Big Blue View
New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers spoke over the summer about growing into a leadership role on the offense.
On Wednesday, he took another step toward becoming one of the Giants’ leaders both on the field and in the locker room.
Giants’ head coach Brian Daboll and quarterback Russell Wilson both said after the Giants’ overtime loss to the Dallas Cowboys that the overtime interception that led to the loss was a miscommunication. On Wednesday, Nabers took responsibility for that miscommunication.
“That’s my fault,” Nabers said. He went on to say that he was concentrating on how he was being played, and not on whether Wilson was going to attack down the field.
“I should have been in more communication with Russ to know what we were trying to do. I was locked in on trying to figure out how the defense was playing me at the time, and I wasn’t really looking at the right time for him to give me what he gave me to try to change the run-up. That’s 100% my fault. I should have been in communication with Russ the whole time.”
That was the second time in the overtime period where Wilson tried to make use of the vertical passing attack that had gashed the Dallas defense in regulation.
The first time was a vertical pass to Wan’Dale Robinson in the slot. That appeared to be another miscommunication as Robinson started to settle in a coverage void, rather than running through coverage as Wilson expected.
Missed connection aside, this was a breakout game for Robinson and Nabers is quick to acknowledge how his fellow receiver has helped him
“Wan’Dale, he helps me just by – we help each other,” Nabers said. “All receivers help each other, (Darius Slayton) Slay also. The ball hasn’t been finding Slay, but he does a tremendous job of keeping us uplifted, continuing to get open in his routes. Wan’Dale helps me just by making a lot of plays, getting him the ball. Giving him the ball in space helps space the defense out so we can run the ball, and also take a lot of people off of me. I get bracketed sometimes, I get Tampa 2, so finding another guy in there that can do a lot of things, get some yards, it helps even the offense, balance the offense.”
The two complement each other well, and Robinson’s quickness and toughness stand out.
“I’m bigger than him. He’s much quicker than me,” Nabers said. “He’s an effective route runner. He’s very fast, very quick, can catch the ball very, how would you say it, he’s like moxie a little bit. He doesn’t go down after the first hit. He takes a lot of big hits, but he continues to fight for yards. He’s got that dog in him to want to be the best just like I do.”
Nabers certainly showed that dog against the Cowboys. On what could — maybe should — have been the dagger...
