When his character came into question, Giants star wideout Malik Nabers took to social media to take on former player and TV analyst Greg Olsen, who criticized the receiver’s sideline demeanor during Sunday’s broadcast.
One former New York Giants coach is running to Nabers’ defense. Ex-Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, who had a messy split with the team in 2024, harbors no bad blood toward the receiver and spoke up to defend Nabers against Olsen’s critique.
“I’m with Malik on this. Somebody put that in his ear, whether it’s to keep his contract down for the next year when they want to extend him or whatever it is, I don’t know. But just keep playing,” Martindale said, appearing on Giants insider Pat Leonard’s “Talkin’ Ball” podcast.
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“I love the kid. I love his competitiveness.”
During the Giants’ visit to Philadelphia on Sunday, Olsen and boothmate Joe Davis kept pointing to Nabers’ “negative” body language on the sideline. They also called him out for pouting after a Giants drive finished with an Isaiah Likely touchdown.
“His body language has been terrible today,” Davis said.
Olsen proved more frustrated with Nabers.
“I have played with a lot of really good wide receivers, a lot [of] really good players. There’s never been a great wide receiver who hasn’t demanded the ball. That kind of comes with the territory. But there is a very fine line between being demanding, being a competitor, and all those great things. That’s great. It just can never cross that it feels like it takes away from the success of your teammates.
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“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. That’s the fine line. He is a talented, young, really good player. You’ve just got to keep it in check.”
Martindale added, “Think about all the great players that John Harbaugh’s coached. Does he get blown up more because it’s in New York? Of course it does. But it’s nothing new for John.”
Martindale knows a thing or two about friction inside New York’s building. Following months of simmering tension during the 2023 season, his Giants tenure imploded in January 2024 after head coach Brian Daboll fired Martindale’s trusted defensive assistants. Martindale reportedly cursed out Daboll, stormed out, and mutually parted ways.
Despite showing visible frustration during the Giants’ 19-11 win in Philadelphia, where he had five catches for 43 yards after four straight 100-yard games, Nabers’ commitment was never questioned by his locker room.
Giants players publicly defended him as a “good teammate, ” with running back Cam Skattebo noting that Nabers’ sideline annoyance when lacking targets simply reflects a competitive edge teammates “love to see.”
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