Odell Beckham Jr. shows he belongs with Giants in preseason finale
· Yahoo Sports
EAST RUTHERFORD - Odell Beckham Jr. has done all he can, fighting for a roster spot with the New York Giants this summer the way an undrafted rookie would.
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There's no denying what represents to this franchise, but for the purposes of his quest to earn his place on this team - not based on the past, but the present and future - Beckham can say he left no doubt regarding what he wants, what he is willing to do to accomplish that and where he wants to be following Friday's 23-6 victory over the Jets in the preseason finale at MetLife Stadium.
Now the Giants will have to decide if Beckham has done enough to survive Sunday's 6 p.m. NFL-mandated deadline for teams to pare their rosters to 53. At this point, it'd be a big surprise if Beckham was not here when the Giants hit the practice field next week to begin preparing for their Sept. 13 season opener against the Dallas Cowboys.
"It would mean everything. It would be my dream," Beckham told NBC's Bruce Beck, who asked what it would mean to play for the Giants again during the TV broadcast. "This is where I started. There's no place I wanna give my whole heart to - more than anything else in the world - it's this place right here."
It's not as if Beckham was taking anything for granted in his quest to make the team and complete this next chapter of his improbable comeback with the New York Giants, because he almost certainly was not.
But that message from John Harbaugh on June 1 when Beckham's Big Blue return became official still resonates: "You can't be just OK. You're Odell Beckham."
That's what Harbaugh told him nearly three months ago, appealing to the greater sense of responsibility Beckham feels when it comes to living up to the legacy that remains incomplete.
Against the Jets, Beckham had three catches for 53 yards and came within inches of hauling in what would have been an old school OBJ diving catch on a deep seam pass from Jameis Winston. The 33-year-old former Pro Bowler left a pair of Jets defenders in his wake, but Winston's throw did not hit him in stride; the ball was just beyond his reach, and despite Beckham's fully extended attempt, the football just slipped off his fingertips.
This was a chance to rewrite the next chapter of this comeback story, and to this point, after an entire season away from the game, Beckham has defied odds that were against him given the circumstances.
This was always about getting another chance to say thank you to a fan base, loyal and passionate about one of the most popular and polarizing players of a generation. Because of that, Beckham has been living in two football worlds and his current place with the Giants had very little to do with his spectacular previous life with Big Blue.
Beckham is doing what the Giants have asked him to do, and that's make the most of his chances. He is winning his routes. He is finishing his blocks, playing in the second halves of preseason games because that's how bad he wants this to work.
Much of Beckham’s skill set is perceived to be finesse and outrageous physical talent. He’s shown grit and toughness, fighting through grueling Harbaugh practices while running with quarterback Brandon Allen before Winston and Dart had the chance to even glance his way.
The perfect ending for Beckham's Giants comeback would not be an ending at all. It's all about earning the new beginning here that he so desperately wanted, and with Calvin Austin lost for the season with a torn ACL, the path to the 53-man roster is a lot clearer than it was earlier this week.
Perhaps it should be no surprise that, once this team really needed Beckham to step up, challenging him to take it to another level, he's turned on a part of his game so many predicted would never resurface again.
"I think Odell's had a good camp. I would say his best week of camp has come this week," Harbaugh said. "He's looked good and made numerous plays, and just like you saw, even [Wednesday], made numerous plays, so he's doing well."
A great night for Dominic Zvada
Domin(automat)ic Zvada. Good again, this time from 46. The undrafted rookie is seemingly pulling away from Ben Sauls in the kicking competition, if he had not put it away already. He was 3-for-3 on field goals, including a 53-yarder that he made with plenty of room, and was good on a pair of point-after touchdowns, too.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Odell Beckham Jr. shows he belongs with Giants in preseason finale