New York Giants offensive coordinator Matt Nagy wants wide receiver Malik Nabers' competitiveness left alone.
Speaking to reports ahead of practice on Thursday, Nagy said he likes the receiver asking for the football, as long as it is done the right way, after Nabers looked to the sideline for more work in a Week 4 game that produced seven targets.
Nagy called Nabers one of the most talented players he has been around, not just among wide receivers, and one of the most competitive. He said that combination will produce moments like last Sunday, and that the staff has no interest in taking the edge away.
"Malik is without a doubt one of the most talented players, not just wideouts, one of the most talented players that I've ever been around. And
then on top of that, he's competitive too. He's probably one of the most competitive," Nagy said. "Don't ever take that away from a player. You're crazy if you take that away from somebody. Don't ever try to not get him the football. We want to get you and him the football."
The standard is how the ask is delivered. Nagy said it has to be constructive, not destructive. Nabers is still young, and the two are four games into working together. Nagy said he has thick skin and can handle it, provided it does not cross a line. They talked on Tuesday, and he feels Nabers is in a good spot.
"We definitely want to get him the ball a lot," Nagy said.
That intent showed up in the plan. Nagy said the staff wanted a more aggressive mindset into the Cardinals game, with Nabers and tight end Isaiah Likely at the top of it. Some of the work was more vertical than the screens and manufactured touches of previous weeks. He called it both the development of the relationship and the game plan. The explosives helped. Better red-zone production is the piece he still wants.
"We did have some explosives, which was good. We've got to continue to have those. It makes it a lot easier to get down there. And then we just want to continue to be better in the red zone, too, and get more points, like I said, last week," he said.
Nagy gives Nabers a voice during the week on what the offense is doing too much of and not enough of. On a third-and-20, the defense played shell coverage over Nabers. Winston scrambled, and Malachi Fields came open for a big gain.
Nagy said Nabers helping someone else get open is part of the value, even on the plays that do not find him. He reached for Travis Kelce as the comparison and said the message is the same one he has used before. Leave the competitiveness alone, and keep the communication clear.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: New York Giants' Matt Nagy wants Malik Nabers' competitiveness left alone
