Odell Beckham Jr. will once again come down to a game time decision Monday night:
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The Odell Beckham Jr. watch will likely continue until just before game time for the second week in row.
Beckham is listed as questionable for the Giants' home game Monday night vs. the Detroit Lions, as he was before the season opener last week against Dallas. After a pregame warmup/test, he was declared inactive in Dallas, as the team decided his ankle was not yet ready for the rigors of a game. Beckham sprained his left ankle in a preseason game in Cleveland on Aug. 21.
"We will see how it goes," coach Ben McAdoo said today. "We will get in there and do a little bit of work this morning. Then tomorrow we will go in and have our launch day. Take a look at him tomorrow and see how it goes.
"It's a medical decision. We're just seeing his level of confidence and where he is sticking his foot in the ground."
Without Beckham, the Giants' offense did not operate at close to peak efficiency in the 19-3 loss to the Cowboys, though his absence was one of numerous contributing factors. The Giants held the ball for only 25:46, converted four of 12 third-down opportunities, and advanced into Dallas territory just twice, once on the game's final possession.
Given that Beckham averaged 96 receptions, 1,374 yards, and just shy of 12 touchdowns in his first three seasons, how close to 100 percent does he have to be before the Giants put him on the field, even in a limited capacity, to spark the offense?
"That's tough to say," McAdoo said. "The biggest thing is you don't want to put a player out there that is going to do any harm to himself, or injure himself any more than he is. It is an injury. It's a tough injury. He's fighting through it and doing everything he can to get back, but we're going to be smart with him."
McAdoo's response to a follow-up question was, "We're going to do what's best for the player."
*Middle linebacker B.J. Goodson and offensive lineman D.J. Fluker were added to the injury list as questionable with shin injuries. Goodson led the Giants with 18 tackles (14 solo) in his NFL starting debut in Dallas. Fluker was inactive last week.
*Right tackle Bobby Hart hurt his ankle in Dallas, did not practice Thursday, and was limited yesterday, and is expected to be ready to go physically on Monday. But McAdoo said Hart's status for the Detroit game will be a coach's decision.
"Bobby Hart is improving," he said. Asked if he expects Hart to play Monday, McAdoo said, "We will see how he does tomorrow."
*Cornerback Janoris Jenkins, who came out of the Dallas game with ankle and hand injuries, practiced fully on Thursday and Friday, but his practice status projection for Saturday was limited.
*Linebacker Keenan Robinson will miss his second consecutive game with a concussion.
*McAdoo said he was very blunt with the players when the team gathered to review the tape of the Dallas game.
"It was Tuesday," he said. "It was point blank. Everyone was on point. We came in looking to get better. That was the point of the meeting. Every time you watch the film, whether it's practice or it's games, you want to be on point, find a way to grow and find a way to improve.
"We don't have time to handle things with kid gloves here. We're going to be open and honest with our communication. We're critical with ourselves as coaches and we expect the players to be critical of themselves. That's the best way to improve. Especially from week one to two, but every week."
*Tight ends coach Kevin M. Gilbride was pleased with the performance of first-round draft choice Evan Engram in Dallas. Engram caught four passes for 44 yards.
"For a rookie playing in his first game in that environment, I thought he handled himself very well," Gilbride said. "Had some poise about him. There were a lot of things that need to be cleaned up after the game, from a technique standpoint. He had zero mental errors, made the plays that were there to be made. So I was happy with his first game. Now he's got to take a big step in the second game."
*The Giants faced Detroit in their home opener once previously, defeating the Lions, 24-14, on Sept. 17, 1989.
*This is the fifth Giants home opener to be played on a Monday night. They defeated Washington in 1988, San Francisco in 1991 and the St. Louis Rams in 2011, and lost to Dallas in 1995.
