New York Giants rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers is under a lot of pressure as his first NFL regular season approaches.
First off, Naber is expected to singlehandedly save the Giants’ punchless offense with his extraordinary talent. As a top 10 pick (No. 6 overall) he knows how much is riding on him being successful.
But this week, Nabers did something that most rookies — or even veterans — in this league wouldn’t dare do. He requested to wear a uniform number that is retired.
Giants co-owner John Mara and the family of a man whose number Nabers will be wearing, Ray Flaherty, made that happen. Now even more pressure has been placed on Nabers’ shoulders. He believes he can handle it.
“It shows how much trust they have in me, it shows how much they are really going to go to bat for me,” Nabers said on Thursday. “They say it’s a lot of pressure, but I don’t really feel any pressure… I’ve had pressure my whole life. Made it out of a lot of situations with pressure. I feel like I like pressure. So, I’m happy that it’s on me. I mean, I guess if everybody puts pressure on me, then it’s good.”
Nabers said “the person makes the number,” not the other way around. The number itself has no real significance to him. He’s never worn it, but he knows it means a lot to the Giants, their fans, and especially the Flaherty family.
“I’m grateful and thankful to the family for letting me wear this number. I know this number hasn’t been worn for 80 to 90 years,” Nabers said. “I’m going to try my best to wear it with pride, continue to be who I am. But again, thankful to the family for letting me wear it. But it’s about me right now. I’ve got to go play in that jersey.”
People are finally getting to know Nabers — and Flaherty — through this endeavor. That’s a good thing. Many Giants fans on social media have admitted they knew very little about Flaherty until this week. A new generation of fans are learning about this great player and coach from the past.
They’re about to learn about Nabers as well. He says he doesn’t really like to talk about himself. He’d rather let his talent do the talking.
” I believe, I’m just a dog. When I’m out there on the field, I just want to be a dog, be a difference maker, and be a player that my coaches can count on really,” he said.
The Giants want that, too. Nabers is playing for two legacies now, both his and Flaherty’s. No matter how you slice it, that’s a lot of pressure.
