Jets CB Sauce Gardner appears to mock Daniel Jones, Giants' offense after joint practice
Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers makes a catch during a joint practice with the Jets on Wednesday in Florham Park, N.J. Credit: Corey Sipkin
As the Giants walked off the Jets’ practice field Wednesday, following a joint practice that did not devolve into fighting, Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner bid the Giants farewell with a wave from the sidelines.
Yes, Giants rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers noticed.
“I mean, they can do that,” Nabers said. “They won on the day. Their defense came out here and executed well. We beat ourselves today. It’s about going back into our playbook, trying to be us, trying to find this team that we’re looking for. It goes back to preparation, really.”
If Nabers had made a catch at the end of the joint practice, he and the Giants might have felt better about their outing. Instead, a Nabers drop came at the end of the day.
“I thought for the most part we executed well throughout the team drills, and we moved the ball,” said quarterback Daniel Jones. "Obviously we wanted to finish a little better with the two-minute [drill] at the end. But overall, I thought we executed well against a good defense.”
What if Nabers had hauled in that catch in the waning minutes of the practice?
“I think if we finish that two minute with a touchdown, we feel definitely feel different,” Jones said. “We all have to make plays. Stuff like that is going to happen. We had a chance to come back and still convert, so we have to do that. But it certainly feels different if we convert that two-minute situation.”
Gardner would probably dispute that.
When asked about his thoughts on Jones following the practice, Gardner struggled to find the right words, attempting to be polite but coming off as awkward.
“Uh, he's a good quarterback,” Gardner said of Jones, stuttering and smirking.
He briefly mentioned almost intercepting Jones before the conversation grew more uncomfortable.
“The competitive periods are very competitive,” Gardner continued after another long pause. “I had fun out there today, you know. I really don’t know what to say.”
Later, Gardner clarified the nature of his comments, posting on X, "I said 'he's a good quarterback. I got a little distracted with something mid-interview. Chilllll."
For the Giants, the session against the Jets comes after Saturday’s 28-10 loss to the Texans in Houston.
There may come a time this summer when the Giants need a jolt of confidence.
Yes, Nabers can supply that, but the Giants will not want to overload the rookie early in the season. Nabers has been special so far.
Jones was asked if the Giants offense has an identity yet.
“If the question is are we still improving, certainly,” he said.
Brian Daboll has not said if he would consider playing his starters – or at least some of them – on Saturday night against the Jets at MetLife Stadium. That game represents the final tune-up before the regular season begins.
“I think, you know, we’re still building and growing,” Jones said, “and that’s the goal always. We've made considerable progress. I feel like we're in a good spot, but there's a high sense of urgency certainly to continue to improve and get to where we need to be.”
“I always want to play,” Jones continued. “As a player, you always want to play. So it's a decision [Daboll] has to make, and I'll be ready for whatever he decides.”
Notes & quotes: Daboll said these players were left back at the Giants' facility to continue rehabbing: TE Lawrence Cager, WR Gunner Olszewski, CB Cor’Dale Flott, S Gervarrius Owens, DB David Long Jr., S Jonathan Sutherland, LB Matthew Adams, ILB Micah McFadden, ILB Dyontae Johnson, and G Jon Runyan Jr. When asked if Runyan’s availability to start the season is in jeopardy, Daboll said no....Rookie safety Tyler Nubin has been getting first-team reps. Asked what he’s seen from Nubin, Daboll said: “He's done a good job. We do it with a lot of guys too. We're in training camp still, so people get opportunities. See them against different players and work with different guys in the back end. Whether it's secondary, offensive line, that's what training camp's for. He's done a nice job. He's a smart, instinctive player. Keep on improving him."...Tommy DeVito took the second-team reps early this week. After a single snap, Drew Lock replaced DeVito. Asked about that situation, Daboll said: “[Lock] wasn't going to make that potential throw yet. He's still coming back [from the hip injury] and working his way through things. We’ll back off on him in the team drills.”
Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.
