NY Giants

New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. says he's been BOMBARDED with praise since that one-handed miracle grab ... but the best moment involved a tweet from LeBron James.

OBJ was at Steiner Sports in NYC last night when revealed that LeBron is his all-time favorite athlete ... and when King James tweeted about the catch on Sunday, it blew his mind.

FYI -- here's the tweet LeBron posted after Beckham's catch: "Man I just witnessed the greatest catch ever possibly by Odell Beckham Jr! WOW!!!!"

Imagine your hero writing that about you. Pretty cool, right?!

Still, Odell is modest about the 3-fingered catch, saying the greatest snag ever made still belongs to ANOTHER NY Giants wide receiver.

Check this out ... we just spoke with Odell Beckham Jr.'s high school coach Nelson Stewart about the insane 1-handed catch -- his quotes are fantastic.

-- "We tried to stop him from catching the ball with one hand in high school ... but then we said, 'This is stupid, he never drops the ball. Let's just let him.'"

-- "Now we have a problem with our players trying to catch the ball with one hand. They say, 'But you let him do it.' I say, 'You are not Odell Beckham!'"

-- "He said he wants to have his high school jersey hanging at the high school one day. We haven't given his number away since -- so I think he's on his way."

-- "His hands were bigger than anyone on our team. He literally never dropped a ball. He redefined everything you could do."

Fun Fact -- OBJ went to Isidore Newman High School in New Orleans ... where Eli and Peyton Manning played their prep ball.

Don't worry Tom Coughlin, the Jonas Brothers got your back.

With Tiki Barber calling for Coughlin's job, Nick Jonas -- a huge NY Giants fan -- is still supporting his favorite head coach, telling TMZ Sports he loves the guy ... despite the team's 3-7 record.

Luke Petitgout -- who played nine seasons in the NFL, mostly with the New York Giants -- was arrested in New Jersey on Tuesday on a charge of sexual assault and simple assault.

The 6'6", 275-pound Petitgout was arrested at the home of his estranged wife Jennifer, says the NY Daily News. Jennifer is the alleged victim and the paper says she was photographed with bruises.

He was arrested and charged with sexual assault with force and simple assault. He is currently being held on $50,000 bail.

Petitgout's attorney, Patrick J. Jennings, called the charges "baseless" and told the News, “We intend to vigorously defend against the charges.”

Retired NFL star Steve Smith is taking Titans QB Zach Mettenberger to task for that gameday selfie he took before taking a loss against the Texans.

Mettenberger's been getting blasted by fans and players for the Instagram of his new haircut -- hours before Sunday's kickoff ... his first start, by the way. Smith says the kid needs to be more like his ex-QB, Eli Manning.

Smith was shopping in Calabasas when he stated his case ... and it's a good one. Ever seen an Eli or Peyton Manning selfie? Exactly. And Steve's got hardware to back up his argument.

The secret to beating the Dallas Cowboys?

Phil Collins.

Well, maybe he can help -- because NY Giants head coach Tom Coughlin turned to Phil's best song to help fire up his team this week ... so says linebacker Mark Herzlich.

Herzlich says Coughlin decided to play some music during practice this week to get the team ready for their HUGE game against the Dallas Cowboys ... and Tom decided Phil's jam could help pump up the intensity.

Mike Tyson approves.

He may be a huge NY Giants fan, but Rudy Giuliani has message for Jets Nation -- DON'T GIVE UP ON REX RYAN ... it's not his fault!!!

Rudy was out in L.A. last night -- and RAVED about his G-Men ... and even said he'd rather have Eli over Peyton if given the option!!

But when we started talking about Gang Green and their pathetic 1-6 record -- Rudy explained why Jets fans shouldn't blame Rex ... they should blame his players instead.

NY Giants kicker Josh Brown has a message for Ray Finkle -- YOU SHOULDA MADE THE FRICKIN' KICK ... even if the laces were in!!!!

20 years after "Ace Ventura" came out in theaters (yes, it's really been that long) ... we asked Brown how a real NFL kicker reacts when the holder pulls a Dan Marino and doesn't get the laces out.

Brown's response -- MAKE THE KICK!!!!!

"The times that it does happen, you just gotta go through with it ... ya just gotta swing."

