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Malik Nabers' athletic gifts make Giants highlights, but brain wins Brian Daboll's trust

23 September 2024Last Update :
Malik Nabers' athletic gifts make Giants highlights, but brain wins Brian Daboll's trust

CLEVELAND — Malik Nabers reels in acrobatic catches with ease thanks to his natural athletic abilities. But the process of being in the right position to bring those in smoothly is anything but effortless. And that dazzling touchdown catch he made in the back corner of the end zone during Sunday’s 21-15 win over the Cleveland Browns was a direct result of the work he’d put in earlier this week.

While watching film of Browns cornerback Martin Emerson Jr., Nabers noticed the third-year corner was undercutting routes that went to the top of the end zone. So the rookie approached Giants coach Brian Daboll in practice this week with an idea for their playbook — a shake route — to capitalize on Emerson’s tendencies. Daboll, of course, wanted to see the film for him himself, but once he did, he approved the call, and they ran the play in practice a few times to get the timing down with quarterback Daniel Jones.

“We had pretty good confidence about it, so we ran it in the game,” Nabers said.

They executed Nabers’ play on a third-and-goal with under two minutes to go in the first half of Sunday’s win. With Nabers wide left, he headed straight into the end zone on the snap and shook Emerson as he glided to the back corner of the end zone.

Jones waited, then threw.

“That one was crazy,” Nabers said with a smile. “The ball was a little bit high, but I feel like once I jumped up, I’m able to change my body direction and get my two feet in.”

Nabers’ touchdown put the Giants ahead of the Browns 14-7. His next touchdown catch came less than two minutes later and proved to be the difference as the Giants secured their first victory of the season.

Nabers’ acrobatics and snatching of the ball out of Emerson’s hands (more on that play shortly) were the highlights of Sunday’s much-needed win, but it’s Nabers’ devotion to the details of his craft that lends more promise to his career. That he can go to his coach not just to say he wants the ball, but also here’s the way to get it to him is encouraging for such a young player.

It also says a lot that Daboll is willing to listen. After building their relationship throughout the summer, it’s clear Nabers has earned Daboll’s trust.

“Malik is very bright. (It’s) not just understanding where he needs to line up, different spots, different positions, but he also has a good feel of how defenses are playing him or certain players are playing him. He has good information,” Daboll said last week. “When he comes over to me and says, ‘Hey, this guy, when I get this split, he lines here. Think about this.’

“They’re out there. You trust your players. They see it. You can look at a tablet, but they’re right out there. … (Nabers is) an instinctive football player, and he’s done a good job since he’s been here,” Daboll said.

Those instincts have already put Nabers in good company, as it relates to Daboll.

With more than two decades of NFL coaching experience, Daboll has worked with a lot of talented players, a few of whom he has put his trust in, as he has with Nabers.

Among them: former All-Pro receiver Brandon Marshall and future Hall of Fame tight end Rob Gronkowski.

“I asked (Marshall) for a lot of input when he was on the field,” Daboll said. “A lot of it, I listened to. Most of it, I did because he was an instinctive player. He understood the game. He understood how he was getting played, and he understood the matchups that we talked about. You have those good players.”

Nabers has not only earned the trust of his coach but also of his quarterback. Jones has already targeted Nabers 37 times, the second most of any rookie through their first three games since 2000. At this point, if Nabers is single-covered, you can pretty much bet Jones is throwing it to him and trusting Nabers will come down with the ball. The best example from Sunday, of course, came when Nabers ripped the ball out of Emerson’s hands down the sideline for a 28-yard gain.

“When you have a guy like (Nabers), it doesn’t really matter the matchup,” Daboll said. “Throw the ball up to him and trust he’s going to get it. It takes a lot of trust between a quarterback and a receiver to be able to do that.”

“DJ told me if he throws it up there, ‘It’s me or nobody,’” Nabers added. “He’s like, ‘Don’t let him get a pick.’”

The Giants spent the No. 6 pick on Nabers hoping he’d be a playmaker Jones could trust like that. So far, so good. Nabers finished Sunday with eight receptions for 78 yards and two scores and became the first player in NFL history with 20-plus receptions, 250-plus receiving yards and three-plus receiving TDs in his first three career games.

Nabers said Daboll understands he’s a “smart football player” and the receiver believes Daboll “sees something really special” in him. The rookie just wants to prove Daboll right.

“I believe he sees I can be one of the best in this league,” Nabers said.

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(Photo: Scott Galvin / Imagn Images)

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