EAST RUTHERFORD -- Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. had a revealing conversation with Buccaneers cornerback Vernon Hargreaves after Sunday's 25-23 loss.

"He was just like, 'You know, we know a lot of what you're doing,' " Beckham said.

That raises an obvious concern that has surfaced previously about coach Ben McAdoo's offense being too predictable.

"It's the system. It's our offense," Beckham said. "We were 11-5 last year and we were running the same thing. So is it really this or are we just not executing right? I don't think we're executing the way that we can at a higher level. It wasn't a problem last year when we were winning games, so it's just a matter of execution, really."

But the offensive execution was lacking last season as well. The Giants ranked 26th in the NFL in scoring (19.4 points per game), but the defense was good enough to carry the team to the playoffs.

The Giants' offense was widely criticized for being too predictable last season. Monday Night Football announcer Sean McDonough relayed a conversation with Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther about how simple it was to prepare for the Giants' West Coast offense during the Week 10 broadcast.

The offense has been even worse this season due in part to the ankle injury that sidelined Beckham for the season opener and has nagged him for the past three games. The Giants rank 30th in the NFL in scoring (15 ppg). The defense has dropped from second in scoring (17.8 ppg) to 25th (23.8), and the Giants are in an 0-4 hole.

Beckham doesn't think the offense's predictability should be used an excuse.

"Be better than them," Beckham said. "You know I'm running a slant, beat me on a slant. Do it. I don't see you doing it. That's just what it's got to be. That's the mentality you've got to have. It's got to be, 'OK, cool, you know I'm running a slant, I'm going to beat you inside and I'm going to catch this ball and get seven yards or whatever you're going to get.' It's just got to be that mentality. You've got to have it. Now is the time we've got to have it."

Beckham said his recent drops have been caused by his timing with quarterback Eli Manning being thrown off due to defensive backs sitting on routes.

"It was just me putting extra onto a route to try to create more space. I kind of have to trust myself more in the sense that when I make my break, not everybody is going to be able to come out and close that little gap," Beckham said. "Drops don't really bother me. My confidence is too high."

The Giants run a steady diet of slants, curls and other short routes. Beckham got open on a double-move for a 42-yard gain on a deep pass in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game. The Giants have only completed four passes of 25 yards or more this season.

"What receiver doesn't want to catch a post and score a touchdown and make big plays? Yeah, we wish we could get those," Beckham said. "But we take what we can get right now and move the ball productively and effectively and we'll see where go from there."

Dan Duggan may be reached at dduggan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DDuggan21. Find our Giants coverage on Facebook.