Giants legend goes off rookies: They ‘are lazy and stupid’

After the Giants dropped their third-straight game with a 26-18 loss to the Steelers, Tiki Barber went off on the lack of execution from New York’s rookies.
The former Giants running back said the younger players are not living up to expectations. Malik Nabers, this year’s No. 6 overall pick, had a costly drop in the fourth quarter Monday night. Cornerback Deonte Banks, a 2023 first-rounder, was benched in the second half.
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“Rookies suck, because they don’t get it,” Barber said on WFAN, via Audacy. “I don’t think Malik Nabers is one of those guys that are just happy to be there. But a lot of guys are just happy to be there. ‘Hey, I’m in the N…dude, you don’t know what it takes to be a superstar. You can’t quit on plays, Deonte Banks. You can’t drop passes, Malik Nabers.  You gotta run routes. First game of the season…I got on Malik Nabers because he was lazy running his routes…rookies are lazy and stupid because they don’t understand what it takes to be a professional.
“Rookies are dumb. They don’t understand. Some of them get it, but a lot of them don’t. don’t sit here and talk to me about coaching, because players are ultimately the ones who have to do it.
“Dabs coaches these guys hard. They’re just not executing.”
Banks was criticized for a lack of effort in the Week 7 loss to the Eagles after he didn’t fully chase and hit a scrambling Jalen Hurts. The second-year corner was replaced by recent practice squad call-up Greg Stroman after his benching.
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Bridget Hyland may be reached at [email protected].