Giants players insist Malik Nabers is a 'good teammate' after body-language criticisms

For the second time since Sunday, New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers fired back at criticisms of his body language voiced during the Fox broadcast of the Giants' game against the rival Philadelphia Eagles this past Sunday. Nabers said on Tuesday that he felt the comments were "attacking my character as a football player and as a teammate." 

Later on Tuesday, Giants reporter Jordan Raanan of ESPN revealed how Nabers' teammates felt about the 23-year-old's questioned actions during New York's 19-11 win at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field.

Malik Nabers' teammates had his back after body-language comments

"The Giants' locker room came to Nabers' defense on Tuesday," Raanan wrote. "Several players told ESPN they viewed him as a 'good teammate.' They also see him as emotional and competitive."

During the Fox broadcast of the Week 9 game, former player and current analyst Greg Olsen suggested that Nabers didn't look like "the happiest guy on the field" after Giants tight end Isaiah Likely caught a touchdown pass in the contest's third quarter. Nabers then dropped what should have been a touchdown reception in the fourth quarter of the victory.

Per the Giants' website, Nabers insisted on Tuesday that "my body language is the same all the time...whether I'm having a good game, bad game, losing, winning." He caught five of eight targets for 43 yards against the Eagles, and he leads the Giants for the season with 53 receptions, 78 targets and 648 receiving yards. Thus far, he has tallied just two touchdown catches since Week 1. 

Giants "love" that Malik Nabers is "competitive"

While speaking with reporters earlier in the week, first-year Giants head coach John Harbaugh seemed to have no issue with how Nabers behaved during the Eagles game. Meanwhile, Giants running back Cam Skattebo likes that Nabers wants the ball early and often during games. 

"When you have that caliber of player that is top-three in the league, you have to understand he wants, he's demanding it, because he knows what he can do if you get him the ball. He knows what he's capable of when he has the power of the ball in his hands," Skattebo said about Nabers on Tuesday. "And when you have a guy like that, you know, it's hard to go against them. And when he's frustrated, you understand why he's frustrated. He's not getting the ball. He's not getting the targets. And you understand that. So as a teammate, you love to see that because you know how competitive he is."

Nabers could put this matter to bed if he produces a big outing en route to helping the 5-2-1 Giants earn a home divisional win over the 2-5-1 Washington Commanders on Thursday night.