Malik Nabers spent part of the week answering for his body language, then spent Thursday night dealing with a rough outing against the Washington Commanders.
The New York Giants receiver had already been in the spotlight after FOX announcers Joe Davis and Greg Olsen questioned how he carried himself during last weekend’s win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Olsen said, via Awful Announcing, “I have played with a lot of really good wide receivers, a lot really good players.
There’s never been a great wide receiver who hasn’t demanded the ball. That kind of comes with the territory,” Olsen said, via Awful Announcing.
“But there is a very fine line between being demanding, being a competitor and all those great things. That’s great.
It just can never cross that it feels like it takes away from the success of your teammates. So when your teammate catches a wide open touchdown, you need to be the happiest guy on the field.
You can’t still be worried about your targets. That’s the fine line.
He is a talented, young, really good player. You’ve just got to keep it in check.”
Nabers pushed back earlier this week, telling reporters, “Don’t tell the world who I am if you don’t know who I am.”
Then came Thursday night, and the game did him no favors. Nabers had a costly fumble in the third quarter and later couldn’t come down with a 50-50 ball in a key moment late in regulation. Afterward, he was reported to have skipped his postgame media availability in the locker room, which set off criticism online.
“Malik Nabers, who always is waiting for the media as soon as locker room opens, is gone tonight at the end of a difficult week,” Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post said. “First time I ever remember this from him in 3 years. Ive heard him face the music before when very frustrated.”
Nabers addressed the loss on Friday and explained why he wasn’t in the locker room after the game. He said he had to rush home because of a family emergency.
He also broke down the final play, saying he tried to adjust but didn’t see the cornerback coming over the top. “He made a play,” Nabers said, via ESPN’s Jordan Raanan.
Now the focus shifts to next Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, where Nabers will have another chance to answer with his play.
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Nabers also drew attention afterward for a different reason, because he did not show up for his usual media availability following the game. Reporters noted the absence and some fans were quick to criticize it, even as his season has still been productive overall with 58 catches, 692 yards and two touchdowns. For a player carrying that kind of workload, the questions now are about how he responds after a stretch that has suddenly put him under a brighter spotlight. [Read more 🡒]
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