Frustration set in after the New York Giants dropped their sixth straight game on Sunday at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at MetLife Stadium.
Players were very critical of the effort, each other, and the game plan. They also appeared to be questioning the overall direction of the franchise.
This year’s first-round pick, wide receiver Malik Nabers, was “pissed” that he was not targeted in the first half of the game.
“First, second quarter, I don’t get the ball,” Nabers said after the game. “Start getting targets at the end. I mean, can’t do nothing. Start getting the ball when it’s 30-0. What do you want me to do?”
Nabers is right. He was brought in to make a difference and set the tone on offense. He can’t do that unless he has the ball. After all, he can’t throw it to himself.
Nabers was asked why he doesn’t get the ball earlier in games.
“Talk to Dabes about that,” Nabers said. “They come up to me and ask me what plays I want and that was that. I don’t know.”
On Monday, Brian Daboll said that he spoke to Nabers about his candid comments.
“Leek and I talked last night,” he told reporters. “We talked this morning. He’s a very competitive individual. Again, you want to get the ball in his hands, and I got to do a better job of getting the ball in his hands, early. He’s a smart, young guy that is very competitive. When you lose like that, it’s a frustrating thing. But we’ve had good communication, as we always have.”
That didn’t answer the question of why Nabers was ignored in the first half while the Giants were getting overrun by the Bucs to the tune of 23-0.
Nabers was questionable for the game with a groin injury and perhaps the team didn’t want to overwork him. Plus, this was quarterback Tommy DeVito’s first game action in nearly a year and with Nabers as a teammate, so there’s that.
Nabers looked fine in the second half, catching six of nine targets for 64 yards. The horses were out of the barn by that time, with the low-scoring Giants facing an insurmountable 30-point deficit.
Nabers has not been accustomed to such losing and futility in his life, coming from SEC powerhouse LSU.
“I hate losing more than I like winning,” Nabers said.
Considering he’s played in just one win (Week 5 in Seattle) in his Giant career, he’s no expert. The Giants have lost their last six games and when their next win is coming is not guaranteed.
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