Giants' Malik Nabers not concerned about lack of targets in first preseason game
Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers greets fans after playing against the Detroit Lions in an NFL preseason game Thursday in East Rutherford, N.J. Credit: AP/Pamela Smith
Giants rookie receiver Malik Nabers already has learned some lessons in the NFL.
Including this one: A receiver drafted sixth overall might not even get thrown to in his first preseason game.
That’s how Nabers’ night went on Thursday as the Giants opened their preseason schedule against the Detroit Lions, who practiced with the Giants in the days leading up to the game.
Nabers has been everything the Giants could have hoped since they drafted him in April. He’s been impressive in practice, catching almost everything thrown his way.
Against the Lions, Nabers was on the field for 12 snaps. He wasn’t targeted on any of them.
“I did a very good job of getting open but everything has to go my way to get the ball,” Nabers said. “It was kind of slippery out there. I think I could’ve done a better job of creating separation, getting better looks for the QB to throw the ball in better spots. That’s all I can do — continue to do what I do.”
Asked about Nabers’ reaction to not being targeted, coach Brian Daboll said: “He was good. Locked in. Good mindset.”
Backup QB Lock hurting
With Drew Lock injuring his hip in Thursday’s game, the Giants might have to make a move at quarterback. Daniel Jones — who didn’t play against the Lions — and Tommy DeVito comprise the current depth chart at the position, pending an assessment of how serious Lock’s injury might be.
“[I] don’t know [how serious].” Daboll said on a Zoom call Friday. “We’ve been grinding here as a staff with the evaluations. [I] just made it to this presser. We’ll go back. We have a squad meeting and then I’m going to get with the doctors after all they go through.”
Coaches impress Daboll
Daboll credited defensive coordinator Shane Bowen and special teams coach Michael Ghobrial with instilling a physical mindset in their units.
“I thought we brought guys in that have some toughness, young players, some veteran players and again, this is a physical sport,” Daboll said. “Mental and physical, so being mentally tough, being physically tough, I think you’ve got to train that. You do that in training camp.
“It’s also the type of individuals you bring in. The new coaches we brought in, I think Ghobi does a great job with that. I think Shane does a great job with that. We’re a work in progress, but we’re going to try to be physical.”
Daboll was asked how he got his team to be more physical and tougher despite having a lot of the same players returning from last year.
“I think we have a lot of changes,” he said. “Each year is different. Different players at different spots. We have players that have been here. We have different coaches. I would say we’ve put a high premium on that. I think the draft class is a bunch of tough young players.
“But you’re constantly reinforcing things that you’re looking for from your team. I would say from a foundational aspect. And this is a tough game. I think you have to be mentally and physically tough. I think we’ve added a lot of new pieces in our building that have helped contribute to that.”
Hodgins, Gray stand out
It’s always interesting when Daboll singles out a player. In this case, he mentioned receiver Isaiah Hodgins and running back Eric Gray.
“Hodgins really made a good block down there on Gray’s 48-yard touchdown run,” said Daboll, who added that he liked Gray’s “determination” on the long TD run and his four catches for 46 yards.
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.
