The Rams and Giantsbrawled on the sidelines of the Edward Jones Dome on Sunday. It all started with a touchdown celebration by Odell Beckham Jr.
After scoring on a 9-yard reception in the first quarter, the Giants' rookie phenom spun the ball on the turf and broke into what NJ.com called his "trademark 'Whip' dance." That drew a flag for taunting and set the stage for the second-quarter fracas between the two teams when Alec Ogletree knocked Beckham to the turf with a late sideline shove.
After the game -- a game in which Beckham finished with eight receptions for 148 yards and two touchdowns -- coach Tom Coughlin spoke about Beckham's post-score exuberance.
"He will tone it down," Coughlin said after New York's 37-27 win. "He will. He did."
That last line from Coughlin is in reference to Beckham's second score of the game, an 80-yard touchdown reception late in the third quarter. After high-stepping it into the end zone, Beckham flipped the ball to the turf, put his hands on his hips and made a finger-wagging gesture to the crowd. He then retrieved the ball and handed it to a game official.
"I just picked the ball up and handed it to the ref," Beckham said. "I didn't want to hear anything else. It feels good when all those big guys are running down 80 yards."
Beckham is a charismatic guy, but Coughlin has been around the game long enough to know that Beckham puts a target on his back by antagonizing opponents after his various feats of greatness.
While we're here, here's an NFL.com video of Beckham's pre-game catching exercise. And here he is doing some pre-game dancing. Next week, we'll have footage of him folding his underwear.
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