Malik Nabers, sidelined by 'sore' knee, shouted at Giants sideline for more targets
Published in Football
NEW YORK — Malik Nabers shouted at the Giants sideline during Sunday’s second half because he wanted the ball more. Now it’s not clear if he’s going to be able to play at all.
Nabers sat out Wednesday’s practice with soreness in his surgically repaired right knee and said it might sideline him for this week’s game at Washington.
“We’ll see how the next day goes,” Nabers said after taking the field in his uniform, the walking off and sitting down on a medicine ball to chat with the trainers. “Through the week I usually [am] sore, but this one’s kind of a little bit more sore. But I always continue to fight through it.”
Nabers’ winding road back to normalcy with his knee, though, feels like the least of the Giants’ concerns with their mercurial receiver to open Week 5.
The more noteworthy development is that Nabers, 23, was showing demonstrative frustration towards the sideline during Sunday’s win over Arizona. And it was about wanting more passes thrown his way despite finishing with six catches for 112 yards and a touchdown in a win.
“I felt like I didn’t get targeted much after halftime,” Nabers said of his three targets after half. “I felt like creating explosives down the field was helping us get in better position to score touchdowns, and some of those plays didn’t come my way. So I was just trying to figure out why.”
Head coach John Harbaugh said Monday that he spoke to Nabers after the game and understands that the receiver is a “high-energy, emotional self-motivator.”
“I think that’s kind of how he gets his energy riled up,” Harbaugh said. “So if it helps him play better, great.”
But, the coach said, there is a flip side to that, too.
“If it gets in his way at some point in time and we think it’s hindering him in some way, then I’d like to see less of whatever,” the coach said. “We always talk all the time about [it to the] guys. If it’s helping us, we want more of it. And if it’s hurting us, we want less of it. So I don’t think it was hurting him in any way.”
Maybe not at first.
NFL Films released video on Wednesday of Nabers first telling Harbaugh to keep feeding him after catching a 25-yard touchdown pass from Jameis Winston late in Sunday’s second quarter.
It wasn’t exactly clear how Nabers said it coming off the field. Harbaugh delivered Nabers’ message in his own way to offensive coordinator Matt Nagy through the headset.
“Hey,” Harbaugh said into the microphone. “Um, Malik said — and that’s OK — ‘just keep getting me the ball please.’ [laughs] I like it.”
In the second half, however, Nabers could be seen waving his arms at the Giants’ sideline and yelling to the coaching staff several times, even though the Giants offense was on its way to scoring 30 points.
After the game in the Giants’ locker room, running backs coach Willie Taggart kept Nabers near his locker and an extended and direct conversation with the young receiver. Nabers said Taggart was instructing him on how to use his voice more constructively.
“He was just telling me how to use my voice,” Nabers said. “I have a huge voice in the offense. So the more I’m reserved and not really saying a lot, it kinda can be either taken as the wrong way or a positive way. I’m really quiet and I stay to myself, so everybody can take that which way they want.
“But [it’s about] using my voice and just knowing how to use my voice the right way,” he continued. “I would say everything doesn’t have to be an outburst or anything like that. [It can be] just simply having a one-on-one conversation or getting the offense going like, ‘Let’s go,’ using my voice as a leader. And just being that guy that everybody wants me to be. Right now, since we’re down a couple people, just trying to lead the team and get more wins.”
Nabers’ competitiveness is a great quality, but it’s an open question right now on how he will respond to a coaching staff that gives him a lot less leeway than the last one.
Former coach Brian Daboll enabled Nabers’ immaturity, let him pick some play calls in the game plan and wasn’t able to hold Nabers accountable when it was necessary.
Nabers even said after the game, he asked Harbaugh for clarification on what kind of adjustments the coaches make at halftime, because they need to throw the ball downfield more to him.
“I talked to him just trying to clarify on I think we need to implement more things into after halftime,” he said. “Also, trying to get the ball to me down the field to create more opportunities for us to get more points. I felt like during the first half, when we did that, it kind of led into the right direction of scoring touchdowns in the red zone. Then after that we couldn’t get going.
“So I felt like the offense needed a spark, and I wanted to be that spark,” he added. “So I was just trying to figure out what was going on, and what was the thought process on going into halftime, and coming out of just what was the talk he had with the coaches on implementing things down the field. And we had a talk about it.”
Nabers chuckled at the suggestion that his best game of the season to date was a breakout game.
“I don’t know why everyone’s saying that was a breakout game,” he said. “I kinda feel like that was a basic game. I could [have] did more.”
He’ll only be able to do more if his knee allows him to be on Sunday. And he’ll need to keep his emotions in check if he does.
Skattebo, Likely limited
All of the Giants’ top offensive weapons are banged up, it turns out. On top of Nabers (knee) sitting out practice, tight end Isaiah Likely (knee/groin) and running back Cam Skattebo (shoulder) both were limited. Skattebo even wore a red non-contact jersey during practice.
Left tackle Andrew Thomas (groin), defensive lineman Chauncey Golston (neck), running back Najee Harris (not injury related/personal) and safety Jason Pinnock (concussion) all sat out practice. Tight end Chris Manhertz (shoulder) was limited. And corner Deonte Banks (calf) and center Bryan Hudson (ankle) were full.
J.J. McCarthy was the second quarterback up behind Jameis Winston taking snaps. Bryan Hudson was working as the first-team center during the open portion of practice.
The Washington Commanders’ injury report, meanwhile, has 22 players with some sort of designation. That includes top receivers Terry McLaurin (hamstring) and Stefon Diggs (hamstring) as non-participants. Quarterback Jayden Daniels (elbow) is listed as full, though.
OBJ signs with Vikings
Odell Beckham Jr. signed on Wednesday with the Minnesota Vikings practice squad … The Giants placed returner/receiver Braxton Berrios on injured reserve, signed free agent receiver Dontae Fleming and signed quarterback Jake Haener from the practice squad to the active roster. Berrios announced his foot injury requires season-ending surgery.
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