Giants' Malik Nabers, Dexter Lawrence soften their criticism of team playing 'soft' against Buccaneers

Malik Nabers and Dexter Lawrence, arguably the Giants’ two biggest stars, sought on Tuesday to reframe their blunt comments after a 30-7 loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday, in which both used the word “soft” to describe the Giants’ play.

“After watching the film, I wish I would have used different words to describe the game afterwards,” Nabers said. “I don't think it was really soft. I think it was just a lack of technique. We were playing our butts off. We just lacked technique.”

Nabers, a rookie receiver, said that coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen both have discussed the comments with him since Sunday.

“They know I'm a competitor,” said. “They said, just after watching the film, they don't think that we played soft, as I said after the game. After I looked at the game, it wasn't soft.”

Nabers chalked up his outspokenness to his competitive personality, and he made no apology for being willing to speak up as a mere rookie.

“I'm not going to just sit back and just let it go down just because I'm a young player,” he said. “Clout don't mean nothing. I still play football. I play it at a high level.

“So, whoever is saying I don't have the authority to be speaking up, that's on them. I don't care.”

Lawrence believed his sentiments after the game were conveyed unfairly by journalists.

“About the soft thing, I think you guys need to be held accountable for how you put it out there,” he said. “I didn't say, ‘We are soft,’ as a team. I think I said we ‘played’ that way. We lost 30-7. That's not OK.”

By Neil Best

neil.best@newsday.com@sportswatch

Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.