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          New York Giants

          Odell Beckham Jr. says Tom Coughlin will 'always be my coach'

          • Ohm Youngmisuk, ESPN Staff WriterJan 4, 2016, 02:41 PM ET
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              Ohm Youngmisuk has covered the Giants, Jets and the NFL since 2006. Prior to that, he covered the Nets, Knicks and the NBA for nearly a decade. He joined ESPNNewYork.com after working at the New York Daily News for almost 12 years and is a graduate of Michigan State University.
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          EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. –- Odell Beckham Jr. plans on “getting bigger, stronger, faster” this offseason.

          Who will coach him next season remains to be seen, but Beckham had hoped that Tom Coughlin -- who stepped down Monday afternoon as coach of the New York Giants -- would remain.

          “I love Coach Coughlin,” Beckham said before the news broke Monday. “He’s always going to be my coach.”

          While Coughlin may have been hard on Beckham at times, especially early in his rookie season, the wide receiver said he understands that Coughlin was coaching him up.

          “It’s been great since the day I met him,” Beckham said. “Initially a younger player would immaturely think coach is always on you. He’s always on you, he’s always on you . . . why is he always on you? Initially, I thought it’s because he wanted to be.

          “It was growing up, maturing, and learning that it was because he knew what was in you, he wanted to bring the best out. And he was going to do everything that he could to do that. Along the journey, it’s been great with Coach as far as growing and learning each other and teaching me things, just how to be a man.”

          He also had praise for offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo.

          “He’s been great,” Beckham said. “Also a guy who’s taught me a lot of things. Having the experience and just being able to teach and we all have learned and grown to know each other throughout this time. It’s been a lot of fun.”

          “Towards the end of the year, we kind of just did a good job of moving around and being able to get some positions where they couldn’t scheme as much as they would want to,” Beckham added. “We’ve had a productive and unproductive year at the same time. It’s been a bit of both. I think it was good. I think Eli [Manning] had one of his better seasons. I don’t know, we just need to win games.”

          Now that Coughlin is leaving, Beckham will be experiencing something new for the first time in his rising career.

          “The whole situation is kind of something that I haven’t ever experienced,” he said of the uncertainty. “It’s something that I’m not really used to, so it’ll take time to adjust if something were to happen.”