day, that is the job—to play football. That’s always going to be the main focus. Other than that, yeah, this is part of the job and it’s what we’re required to do. You come here and whatever you ask, I’m going to answer to the best of my ability and as genuinely as I can possible.



Q: But you enjoy this, don’t you?

A: Always. I love you guys.