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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Once upon a time, New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. dreamed about being the toast of the town, the topic on the lips of fans and media alike, all of whom, he hoped, would adore him for his football prowess. "I remember coming into the league, I wanted...there were guys, Sammy Watkins and Mike Evans, guys who are brothers in my class," Beckham said during the Giants' three-day mandatory minicamp.
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"They're guys who I compete against, who I wanted to be talked about the way that they were talked about. I was like, 'Man, they never talk about me.'"
These days Beckham's dream has come true. He's one of the most talked about athletes in any sport. However, the extent of the conversations in which Beckham's name gets mentioned are often a little more personal than what the receiver initially hoped they'd be.
This offseason he's been in the headlines quite a bit, none of which has anything to do with his football talents.
There's the on-going saga with his biggest on-field nemesis, cornerback Josh Norman, who signed with Washington after Carolina rescinded the franchise tag.
His social life has also come under the glare of the spotlight. He has been living in Los Angeles with rap star Drake.
Before that, he stepped out with actress and singer Zendaya during the Grammys and, more recently, he was linked to reality television star Khloe Kardashian of the "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" fame.
For Beckham, who warns other up and coming athletes to "be careful what you ask for," the attention on his non-football life continues to be something with which he struggles to keep under control.
"I feel like if I hid under a rock for 364 days, and I came out on the 365th, and someone saw me somewhere, there's going to be a story about it," he said. "Something's going to happen, I'm going to hear about it, it'll be here, it'll be there. I think people just need something to talk about sometimes."
Still, he wishes people wouldn't talk about him only because he believes that such gossip become distractions to the Giants.
"I hate that it causes so much distraction for my team and for myself," he said. "Especially when a lot of the stuff is not so much true, and there's just all kinds of things that they come up with. It's what comes with the territory, though."
To refocus the wagging tongues on what matters most, his football career, Beckham said that when he puts on his team issued apparel to engage in a weight training session or a practice, he slips into another dimension, one that takes him away from the whirlwind that has become his life.
"At the end of the day, this is my sanctuary, this is where I come and I feel free," Beckham said. "This is my getaway from all the outside distraction that this world provides. This is the only place where I can't be bothered.
"I'm really just free when I get out here. I feel like a kid again."
--There are a lot of ways the NFL's worst-ranked defensive unit can improve, from adding new faces to trying new things.
Then there is the luxury that has afforded New York Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who is looking to get the Giants defense headed back in the right direction.
That luxury is to consult with the architect, head coach Ben McAdoo, and the quarterback, Eli Manning, responsible for producing the NFL's eighth ranked offense last season.
"Usually every day I'll visit with Eli and Ben about things we've done on defense and if it's giving then any trouble, should we keep it in and things like that," Spagnuolo said.
"So the feedback has been good to help us with cutting it down and helping us get rid of what's not working."
That feedback, which is reciprocated, has helped him put together a bunch of new ideas and concepts that have been installed this spring.
When it's all said and done, the feedback on his ideas are ones that the 56-year-old defensive coordinator plans to evaluate over the six-week break that begins at the end of the team's mandatory minicamp this week and ends when the players report back for training camp on July 28.
So far during the OTAs and the three-day minicamp, Spagnuolo has introduced a lot of new wrinkles to get the most out of his personnel. The wrinkles have included moving guys around who last year were more stationary, such as defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, and having guys who were otherwise anchored in at a certain spot switch positions as the snap of the ball.
"I think you're going to have to mix some things," Spagnuolo said when asked if he might be able to do more pre-planned scheming rather than having to be creative based on necessity.
"Hopefully this year we won't have to do as much as that (creating on the fly)."
Besides the feedback from the offense, which has been invaluable for Spagnuolo, the addition of some reinforcement at every position.
That reinforcement has included defensive end Olivier Vernon, defensive tackle Damon Harrison, linebackers Keenan Robinson and Kelvin Sheppard, safety Darian Thompson, and corners Janoris Jenkins and Eli Apple, a mixture of young and old that has given Spagnuolo more ingredients with which to work.
"I've always said this league is about players, and the more top-notch players you have, the better defense you're going to be," Spagnuolo said.
"To me it doesn't matter what scheme you have or what you do; players make plays. Certainly if the quality of your talent is strong toward some spots, you have to play toward your strengths, and that's what we're going to do."
It all sounds and looks good in June, but of course the real litmus test won't come until the summer when the pads go on and the preseason games begin.
While Spagnuolo also expressed similar optimism this time last year about the direction the defense was headed, this time around he sounded even more convinced that last year's issues were a thing of the past.
"Everything we went through last year is over and done," he said. "We're going to be better because the players are going to be better, because of better coaching, and less mistakes.
"We're going to be better because it's the second year in the system, and that's what we fully expect to do."
