Giants' Malik Nabers learning how to impact the game beyond catching the ball
New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers at training camp on Wednesday. Credit: Ed Murray
Malik Nabers established himself last year as a rising superstar receiver, a dynamic threat catching the ball and knowing what to do with it afterward.
But as he approaches his second season with the Giants, the young receiver is becoming a more well-rounded player, off and on the field.
Off it, he is defining his role as a leader, something his new quarterback, Russell Wilson, has encouraged him to do.
“His leadership, his voice in the film room, he’s done a great job with that,” Wilson said after practice on Wednesday. “He’s stepped into that leadership role.”
Said Nabers, “It’s just being more vocal about getting guys ready to go, making sure we’re on the right path to what we want to accomplish.”
Nabers added that at times he must “get out of my mode” of thinking only about what he needs to do and instead projecting his intensity onto others.
“Sometimes I have to step outside of those boundaries and get guys riled up, get them going, get my receivers going,” he said. “That’s just part of being a leader.”
On the field, he is exhibiting more of the attention to detail that makes coaches beam.
“It’s running off on a screen and collecting two DBs down the field,” offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said. “Now those guys are out of the play.
“It’s those little details that maybe don’t show up on the stat sheet. That, to me, I’m probably most proud of him [for].”
Nabers said, “That’s what you want to have when you’re on offense. Every guy has to want to participate in whatever play is called. No matter if it’s for me or not, I still have to get guys open. I still have to make the play work.”
Nabers said he is far more knowledgeable this year than last about players’ responsibilities and roles other than his own.
Of course, leadership and serving as a decoy are not Nabers’ most noticeable, or most important, attributes.
What matters most is his ability to generate explosive plays, something that has shown signs in training camp of flourishing in combination with Wilson.
The veteran is known for his deep, high, arcing “moon” balls of the sort Nabers has and presumably will continue to run under.
Nabers is all for that.
“It’s special,” he said of Wilson’s deep-passing skills. “If I can get three passes for 160 yards, I’ll take that over 10.”
Nabers finished last season with 109 catches for 1,204 yards. Wilson had a good idea what Nabers could do from watching him on tape. He has looked even better in person.
“There’s only so many people in the world who can do it like he can,” Wilson said.
Assuming Nabers does not play in Saturday’s preseason opener against the Bills, the first look an opposing team will get at him will be next week’s joint practices with the Jets.
In the meantime, all we have to go on about defending him is what the Giants themselves have to say.
“One-on-one, it’s a tough matchup," defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said before practice. "It’s really good for our guys to be able to go out there and compete. I think he’s one of the better receivers in this league. I really do.
“Just the route-running, the ability to separate, the ability to catch contested throws. It’s good to see him and Russ kind of build the rapport that they’re building right now.”
Another sign of Nabers’ knowledge and maturity is the fact coaches and quarterbacks are open to input from him. He called it a “collaborative” process.
“Having them receive it with open eyes and open ears has been great,” he said.
Given his importance to the offense, keeping Nabers healthy is a priority.
He was bothered earlier in camp by a toe injury, something the team still is dealing with cautiously. On Wednesday, he sat out the later portions of a practice that ran over two hours.
Nabers said that some days he feels better than others, but he said that limiting him in practice is more of a precaution than a concern and about more than just his toe.
He said, “The process is just making sure I’m as healthy as I need to be when it’s time to play ball.”
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.
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