You get the ball, or you get the ball.
Spreading the wealth in the passing game was not part of what the Giants were all about in the first four games of a season that is already in danger of slipping away, mainly because of a scoring attack that quite simply does not score enough.
There is no real disguise for what the Giants want to do when they possess the ball.
First option: Throw it to rookie Malik Nabers.
Second option: Throw it to Wan’Dale Robinson.
Third option: Whatever.
Alright, “whatever’’ is not exactly the approach adopted by Brian Daboll, the head coach and the play-caller on offense.
Darius Slayton is a viable player to get the ball to but he comes in at a distant third in the passing-game pecking order.
Nabers is being used in overdrive.
He was targeted 38 percent of the time — 52 targets in 136 attempts — when the Giants threw the ball, the highest target percentage in the NFL heading into this weekend.
Robinson was not far behind, with 38 targets.
Together, Nabers and Robinson accounted for 66 percent of Daniel Jones’ targets.
Share the ball?
Sure, between two players.
“You try to do what you can do to get the ball in your playmakers’ hands,’’ Daboll said. “I think those two guys are two good playmakers for us. You throw the ball, whatever it was, 40 times [vs. the Cowboys] and they accounted for half of those and then the other pieces go. I thought Slay did a good job of creating separation. He had a couple opportunities. He could’ve had about five [receptions] for over 100 [yards].
“We ask those guys, the tight ends in particular, to block a fair amount. Use them in protection. But, I’d say everybody’s viable on each and every play, but you certainly try to get the ball to the guys like a Malik, like a Wan’Dale, like a Slay, that you think can do some stuff with the ball in their hands.’’
Is this sustainable?
Should it be?
Jalin Hyatt, a speed receiver expected to take a step forward in his second season, cannot get any action.
He has been targeted only three times and does not have a catch.
Rookie tight end Theo Johnson has three receptions and Daniel Bellinger has two.
Five catches from the tight end position is basically an afterthought mode of operation.
Would getting the tight ends involved as pass catchers help the offense become more balanced?
“I mean, sure, I guess you could say that,’’ Robinson said. “At the end of the day, guys have got to go out there and get open. I think DJ just goes through his reads and once he sees what he sees, and delivers the ball to whoever. Just got to keep going each week and doing what we’ve got to do and doing what we can as an offense just to go out there and make plays.’’
Nabers came out of the 20-15 loss to the Cowboys on Thursday night with a concussion and he is in the protocol.
It sounded as if he was not experiencing any significant symptoms and it will benefit him to have 10 days between games, with the Giants next taking the field Sunday in Seattle.
No receiver is going to complain about seeing the ball frequently come his way.
So much activity, though, could be a factor in the wide receivers failing to make plays they needed to make.
Through three games, the Giants were second in the league in dropped passes with 10, a drop rate of an unacceptable 8.5 percent.
And then, in Week 4, Nabers, Robinson and Slayton all had drops that proved to be costly as Jones was not helped out by the guys he was throwing to.
“He’s played great the last two, three weeks, he’s playing really good ball,’’ Slayton said. “It honestly just came down to the rest of us either not committing penalties or making plays on the ball.’’
And catching the ball more consistently would help.
“Us as receivers, we feel like we should catch every ball,’’ Robinson said. “Especially if it’s coming and hitting our hands. So, that’s on us. At the end of the day, we’ve got to make those plays for Daniel even if it’s not a perfect ball. For us, it’s just making sure we’re looking at it all the way in and not trying to do too much before making the catch all the way.’’