What you shouldn't do ... is plot a murderous revenge on the holder on the day of the Super Bowl. That never turns out well.

NY Giants superstar Victor Cruz can rest a little easier ... 'cause one of the Jonas Brothers has his back ... when it comes to prayer.

Kevin Jonas was out in NYC with his wife Danielle -- when we talked about Kev's favorite NFL team ... the Giants ... who lost their big WR to a nasty knee injury on Sunday night.

"I feel bad for Victor Cruz," Kev told us ... "But he's definitely in our prayers."

As for the G-Men, Kevin says he still has hope ... though after that 27-0 loss to the Eagles, he might wanna pray extra hard this week.

NY Giants co-owner Steve Tisch is clearly not worried about the Ebola scare in Dallas -- telling us the G-Men have nothing to worry about when they head to Big D to play the Cowboys later this season.

Tisch was leaving Dan Tana's restaurant in West Hollywood last night when we brought up the efforts to contain the virus after officials confirmed that it had reached Dallas.

"I think the Cowboys are gonna get it first," Tisch joked ... clearly not worried about a possible "Outbreak" style epidemic.

Tisch then started down a path to crack a joke about Jerry Jones ... but stopped himself.

So we finished it.

Fantasy Football doesn't have to be a 1-way street ... so says NY Giants running back Rashad Jennings who tells us there IS a way for Fantasy owners to help improve his performance on the field.

Jennings -- who's already rushed for 341 yards and 2 TDs this season -- was out in NYC today ... when he explained the most important thing Fantasy owners can do ... and it makes total sense.

Check out the clip -- and if you think you're up to the task, Rashad's Twitter handle is @RashadJennings.

Mike Vick tells TMZ Sports ... he will not fight to wear #7 on his jersey during his stint with the NY Jets -- and says it's all out of respect for Geno Smith.

NY Giants co-owner Steve Tisch says he believes Colts owner Jim Irsay WILL face disciplinary action from the NFL over his DUI arrest -- telling TMZ Sports he believes the commissioner wants to "make a statement."

Tisch was out in L.A. Tuesday when he told us Jim's a "great guy" ... and he thinks his decision to enter a treatment center will make his life "a lot better."

But when it came to punishment from the NFL, Tisch explained ... "I can't speak on the commissioner's behalf ... I don't know what he's going to do ... but I feel he's going to do something."

"I think he's gonna make a statement."

FYI -- in the past 4 years, at least 3 executives from two NFL teams have been suspended by the league for at least 30 days because of DUI arrests. Because Irsay is an owner, he could face an even harsher punishment from the league.

The first openly gay NFL draft prospect is already getting major support from an NFL owner -- NY Giants honcho Steve Tisch, who tells TMZ Sports he "hopes" teams don't let Michael Sam's sexual orientation dissuade them from drafting such a stellar athlete.

The University of Missouri defensive end -- who was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year -- just completed his senior season and is very likely to be taken in the upcoming NFL Draft.

While Tisch wouldn't reveal if Sam is on his team's draft board, he did tell us ... "Michael Sam is a gifted athlete and a courageous man."

Richard Sherman's epic post-game rant DOESN'T HOLD A CANDLE to Bart Scott's legendary "Can't Wait" interview back in 2011 ... so says the former New York Jets linebacker himself.

Scott was hanging out with NY Giants kicker Steve Weatherford at Jay Glazer's Super Bowl party at Pranna in NYC ... when they told us why Scott is the undisputed post-game screaming champion.

If you remember, Scott WENT OFF after the Jets beat the Patriots in a crazy playoff game ... and Bart UNLEASHED, trashing his critics and the Patriots defense ... before capping it off with what became his catchphrase.

Seriously, Bart even trademarked the phrase "Can't Wait."

Your move, Sherman.

Giants punter Steve Weatherford tells TMZ Sports ... he's obsessed with "Teen Mom" ... but despite his super-fandom, the NFL star says he draws the line at Farrah Abraham's sex tape.

Weatherford admits he's stumbled upon a free preview of Farrah's venture into porn, but says he can't justify shelling out money to watch the entire cinematic experience.

"I'm not paying $5 to watch Farrah."