Malik Nabers blasted the Giants as ‘soft as f***’ and questioned the play-calling of coach Brian Daboll on Sunday following New York’s 30-7 blowout loss to the Buccaneers.
While Nabers finished the game with six catches for 64 yards, he was not targeted in the first half of the game and would later sound off on his initial lack of involvement.
‘Go out there, first, second quarter – I don’t get the ball, I start getting targets at the end,’ he said to reporters at his locker. ‘I mean, I can’t do nothing. I start getting the ball when it’s 30 to 0- what do you want me to do?’
Asked why he wasn’t involved in the first half, he responded, ‘I don’t know – talk to Dabs [Daboll].’
Nabers made sure to point out that his issue was not with Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito.
Malik Nabers was uninvolved in the Giants’ offense during the first half on Sunday vs. the Bucs
Giants coach Brian Daboll is seen on the sideline during the Giants’ 30-7 loss to Tampa Bay
‘It ain’t the QB… same outcome when we had [Daniel Jones] at QB.’
Nabers was also asked if he expressed his frustrations over not getting the ball at halftime.
‘I mean they know, they came up to me and asked me what plays I want,’ he said. ‘And that was that. I don’t know.’
Nabers added that he was ‘tired of losing’ after the Giants fell to 2-9 on the year.
The rookie receiver was not the only pass-catcher who was uninvolved in the first half, as DeVito – who replaced former starter Daniel Jones this week – attempted just five passes through the first two quarters.
Notably, Nabers was asked how he’d respond to this exact scenario by Daboll before the team drafted him.
Nabers ended the game with 64 yards but did his damage with the game out of reach
‘How do you handle not being involved early in the game?’ the coach could be seen asking in ‘Hard Knocks.’
‘I handle it pretty tough,’ Nabers replied. ‘Especially during the week… putting in the work with the [starting] offense, getting a lot of plays…’
‘So if I’m not in those plays and not getting the ball, I’m pretty hard on it.’
Daboll replied, ‘I don’t mind that, I want guys that wanna get the ball, and I want guys that hate f******g losing. But you gotta learn how to harness that a little bit.’
The Giants now have a quick turnaround before facing the Cowboys on Thanksgiving.
