Giants players call team “soft” and question performance after loss

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – Defensive captain Dexter Lawrence II thought the New York Giants played “soft” 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 didn’t get a touchdown in the first half.

“Soft as fuck,” he said, frustrated.

Veteran offensive player Jermaine Eluemunor’s assessment suggested a lack of overall performance.

“I personally don’t think everyone gives 100 percent,” Eluemunor said.

Standout edge rusher Brian Burns on the 30-0 deficit at home in the bye week: “That sucks.”

Not exactly a glowing review of what the Giants (2-9) brought to the field as they lost their sixth straight game. It was also their first contest this year without Daniel Jones at quarterback.

Jones was benched earlier in the week. He was released on Friday. The “spark” the Giants expected from Tommy DeVito wasn’t there for reasons that go far beyond the quarterback.

DeVito threw for 35 yards and was sacked three times in the first half alone as the Giants trailed 23-0 at halftime. He finished the game 21 of 31 passing for 189 yards.

It was as if Nabers, the Giants’ best playmaker, hadn’t played in that first half. He wasn’t even targeted.

“Go out in the first and second quarters, don’t get the ball,” he said. “Start scoring goals at the end. I mean, that doesn’t work. Start getting the ball when it’s 30-0. What should I do?”

Nabers finished the game with 6 catches 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 it.”

The Giants (2-9) are at a crossroads with just a few days left to prepare for a Thanksgiving matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.

“Extremely (angry),” Lawrence said. “We played softly and they completely beat us today.”

Lawrence didn’t think the defense’s problem was a lack of effort, although the Giants allowed 450 yards, which could have been more but for the lopsided fourth-quarter result. Instead, he pointed out their inability to attack and cover.

Nabers, the explosive rookie receiver, appeared equal parts frustrated and upset. He said he was tired of losing. And he didn’t think it had much, if anything, to do with what happened to Jones last week.

“Obviously it’s not the quarterback,” Nabers said. “We had the same result with (Jones) at quarterback. Take a look. Take a look. It’s not the quarterback.”

So what is it?

“I don’t know it. Everyone knows it better than me. I don’t know it. Honestly, I don’t know what it is,” he said. “I know, I’m tired of losing.”

Eluemunor, who left in 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 to benefit the team, noted that the poor performance has happened more than once this year.

“Obviously it’s not the quarterback. We had the same result with (Daniel Jones) at quarterback. Take a look. Take a look. It’s not the quarterback.”

Malik Nabers

“Personally, I don’t think everyone gives 100 percent. And I mean, you’re 2-9, you have to be honest with everyone. I am 29 years old. I’m a veteran in this league, and if anyone has done that.” It’s a problem when I say they can come see me, but I think this franchise and these coaches deserve a lot more. And like I said, there are a lot of people on this team who are giving everything they have.”

This was the Giants’ fifth loss this season by a margin of eight or more points. They haven’t had a lead over a six-game span since the win in Seattle on October 6th.

Daboll was then asked how he could explain the performance his team showed on the field on Sunday after the bye.

“It wasn’t good. It wasn’t good,” he said. “For a variety of…missed tackles, conversions in the red zone, turning the ball back in the red zone. We had a good week of training. We worked a lot and obviously it didn’t show.”

“So no excuses.”