The Giants’ unrelenting march away from their 3-13 horror season continues Monday, when OTAs begin. And the positive feelings should resume with Odell Beckham Jr. expected to attend the voluntary sessions.
“Odell has been in and out so he’s been around. It’s very encouraging. Developed a really nice relationship with him,” coach Pat Shurmur said Sunday before throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at Citi Field before the Mets-Diamondbacks game. “We’re very open and honest about everything Giants and everything Odell.
“I’m just looking forward to him being there. He’s not quite finished with his rehab, but there’s a lot to be learned from just watching what’s going on.”
Beckham’s season was obliterated last year when he fractured his left ankle in the fifth game. He skipped OTAs — organized team activities — last season, part of a campaign to forget for him personally and the organization collectively. But with roster upgrades throughout, the addition of running back and No. 2-overall pick Saquon Barkley plus a new coach and GM, Dave Gettleman, the atmosphere is decidedly positive.
“Hopefully, we’ll have the whole team there. As we know, these are still voluntary sessions [and] we’ve had a very productive offseason,” Shurmur said. “The guys are really ready to compete against one another. We’ve got 10 OTAs and a minicamp on the horizon. Just really want the guys to go out and compete, get better at executing our systems, learn how to play well together. It’ll be another good opportunity for me to get to know our players, and that’s an important piece when you’re a new head coach.”
Shurmur, a lefty, wore a No. 60 Mets jersey (his Michigan State football number). A Tigers fan growing up, Shurmur intended to play baseball in college but was stopped by injury. An ex-first baseman/pitcher, Shurmur showed rust after an impressive warmup — his pitch was wide and bounced to catcher Devin Mesoraco. Family and friends with Shurmur Sunday included wife Jennifer, two of their three daughters, Allyson and Claire, plus son Kyle, the Vanderbilt quarterback. Now it’s back to the NFL world.
“We as coaches like being out on the grass working with players so I’ll look forward to that [Monday]. Basically, just working with the players,” Shurmur said of what he hopes to accomplish Monday. “We’ve got a great group. They seem very energized. They’ve done a great job to this point, and this kind of finishes out the spring phase of our training.”
