Thursday Media Transcript: WR Odell Beckham Jr.

NYG Transcriptions: WR Odell Beckham Jr. -- October 25, 2018 

Q: What do you think of the moves that have taken place, the trades this week? 
A: It’s really not my job. This is a multi-million, billion dollar industry, and at the end of the day it is a business so it’s really out of my control. Those guys were family, Snacks (Damon Harrison) was like a brother to me, he came and visited me in the hospital. We’ll forever be lifelong friends, brothers, and I’m wishing him and Eli (Apple) the best in their careers, but it is a business. It’s tough, that’s the toughest part about this. You get close with people and things like this could happen at any point. It’s just the reality of our sport.  

Q: Is there a feeling in this locker room of “who’s next”?
A: I don’t know if that’s the feeling going on in this locker room, I don’t know if that’s one that you should have as much as worrying about who we are playing on Sunday. We’re promised 16 games this year, we have nine more left, we’ve got to make the most of them.  

Q: Does it send a message that maybe this team is looking ahead to next year already?   
A: I don’t know what any of that does, or message it sends, but like I said, it’s a very hard business. All we can do is focus on who we play this week really, as much as you think about it and every time I walk down there, it’s like my guy used to be right there. But it’s business. That’s all I can say.     

Q: When you were rehabbing and getting ready for the season, thinking about having a chance to play with the Giants again did you ever expect something like this this year, and how frustrating is it?  
A: No, I definitely wanted to do better. I won’t say I worked the hardest I ever worked, but I worked probably one of the hardest I ever worked this offseason – not only to get back, but to come back better than I was. This obviously is not where we want to be but this is where we’re at, and like I said, we’ve got nine more games to do something about that. That’s really all I can say about it. 

Q: If you had an idea that these kind of moves might be made, would that have affected your decision to re-sign?
A: I don’t really know. It’s not really re-sign, I signed something. I could have been here another three years. It’s hard to think about that right now, and it’s really irrelevant to think about that now because I’m here and I will be here.

Q: So there’s no second guess in your mind? 
A: No. I just wish we had a better record than what we have. 

Q: Obviously you’re not where you want to be this season. How do you set goals for yourself week by week? 
A: Just working on the little things. Just the small details, really, and you just keep going, you keep pushing, and just don’t quit. I don’t really know how to quit, so as long as I’m here, I’m always going to care, I’m always going to play football the way I play football. Having it stripped from me, and so many things previously to that, I fell back in love with football and fell back in love with the process. Yeah, sometimes the process is like this, it’s ugly. But there will be better days. Like I said, we just got an opportunity to come out the last nine games and make whatever of it. This division isn’t doing so hot anyways, so you never know what can happen, just do our jobs, and get some wins. 

Q: Did you feel that Monday night game came back more than any of the previous games, in terms of where you had been? 
A: They weren’t playing really doubling and having a safety over the top, they kind of stuck to their defense and we had some plays drawn up for that and we were able to take advantage of it, we just didn’t have enough plays to win the game. 

Q: You personally, I meant. You had some plays where you just kept your feet in bounds in the sideline and the end zone on that last one – it seemed like you were back to who you were?
A: I felt like that since I reported to camp. I felt in one of the best shapes of my life, some of the best form of my life. Just now when I have the opportunity, I’ve got to take advantage of them and do the most with them. There’s still plays I look at in the game, and that’s how I’ve always been. I’ve always said, ‘Man, I wish I could’ve did this’. I remember games in college when I had some of my best games and 400 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns, and I still look back at that one play that I wish I could’ve had. I’m always like that, but like I said, I felt like I’ve been in some of my best form, my best shape, just about getting the opportunity to do that and when you do get the opportunity, to take advantage of it. 

Q: What’s the pulse of the locker room right now in your opinion?
A: I’d probably have some music going on right now if you weren’t in here. It doesn’t feel dead. It sucks to have this record, but it’s just another game we lost by three points, another game where we’re close. I hate even saying that, because it’s not something I’m proud or accepting of, but it’s not like we’re getting beat by 20-30 points. Every game is close, it’s just about those little things that do matter. It’s a game of inches, whatever you want to call it, all that stuff matters and we just haven’t done enough to have those things go our way. 

Q: How do you view the state of the team overall at 1-6, and you just traded two defensive starters? How do you as a leader or key player on the team view the overall state of where you’re at?
A: It’s tough, but there’s other guys in this locker room who now have the opportunity to go out and do what they love and have the opportunity to make plays for this team. They have to do that and they have to step up. Like I said earlier, it’s a business. As hard as it is waking up and seeing some of those things, it’s the business side of all this, so all we can do is keep going, keep playing with who we have in here and that’s really all we can do.

Q: Do you see where their big picture plan is or is it hard for you to even know where that’s headed?
A: I have no idea. I’m down here, they’re up there. I just have to do the best I can, make the plays I can make, and just do better.