New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers said on Wednesday that he has an “NBF: Natural B—— Face,” and that he needs to do a better job showing constructive sideline behavior when things are not going well.
Nabers was caught having an animated conversation with head coach Brian Daboll during Sunday’s 21-6 loss to the Washington Commanders. You can see that below.
On Wednesday, Nabers explained his frustration.
“Just 12 targets and five catches, just not how I want to end the day off. I know everybody was more focused on just me overall being mad I wasn’t getting the ball, but that wasn’t at all what I was concerned about,” Nabers said. “I had 12 targets, so why would I argue about getting the ball if I had 12 targets? But just overall, just how I played, and I don’t think that’s why I was frustrated. Like I said, I was trying to get the offense going, I was trying to get people to get rolling. The lights were on, the game was on, it was time to play. I felt like that just got pushed over, and everybody was talking about my attitude and stuff like that. It’s just, I have an ‘NBF’, a natural b—— face’, that’s just what it is. That’s just my face, I don’t know. When you all talk to me, I look the same way every time, I don’t know, it’s just how I am, but I guess I have to smile more.”
Nabers has often said the Giants have encouraged him to be himself, and that this year he is trying to be a more vocal leader. He admitted on Wednesday, though, that he needs to be more conscious of what it looks like.
“I have my moments, but I had a talk with Dabs after the game, just overall sideline demeanor, myself included,” Nabers said. “I can see how it got blown out of proportion. But I had my thinking face on, that was my thinking cap. I wasn’t really focused on where I was, but I was trying to think about, who can we get to? How can we get some more plays to be made on this team? How can we score points?
“So, it was my face of just trying to think, and I felt like the camera was just on me all the time. But I have to be more conscious of that. Whether it’s stepping out of my box and going to talk to Dabs on the side, overall just being aware of where I am.”
Nabers, still one of the youngest Giants at 22, wants to find constructive ways to lead.
“I know I have to take a different route now. Just how I did it the last time, it wasn’t the right way,” Nabers said. “It’s kind of going everywhere right now. But I’m trying to find a different way to try to get guys going, and whether it’s just going over there, tapping them on the shoulder, just giving them a key point, like ‘I need you, I need you on this play. I need you right here right now, the time now, the game is on, let’s go.’ Rather than speaking abrupt and loud and being aggressive. Just trying to take some different routes and just trying to do that.”
Nabers said he was “sick to my stomach” watching film of the way he played.
“I would look at it a little bit, get frustrated again, turn it off, sick to my stomach,” Nabers said. “Just overall, not even saying the whole team, just my gameplay. I’m going to start with mine first because I believe I’m a key part of this offense. So, when I don’t play right, the energy is not right. But like I said, I got sick to my stomach and turned it off.”
Nabers said he “felt like I left some plays out there.”
“I felt like there were plays to be made that I didn’t make, that I’m more capable of making,” he said. “I think it’s just overall just technique. I got lackadaisical sometimes when the ball was in the air, tried to do some other things that I thought could manipulate the DB while the ball was in the air. I just need to be more aggressive when the ball is in the air.”
0 CommentsSee More:
