Malik Nabers Explains Animated Exchange With NY Giants Coach

"I said I was going to speak up when it was time for me to speak up, but [I was] just trying to get guys going, trying to get everything going," he said. 

"I felt like we were lacking out there. The energy wasn't right, so I took it upon myself to try to boost people up.”

The exchange might have initially rubbed Daboll the wrong way, but in the end, there were no hard feelings, according to Nabers.

“It's two competitive people going at it,” he said. “He wants to win, I want to win. I think that's why he brought me over here, because we're just alike. So, it was two people just going at it– we were trying to get the same outcome.”

That outcome, alas for Big Blue, proved unattainable, as the Giants failed to visit the end zone in another dreary kickoff showcase. 

Things were particularly bleak on offense, where New York put up only 231 yards in defeat, a far cry from the breakouts on display during the preseason trio, which was rendered a forgotten memory by Sunday's stagnant outing.

The exchange between Nabers and Daboll, who mostly downplayed the potential for negative side effects in his own postgame statements, preceded one of the most disappointing happenings of the afternoon.

That came when the Giants (0-1) ran five plays inside the Washington two-yard-line without breaking the plane, forcing them to settle for a short Graham Gano field goal at the end of a 16-play, 76-yard drive.

A verbal olive branch appeared to be offered by Nabers when he seemingly shielded Daboll from the issue in the red zone. 

On their final possession of the day, New York got back to Washington's 20 after the Commanders took their two-score lead. However, four consecutive Russell Wilson incompletions from the three served as a macabrely appropriate end to the day.

"We just have to be more on the same page, have to get aligned right. There are a lot of

things we just messed up, being aligned right, making sure we got the same play, making sure the play call is right, and just scheme everybody open. But Coach called what he called, we have to do our best to try to get open [and] separate.”

For his part, Nabers was perhaps the Giants' most potent offensive threat of the day, amassing 71 yards on five grabs in defeat. Nabers' aerial prowess has added a certain level of excitement that was missing from the Giants' recent outputs, but the promised wins have yet to follow him. 

Nabers offered a sliver of a silver lining when he announced that the expected growing pains on the scoreboard no longer affect him, especially as he works toward becoming a better No. 1 target both mentally and physically.

"Nobody wants to lose," Nabers said. "You always think about your losses, but it won't eat up on me too long anymore. I learned to flush it. It is what it is, leading up to next week; I can't carry this loss until then. So, I have to move forward."

"Moving forward" sends the Giants back on the road, as they'll face the Dallas Cowboys in early Week 2 action next Sunday (1 p.m. ET, FOX).

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