If anyone in the New York Giants' locker room can relate to the emotions quarterback Jaxson Dart is experiencing this week, it's star wide receiver Malik Nabers.
Like Dart, Nabers suffered a knee injury last year and missed the final 13 games. He knows what it's like to go through such a devastating setback.
"Takes the breath out of you for sure," Nabers told reporters on Thursday. "Just feel for him. Like you said, I've been in that position too. So, I know what he's going through. I know what he's thinking. So, just trying to be there for him like he was there for me."
The injury is heartbreaking in many ways. The two players only got to line up with one another on 74 snaps over the past two seasons. There are still a lot of "what-ifs" to reconcile.
"We can't -- it's sad to say, you can't predict injuries and you can't predict season-ending injuries. It just happens," Nabers said. "So, it's a shame that it happens, but you go through it, you get back on the field, you try to stay healthy as much as possible. So, that's really all to say about that."
Nabers can only wait until next year to see what magic he and Dart can make together on the field. Until then, patience and perseverance are needed."There's
"There's people (that are) going to be with him through this rehab, and we're going to support him and get back, get him back on the field as healthy as possible," Nabers said.
In the interim, Nabers will have to acclimate to another quarterback he has played very little with in Jameis Winston. He now has to hustle up to learn his idiosyncrasies and tendencies.
On Monday night against the Rams, Winston looked out of sync with his receivers, missing badly on some plays that, if made, could have kept the Giants in the game.
"That was kind of like my first game playing with him this past Monday," Nabers said of Winston. "So, just trying to get a feel for him, trying to see how his ball spins, trying to see when he releases the ball, trying to see just where he puts the ball at. So it's a work in progress to just sudden change. But I'm putting in extra work with him just to try to see what type of quarterback that he is and where he wants to place the ball. What is he reading? What does he feel? So, I'm just trying to adapt to what he sees. I'm just trying to do my best at that."
The Giants will need everyone to step up their game if they are to make any kind of progress this season as a team. The Dart injury could serve as a catalyst to help them move forward.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants Malik Nabers knows what Jaxson Dart is going through: 'I've been there'
