There was a mix of emotions in the New York Giants locker room on Sunday evening following a 30-7 beatdown at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Some players were somber. Others were angry.
The varying emotions aside, a similar message was shared: The team had gone “soft” in front of their hometown fans.
“We played soft, and they beat the (expletive) out of us today,” nose tackle Dexter Lawrence said. “We missed a lot of tackles, we didn’t contain Baker (Mayfield) well in the scrambles, we didn’t cover well, it’s soft to me.”
The Giants have been a lot of things in recent seasons but “soft” was never one of them. Still, you can’t argue with Lawrence’s assessment, especially when that opinion was shared by several of his teammates.
“Soft as (expletive),” rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers said.
The timing of this fold is notable. It comes just days after the Giants agreed to release quarterback Daniel Jones who, despite all of his faults, was never once described as “soft.” On the contrary, many would admit that DJ was the team’s toughest player.
Even down 30-7 in the fourth quarter, Jones was the type of guy who would turn the corner, lower his shoulder, and level an opposing defender. It was a trait that earned the respect of his teammates — something they often raved about during his tenure.
Whether or not benching and subsequently releasing Jones was the right move, it was a decision that did not sit well with many in the locker room.
Head coach Brian Daboll had hoped to counteract that by starting Tommy DeVito on Sunday, who he expected to provide a “spark.” It wasn’t for lack of effort on DeVito’s part, but the fallout from Jones’ benching and release started earlier in the week.
Multiple reports suggested the team lacked energy early in Wednesday’s practice and that obviously carried over into the game. Without their offensive captain and his grit, the Giants wilted.
“I personally don’t think everybody is giving 100 percent,” offensive tackle Jermaine Eluemunor said, via ESPN.
The handling of Jones isn’t the sole reason the Giants played “soft” on Sunday but if you believe it had no impact on the players, you’re fooling yourself. And the result speaks for itself.
