Brian Daboll tries to smooth over criticism of play-calling by Malik Nabers

Coach says he has had “good communication” with rookie wide receiver

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll tried to put out the inferno caused by rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers’ comments after Sunday’s game that appeared to be an indictment of the coach.

Nabers was clearly unhappy, not only with the 30-7 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but by the fact that he wasn’t given an opportunity to do anything about it. Nabers caught six passes but was not targeted until the second half, when the Giants already trailed 23-0.

Following are the major things Nabers, whom the Giants selected No. 6 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, said after the game:

“First, second quarter, I don’t get the ball,” Nabers said. “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?”

“Talk to Dabs about that,” Nabers said when asked why he isn’t getting the ball earlier in the game. “They come up to me and ask me what plays I want and that was that. I don’t know.”

“Obviously, it ain’t the quarterback,” Nabers said. “Same outcome when we had DJ at quarterback. Take a look: It ain’t the quarterback.”

“I don’t know what it is,” Nabers said. “Everybody knows better than me.”

Daboll said he talked to Nabers both Sunday night and again Monday morning.

“He’s a very competitive individual,” Daboll said. “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’s very competitive. And again, when you lose like that, it’s a frustrating thing. But we’ve had good communication, as we always have.”

The Giants knew before they drafted Nabers that as talented as he is there is always potential for him to be outspoken about his displeasure when things are not going well. We are seeing that side of Nabers now. The question is how big a problem will it become?

Daboll said he would keep the contents of his talk with Nabers private.

Nabers leads the Giants with 67 receptions and 671 receiving yards. In his first four games, before missing two games with a concussion, Nabers was averaging 13.0 targets and 8.75 receptions per game. In five games since returning he has averaged 10.2 targets and 6.4 receptions per game.