Giants head coach John Harbaugh declined to weigh in on his star receiver’s on-field demeanor Monday, pushing back against a Fox broadcast team that had openly criticized Malik Nabers’ body language during New York’s 19-11 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
The scrutiny began in the first half, as the Giants’ offense struggled and an increasingly frustrated Nabers was shown waving his arm after a pass from quarterback J.J. McCarthy sailed behind him.
“His body language has been terrible today,” play-by-play announcer Joe Davis said early in the fourth quarter. Analyst Greg Olsen, the former NFL tight end, agreed: “It’s just not good.”
Harbaugh was asked about the commentary Monday and declined to render a verdict on his player’s conduct.
“If you really don’t know the person or you don’t know the dynamic or you don’t know the circumstances or who the person’s talking to, especially if you’re judging through a TV screen, how do you have any idea what the application is and how do you judge it?” Harbaugh said. “It’s really hard to judge it, make a judgment on it. That’s good, bad, especially to say good or bad. I don’t think that really even makes any sense to me. And then you don’t really know the person, you don’t know the relationship between the people. So I try to stay out of all that and probably good advice for others too.”
Nabers finished the game with five receptions for 43 yards.
Later in the same broadcast, Olsen returned to the subject with a more measured take, drawing a distinction between competitive fire and conduct that undercuts teammates.
“There’s never been a great wide receiver who hasn’t demanded the ball. That kind of comes with the territory,” Olsen said. “But there is a very fine line between being demanding, being a competitor, and all those great things. It just can never cross that it feels like it takes away from the success of your teammates. So when your teammate catches a wide-open touchdown, you need to be the happiest guy on the field. You can’t still be worried about your targets. So that’s the fine line. He’s a talented, young, really good player. He’s just got to keep it in check.”
Separately, Harbaugh addressed a special-teams miscue from the same game, in which kick returner Charlie Jones — playing with a protective wrap on an injured right thumb — muffed a punt. Harbaugh said the mistake wasn’t related to the injury.
“It wasn’t thumb related if that’s what you’re asking,” Harbaugh said. “It was more just decision-making.”
Looking ahead, the Giants’ Nov. 22 home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at MetLife Stadium has been flexed to a 4:25 p.m. kickoff, moved from its original 1 p.m. start time.
The team is also asking fans attending Thursday night’s game to wear white for a “White Out” atmosphere, with players taking the field in their Vintage White uniforms. The night will include special player introductions and a fireworks and laser show beginning at 7:45 p.m.
