Not long after the Giants suffered a humiliating blowout loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at MetLife Stadium, a handful of players expressed their frustrations before cameras and microphones. But the team’s second-worst loss of the season particularly irked rookie receiver Malik Nabers, who labeled the performance “soft as f–k” and took issue with his number of targets.
Giants head coach Brian Daboll addressed Nabers’ viral comments on Monday, telling reporters that they spoke about his postgame messages — what was said between them still remains private — and admitting, to a certain degree, that his feelings were valid. Nabers confirmed on Tuesday that he spoke to Daboll, and also had a conversation with general manager Joe Schoen.
“We talked about it. That’s about it. I’m not going to share [the message], but just know we had a talk about it,” Nabers told reporters. “After watching the film, I wish I would’ve used different words to describe the game afterward. I don’t think it was really soft, I think it was a lack of technique. We were playing our butts off. We just lacked technique…
“When I looked at it, we tried to get me the ball a couple of times in the first half. Just had a lack of communication. When I look back on the game and plays that were called, there were opportunities for me to get targets… If I had an opportunity to go back and change what I said, I would. But I still stand on what I said. I have no regrets for what I said… I’m not going to just sit back because I’m a younger guy and just not speak on how I feel. They want me to speak up.”
Nabers happened to be the Giants’ leading receiver on Sunday, as he caught six passes on nine targets for 64 yards. But his first target didn’t come until the third quarter, with the team trailing 30-0. The lack of first-half volume clearly ticked Nabers off, and he made sure his voice was heard inside the locker room. In response to the late looks, he asked reporters, “What do you want me to do?”
There isn’t a single top-flight receiver in the NFL that advocates for fewer targets, so Nabers’ initial attitude toward his stat line shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Daboll even asked Nabers about his competitive nature during pre-draft meetings — it was shown during an episode of HBO’s hit series ‘Hard Knocks’ this past summer — and respected the LSU product’s honest answer.
But when reporters asked Nabers about the team’s overall issues on Sunday, he said, “It ain’t the quarterback,” which raised some eyebrows. What he was implying remains up for debate, but it’s safe to say that tangent didn’t sit too well with Nabers’ bosses.
In nine games this season, Nabers has logged 67 receptions for 671 yards with three touchdowns. While his receptions mark ranks second-best among league rookies and his total yards mark ranks third-best, he hasn’t scored since Week 3.
The Giants will clearly need more work from Nabers on Thursday, when they face the division-rival Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium.
