The New York Giants didn’t just lose in Week 1 — they flatlined. The offense was lifeless, the offensive line didn't show up, and Russell Wilson looked every bit as lost as the box score suggests. But the real fireworks happened before the second half even started.
On the sideline, with the game already slipping away, Brian Daboll and Malik Nabers had what we’ll generously call a “disagreement.” Cameras caught the Giants head coach jawing at his star wideout, who didn’t exactly love the feedback. One game into the season, and the guy who called the team “soft as f**k” last year was already barking again. Can’t say he’s wrong.
After the game, Daboll brushed it off: "Leek and I are two highly competitive people. We want to get him the ball, that’s all it is.” That might’ve sounded better after a win. But following a 21-6 disaster where the offense gained just 231 yards? It’s tough to sell anything as fine.
Brian Daboll’s uninspiring postgame explanation didn’t fool anyone
The whole thing would’ve been a nothingburger if it weren’t Daboll’s second straight year failing to manage Nabers' temper. This isn’t new. It’s just a sequel to the sideline tension fans saw in 2024, when Nabers openly torched the coaching staff for not getting him the ball, despite finishing with 170 targets and over 1,200 yards. No one's bringing up Odell Beckham Jr., but...
This time around, the frustration came way faster. Nabers finished with 12 targets and still looked dejected. When your first-round wideout is yelling at your head coach before the third quarter even starts, it’s probably not just about “competing.” It’s about credibility. And Dabs burned through most of his last year.
What made the quote worse was how toothless it sounded. You can’t downplay visible dysfunction right after putting up six points and 231 total yards in a season-opening divisional game. You can’t throw the offense's only true weapon into the fire with a 36-year-old quarterback behind a junior varsity line and act surprised when tensions boil over. You definitely can’t wave it off like it’s nothing.
So, what is Daboll going to do about it? How will he rectify this non-situation?
The locker room watched that moment. So did the front office. And John Mara has a front-row seat to another year of finger-pointing and fourth-quarter irrelevance. Daboll’s got more to worry about than a few fiery quotes, especially when the players showing the frustrations might be the only ones trying to win.