Don’t count on the Philadelphia Eagles trying to exploit Odell Beckham Jr.’s temper.
Coach Doug Pederson told PFT Live on Friday that he wouldn’t want his players worrying that much about riling up an opponent.
“If you’re more worried about trying to get a player ejected then you’re not focused on your job,” Pederson said, via Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk. “I think that’s something that [defensive coordinator] Jim Schwartz has brought to these guys and the defensive staff is just, ‘Do your job.’ You saw it against the Pittsburgh Steelers … I don’t think you go into a game and say, ‘We’ve got to poke and pester this player.’ I just don’t think you do that. If you do that then I think that’s when you get beat and that’s when somebody like an Odell Beckham with the talent that he has can beat you. There’s ten other guys on that team that can beat you. Again, it is a fine line but that’s got to be my message to the football team.”
Pederson did note that Beckham’s short fuse is something he can use to remind his team to handle hings differently.
“It goes back to the messaging to the football team from myself and just keep reiterating points of emphasis that way and cooler heads prevail,” Pederson said. “Listen, I get it; I’ve been a player. I understand the dynamic of the heat of the battle and all of that. I mean, we’re in this business for that reason. We love the competition and at the same time you just have to remain calm. It is a hard thing, it is a tough thing. You can’t let it affect you and I continue to talk to our team about that stuff each and every week.”
The Eagles will meet Beckham this season, but the Giants appear to be at the end of the line with the receiver. Pederson probably has a point, though. Executing your gameplan will frustrate Beckham enough.
