New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers spent part of the second half against the Arizona Cardinals letting the sideline know he wanted the ball, then spent the time after the game explaining why.
The wide receiver was demonstrative toward the bench even at times when the offense was moving. Nabers said the reaction was about targets. He felt the explosives that had come his way before halftime were putting New York in a better position to score, and that those looks dried up after the break.
"I felt like I didn't get targeted much after halftime," Nabers told reporters on Wednesday. "I felt like creating explosives down the field was just helping us get in a better position to score touchdowns. Some of those plays didn't come my way, so just trying
to figure out why."
He took that straight to John Harbaugh. Nabers said the conversation was about clarifying the halftime plan and about getting him the ball down the field so the offense could create more points. In his view, the first-half shots had led into red-zone touchdowns, and the second half never found that same gear.
"I think we need to implement more things after halftime," Nabers said. "Just also trying to give me the ball down the field to create some of those opportunities for us to gain more points. It felt like during the first half when we did that, it kind of led into the right direction with scoring touchdowns in the red zone. And just after that, we just couldn't get going. So, I felt like the offense was needing a spark and I wanted to be that spark."
Harbaugh addressed the sideline scene Monday on a Zoom call with reporters. He said he could not hear what Nabers was saying in-game, but he knows the receiver as a competitor who uses emotion to get himself going.
"He's emotional, he's a competitor," Harbaugh said. "One of the things that comes through in getting to know Malik is that he's definitely a high-energy, emotional self-motivator. I think that's kind of how he gets his energy riled up. If it helps him play better, great. If it gets in his way at some point in time and we think it's hindering him in some way, then I'd like to see less of whatever. I don't think it was hurting him in any way, whatever that was, and we had a great conversation after and I think I understand that part of him."
Running backs coach Willie Taggart had a different message for Nabers after the game: Use his voice. Nabers said he is quiet and keeps to himself, and that reserve can be taken either way inside an offense already down a couple of players.
"He was just telling me how to just use my voice," Nabers said. "I have a huge voice in the offense, so the more and more I'm reserved and not really saying a lot, it kind of can be either taken as the wrong way or a positive way. Everything doesn't have to be an outburst or anything like that. Just simply having a one-on-one conversation or getting the offense going like, 'Let's go.' Just using my voice as a leader and being that guy that everybody wants me to be. Right now, since we're down a couple of people, I'm just trying to lead the team to get more wins."
The sideline reaction and the postgame talk with Harbaugh were about getting the offense going again. Taggart's point was that Nabers can do some of that without raising his voice at all.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants' Malik Nabers explains sideline frustration, wants more downfield shots
