The agent for New York Giants star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. had a long conversation with the team's assistant general manager during
practice on Thursday.
Zeke Sandhu of Elite Athlete Management and Kevin Abrams of the Giants talked for almost two hours on the patio overlooking the team's practice fields as
Beckham and teammates held a morning workout.
Neither man was available to the media.
Giants co-owner John Mara said last week the team was going to start negotiations on a new contract for the 25-year-old Beckham. He will make $8.5
million this season in the fifth and final season of his rookie deal. The
three-time Pro Bowler has said he wants to be among the NFL's highest-paid
receivers.
When asked by The Associated Press if the team had anything to say about Sandhu and Abrams talking
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A telephone call to Sandhu went to his voicemail, which was full. An email from The AP to Elite Athlete Management was not immediately answered.
Beckham missed most of last season after breaking an ankle in early October. He has shown no side effects in training camp and his quickness and speed seem
to be the same.
"He's doing what we expected him to do," said coach Pat Shurmur, who said Beckham was engaged and energetic. "Again, most of the scripted periods, we give
him the plays that are necessary for him to learn. He's right on track."
Shurmur said he does not comment on contract talks.
Beckham has not spoken to the media since the team reported to training camp on July 25. He seemingly sticks to football in conversations with other
players.
"Yeah, most of the time it's about technique or what I was thinking on some route or what he was thinking or whatever is coming up in the script, and what
we're excited for," fellow receiver Sterling Shepard said about his discussions
with Beckham on Thursday. "We're always just picking each other's brain. I'm
always picking his brain, for sure. Trying to see what he's thinking or what he
thought about whatever just happened
Nathan Peterman Jersey , or whatever I just did."
Beckham has made the Giants' offense go since being drafted in the first round in 2014. In 47 NFL games, the former LSU player has 313 catches for 4,424
yards and 38 touchdowns.
NOTES: The Giants have switched their practices to the morning on Thursday and Friday because Beyonce and Jay-Z are performing evening shows at MetLife
Stadium, which is close to the team's headquarters. ... Part of referee Jerome
Boger's officiating crew is at practice this week to discuss changes in the
rules and new points of emphasis. The biggest change will be the emphasis on
penalizing players who lower their heads before making contact. It could lead to
an ejection. The other officials present were down judge Mike Carr, side judge
Jonah Monroe and umpire Bill Schuster. ... Running back Saquon Barkley, the No.
2 overall draft pick, had a reduced role Thursday to give him a break.
His team embarrassed by the defending Stanley Cup champions in a lopsided
playoff-opening loss, Philadelphia Flyers coach Dave Hakstol could have
panicked. Instead, he doubled down.
No switching up the lines. No swapping the goaltenders. Nothing. Hakstol didn’t think changes were necessary. As ugly as getting blown out by Pittsburgh
in Game 1 looked, it felt even worse. That was motivation enough. No personnel
changes necessary.
”It was pretty tough for us to walk out of the rink a couple nights ago
Michael Strahan Jersey ,” Hakstol said. ”That wasn’t us.”
This was.
Sean Couturier had a goal and two assists, Brian Elliott stopped 34 shots and Flyers cooled off the Penguins 5-1 on Friday night to even the first-round
series at a game apiece.
”Said it coming in, nobody is really giving us a serious chance in this series,” Hakstol said. ”I don’t know if anybody still will. I do know this,
we’ve got it down to a five-game series and we introduced ourselves into this
series tonight.”
Shayne Gostisbehere, Travis Konecny, Andrew McDonald and Nolan Patrick also scored for the Flyers. Two nights after getting crushed 7-0, Philadelphia
responded by keeping Pittsburgh stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in check
and taking advantage of what few chances it produced against Matt Murray to beat
the Penguins for the first time this season.
”For all the doubters out there, there you go,” Flyers forward Claude Giroux said.
Game 3 is Sunday in Philadelphia.
Patric Hornqvist scored Pittsburgh’s lone goal with just over 5 minutes left to avoid the shutout
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Pittsburgh outshot the Flyers 35-20, a number that didn’t include a pair of shots that hit the post early or Crosby fanning on a wide-open net in the waning
seconds of the second period. Elliott, pulled in the middle of the second period
in Game 1, also stoned Crosby on a breakaway earlier in the second.
”You always look back and there are the `what ifs’ but that happens sometimes,” Crosby said. ”We just have to stay with it. That’s the way the
playoffs work.”
Matt Murray’s shutout streak dating to the 2017 Stanley Cup finals ended at 225:49 when Gostisbehere scored on the power play late in the first period.
Murray finished with 15 saves to lose for just the third time in 17 home playoff
starts in his career.
The Flyers struggled to sustain pressure on Murray but took advantage of what few opportunities they created. Philadelphia went on the power play late in the
first period when Pittsburgh’s Zach Aston-Reese was called for boarding and the
Flyers – who didn’t even manage a shot on net during four power plays in Game 1
– needed just one to take the lead.
Gostisbehere sent a shot from the point that made its way through a Patrick screen, between Murray’s legs and into the net with 37 seconds left in the
opening period to end the fourth-longest playoff shutout streak since 1990.
It didn’t take the Flyers nearly as long to beat Murray again. Less than two minutes actually.
Murray actually managed to get his right pad on Couturier’s shot from in front but the puck popped up, caromed off Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang and
into the net 47 seconds into the second.
The Penguins began pressing but Elliott responded. Crosby broke in alone just past the game’s midway point but Elliott’s glove swallowed up the Pittsburgh
captain’s backhand attempt. Late in the second, Crosby needed to simply redirect
the puck into the net while standing at the right post. Instead, it skittered
straight across the goal mouth and out of harm’s way. Crosby smashed his stick
over the crossbar in frustration.
”If I find a way to put that one in, it’s 2-1
Steven Nelson Jersey , it’s a different game,” Crosby said. ”So, that one and the breakaway was the big turning point in the game.”
When Konecny held off Chad Ruhwedel and chipped the puck over Murray’s glove 1:21 into the third the Flyers had control. Just over 18 minutes later they had
their first victory Pittsburgh in 383 days to go home with the series even.
”It was a little weird last game,” Elliot said. ”I think this game we really came out and everybody played their role really well. We played a great team
game.”
NOTES: Letang went to the dressing room for the majority of the second period after Giroux slammed into him just seconds after Crosby and Giroux collided.
Giroux was not called for a penalty and Letang returned for the third period. …
Pittsburgh went 0 for 4 on the power play. The Flyers were 2 for 3. … Amanda
Kessel, a member of the gold-medal winning U.S. women’s hockey team at the 2018
Olympics and the younger sister of Penguins forward Phil Kessel, led the sellout
crowd at PPG Paints Arena in a ”Let’s Go Pens” chant before the opening
faceoff.
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