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Odell Beckham Jr. calls old friend to help scout Bills

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The NFC East and AFC East meet as often as the country holds presidential elections, so the Giants and Bills need all the intel they can gather on each other leading up to their Week 4 inter-conference matchup.


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> Scouting Report: Breaking down the Bills
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Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is doing his part by tapping old friend and college teammate Jarvis Landry, whose Miami team sees Buffalo twice a year as a divisional rival. While the Bills handily defeated the Dolphins, 41-14, last week, Landry still led all receivers with eight receptions that went for 67 yards.

"I talked to him last night, just FaceTime," said Beckham, who added that he planned on calling Landry tonight. "We usually talk about that kind of stuff closer to the game. I'll even call him Saturday night before the game and we're both up in the hotel. We'll just sit there, talk, chat, and just kind of keep each other's minds on track. He's told me some good things about them and what to look for and who to look out for. Like I said, I'm looking forward to Sunday."

The two LSU products broke into the NFL together last year as part of a receiver class that could be remembered for years down the road.

Beckham led the corps as the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, while Landry set a Miami franchise rookie record with 84 receptions. The only category, though, that Beckham didn't best his buddy was games played. Landry suited up for all 16, while Beckham missed the first four weeks of his rookie campaign, making Sunday the 16th game of his career.

Quarterback Eli Manning joked in training camp that he would keep calling Beckham a rookie until Week 5. That label is about to be shed.

"Oh yeah, man, that's awesome actually," Beckham said today when he was reminded of finishing his "rookie" season. "Got one more game."

Meanwhile, Beckham already has the most catches (110) by a player in his first 16 NFL games – despite only playing 15 so far – and is only 19 yards behind Bill Groman (1,593) for the most receiving yards during that span. With a 100-yard receiving game on Sunday, Beckham would tie Groman (nine) for the most in a player's first 16 games.

Beckham preparing for the Giants' upcoming road game against the Bills was just one of the many storylines coming out of the Quest Diagnostics Training Center on Thursday.

Here are three main takeaways from the day:

1. CRUZ RULED OUT; NO TIMETABLE SET

Coach Tom Coughlin began his Thursday press conference by ruling out Victor Cruz for Sunday's game in Buffalo, citing the calf injury that his wide receiver aggravated yesterday.

Cruz has yet to play in a game since Week 6 of last season after he suffered a serious knee injury.

"Victor tried it yesterday and it did not feel right to him, so he did not practice, just a little bit in the very beginning," said Coughlin, who added that Cruz went for an MRI but no timetable has been set for his return. "Obviously, we're all disappointed in that. But we choose to take the road that we really don't have a lot of choice, which means get him back in rehab, get him back to work and see when he can be on the field."

2. THREE OFFENSIVE STARTERS SIDELINED IN BUFFALO

Playmakers on Buffalo's first-team offense, defense, and special teams, presented by Nike

The official game statuses of players on the injury report will not come out until tomorrow afternoon, but three offensive starters for the Bills -- running back LeSean McCoy (hamstring), wide receiver Sammy Watkins (calf) and guard John Miller (groin) -- did not practice for the second day in a row.

On McCoy and Watkins, Buffalo head coach Rex Ryan said, "We don't want to say out. But yeah, I mean you guys can figure it out. They haven't practiced the whole week and all that stuff. But there is that chance [they play]."

3. OWA READY FOR DEBUT

Dealing with a muscle issue in his foot, rookie third-round pick Owa Odighizuwa is gearing up from a health standpoint to make his NFL debut. The defensive end from UCLA was upgraded to a full participant in today's practice after being limited on Wednesday and not suiting up for the first three games.  

"I was super anxious," Odighizuwa said of his inaction in the first three weeks of the season. "I just knew that eventually my foot was going to get better and I just had to be patient. I just had to keep reminding myself that I'm not the only one who has gone through this, I can't let this situation negatively affect me, and to stay positive. That's what I did, I stayed mentally in the game, studied, prepared as if I was going to play so that when I get back on the field, I don't lose a beat with the team."

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