-
Jordan Raanan, ESPN writer
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Defensive captain Dexter Lawrence II thought the New York Giants played “softly” in Sunday’s 30-7 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at MetLife Stadium.
Rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers had a similar assessment after a game in which he had no contact in the first half.
“Smooth as shit,” he said in frustration.
Veteran offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor’s evaluation indicated an overall lack of effort.
“I personally don’t think everyone is giving 100 percent,” Eluemunor said.
Standout running back Brian Burns on being 30-0 at home after his bye week: “That sucks.”
Not exactly a glowing review of what the Giants (2-9) put on the field while losing their sixth straight game. It also happened to be their first game this year without Daniel Jones at quarterback.
Jones was benched at the start of the week. He was released on Friday. The “spark” the Giants were looking for in Tommy DeVito wasn’t there, for reasons that extend far beyond the quarterback.
DeVito threw for 35 yards and was sacked three times in the first half alone as the Giants faced a 23-0 halftime deficit. He finished 21 of 31 passing for 189 yards.
It was as if Nabers, the Giants’ primary playmaker, hadn’t played in that first half. It wasn’t even the goal.
“Go out first, in the second quarter, don’t get the ball,” he said. “Start getting targets at the end. I mean, I can’t do that. Start getting the ball when it’s 30-0. What do you want me to do?”
Nabers finished with 6 receptions on 9 targets for 64 yards, all in the second half. He wasn’t sure what happened in that disastrous first half and why he didn’t get the ball.
“I don’t know,” Nabers said. “Talk to [Giants coach Brian] Daboll about that.”
The Giants (2-9) find themselves at a crossroads, with just days to prepare for a Thanksgiving showdown against the Dallas Cowboys.
“Extremely [angry]”Lawrence said. “We played softly and they beat us up today.”
Lawrence did not consider the defense’s problem to be a lack of effort, although the Giants allowed 450 yards, which could have been more if not for the lopsided scoring in the fourth quarter. Instead, he pointed out his inability to address and cover.
Nabers, the explosive rookie receiver, seemed equally frustrated and upset. He said he’s tired of losing. And I didn’t think it had much or anything to do with what happened with Jones last week.
“Obviously, he’s not the quarterback,” Nabers said. “The same result we had with [Jones] at the quarterback. Take a look. Take a look. “He’s not the quarterback.”
So what is it?
“I don’t know. Everybody knows better than me. I don’t know. I honestly don’t know what it is,” he said. “I know I’m tired of losing.”
Eluemunor, who left the first quarter with a quadriceps injury and was unable to return, called the loss “embarrassing.”
The veteran offensive lineman who previously played for the Las Vegas Raiders and New England Patriots and recently changed positions for the second time this season for the good of the team, noted that the bad effort has occurred on more than one occasion this year.
“Obviously, it’s not the quarterback. The same result we had with [Daniel Jones] at the quarterback. Take a look. Take a look. “He’s not the quarterback.”
Malik Nabers
“Personally I don’t think everyone is giving 100 percent. And I mean, you’re 2-9, you have to be honest with everyone. I’m 29 years old. I’m a vet in this league and if anyone has a problem say they can come to see me, but I think this franchise and these coaches and these fans deserve better and, like I said, there are a lot of people on this team who give everything they have. “
This was the Giants’ fifth loss this season by eight points or more. They haven’t held a lead since winning in Seattle on Oct. 6, over a six-game span.
Daboll was then asked how to explain the kind of performance his team put forth on the field Sunday after their break.
“It wasn’t good. It wasn’t good,” he said. “For a variety of… missed tackles, conversions in the red zone, returning the ball to the red zone. We had a good week of practice. We did a lot of work and obviously it didn’t show.
“So there are no excuses.”
