Malik Nabers subtly distanced himself from Daniel Jones after the Giants QB’s awful Week 1 performance
Someone might want to let Malik Nabers know that the New York media is covering him now, which means everyone will see his comments and plans in public on a grand scale.
This sentiment applies especially to his thoughts about much-maligned New York Giants veteran quarterback Daniel Jones.
On Sunday, the Giants endured a 28-6 beatdown at the hands of Sam Darnold’s Minnesota Vikings. The defeat featured an unsurprising, inept performance from Daniel Jones, who barely completed over half of his passes while throwing two interceptions. Jones’ performance rubbed off on Nabers in particular, who only caught five passes for 66 yards.
After the game, when asked if Jones was looking for him enough downfield, Nabers didn’t really defend his quarterback. Instead, he was noncommittal, stating that he did what he was supposed to do on the field and that Jones’ individual problems in the pocket — whatever they were, per Nabers — were effectively just his.
Uh, while he’s probably not wrong, that’s never what you want to hear from a receiver in public:
“I’m getting out on my routes and just trying to make a play, trying to find a better throw for him to make. I was just doing my job, that’s all I can do.”
– Malik Nabers on if Daniel Jones looked for him enough today pic.twitter.com/bs08s92ztm
— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) September 8, 2024
If you’re a struggling NFL quarterback, one of the last things you want to hear one of your receivers say is that they were just doing their job when asked about why they didn’t see the ball enough. That’s because their stating that they were doing all the right things during the game is a subtle admission that they think their performance was more than up to snuff.
Meanwhile, yours, as the quarterback, wasn’t.
What Nabers should have said is that he could’ve done more for his quarterback. That he has his quarterback’s back and will do everything to support him. Now, part of Nabers’ stance is that he likely knows Jones won’t be the Giants’ starting signal-caller moving forward beyond 2024. However, how he treats a quarterback he doesn’t have faith in, even if they have no future on the team, is still important. Jones remains a teammate for the time being, so Nabers is obligated to try and elevate him the way Jones (only theoretically) does.
It’s a somewhat subtle but clear distinction: it shouldn’t kill you to be a good teammate and good soldier at all costs in Week 1.
The Giants did not have high expectations entering this season. With tidbits like this, they seem to be in danger of already coming unhinged.