Newton keeps Panthers ideal as quarterbacks star

Yesterday’s Panthers-Giants game was centered on the all-star matchup between wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and cornerback Josh Norman – just not the way most people envisioned.

This time, Beckham was flagged for personal fouls three times.

The glaring misdeed – the one that will be the catalyst if a suspension is handed down – happened late in the third quarter on the tail end of a 19-yard gain on a screen pass by Shane Vereen.

He caught six Eli Manning passes for 76 yards after no catches in the first half, including the game-tying, 14-yard touchdown reception that made it 35-35 with less than two minutes left in the game. They still have a chance to secure the No. 1 seed if they win out and Carolina (14-0) loses its last two games. “Odell Beckham Jr., this dude is a superstar of the highest order, as far as I’m concerned, and he has conducted himself like nothing more than a petulant child”. The two of them got into a couple of scuffles.

Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart will not play after suffering a sprained foot in Sunday’s game. But the repeated acts of chippy – and flat-out dirty – play could make the league willing to impose one-game suspension, especially since plenty of Beckham’s behavior came in the form of blows to the head of an opponent.

The Giants’ season is on life support after the loss to the Panthers, but the bigger picture maybe getting there star player under control after his poor actions on the field.

From the start, Beckham seemed more interested in fighting – literally – with Panthers’ defensive backs Josh Norman and Cortland Finnegan than he was in actually doing anything productive to help the Giants try to score points.

Beckham tried to explain his actions.

Head coach Tom Coughlin told reporters following the 38-35 last second loss that he gave “serious consideration” to benching Beckham for his outburst. “Anybody who has played sports – you are competitive and you are going to go as hard as you can”. During the course of the game, Cam Newton became the first player in National Football League history to register 300+ pass yards, 5+ pass touchdowns and 100+ rushed yards in a single game.

Norman concluded his emotionally charged rant by comparing Beckham’s maturity level to that of “a little kid”. “You’re out there competing against one of the best teams in the league, an undefeated team”, he said. “He’s got to learn at some point how to deal with some things on the field”, said Coughlan, adding, “I want him out there to win the football game”.

“I got lucky punching the ball out”, Tillman said. I don’t think this proves he’s a “coward”, as has been written or that this could “derail his career”-or his marketability”.

Another NFL season is in the books and we’re just two weeks away from the postseason.