Getty Cleveland Browns receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
Odell Beckham Jr. had a very public breakup with the New York Giants when the franchise he called home for five tumultuous seasons traded him to the Cleveland Browns this offseason.
Beckham has talked about the situation many times since the deal went down, but his most recent comments in Sports Illustrated might have been his strongest yet.
“This wasn’t no business move,” he told the magazine. “This was personal. They thought they’d send me here to die.”
Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk was on the Rich Eisen Show on Thursday and completely agreed with Beckham’s assessment of the trade.
“It was personal — I’m OK with that,” Faulk said. “They just had a problem with him and his honesty and his willingness to challenge teammates by the things he had to say. I’m going to say mainly Eli. He had a lot to say about Eli and he had a lot to say about management.”
Beckham famously criticized Manning in a bizarre ESPN interview with Lil Wayne by his side.
“As players, we accept it when we are criticized, when people write about it, we accept it on the shows when people talk about us. But GMs and owners are sensitive, and they don’t want to be talked about unless it’s winning and the team is doing great.”
Freddie Kitchens Not Concern With Bullseye on Browns Back
On the same day the Sports Illustrated article dropped comments Baker Mayfield made in GQ about Giants rookie quarterback Daniel Jones went viral. Here’s what Mayfield said with some context.
Near our booth, a SportsCenter segment about the New York Giants catches Mayfield’s eye. “I cannot believe the Giants took Daniel Jones,” Mayfield says, about New York’s much-maligned draft-day decision to spend the sixth pick on the quarterback from Duke (whose college record was a measly 17–19). “Blows my mind.”
I tell Mayfield that I’m mystified that so many supposedly expert quarterback scouts seem unable to predict what makes a good NFL quarterback.
“Some people overthink it,” Mayfield says. “That’s where people go wrong. They forget you’ve gotta win.”
With all the hoopla following the news, Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens was asked his thoughts on the rapidly growing bullseye on his team’s back.
“We do not care. We do not care. It is already on there so it does not matter. We will be ready to play. I do not know what a ‘bullseye’ is. I do not know what that is. Does anybody know? Does anybody know what a bullseye is?,” Kitchens said. “If they are not trying to beat our ass and we are not trying to beat their ass, I do not know what else you do. That is what we are going to try and do, and hopefully, they try and do the same.”
Starters Expected to See Time in Browns Third Preseason Game
GettyCleveland Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry.
Kitchens has said he’s not convinced the preseason norms in terms of playing time might not be for his team. Teams build up their reps and usually play their starters the most in the third preseason game.
“I’m not sold on the dress rehearsal thing,” he said. “I just look at it as another opportunity to try to get better.”
Kitchens said the playing time is not a secret kept under lock and key, but that after a physical camp, the preseason contests don’t take on such a large degree of importance.
“We are going to play our guys some. I do not know how long yet,” Kitchens said. “We have had a good camp. It has been a good, physical camp. These guys have embraced the fact that they feel like they have been doing some things that probably other teams have not been doing. It does not matter until you start playing the games. I recognize that.”
Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. and the game can be seen on NFL Network.
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