Giants coach Tom Coughlin is feeling pressure, and in turn he’s putting pressure on his players. And one player in particular, wide receiver Hakeem Nicks, felt Coughlin’s wrath the day after the Giants’ loss to the Titans.
An Eli Manning pass bounced off Nicks’ hands and was intercepted on Sunday, and that’s the second time this season that has happened. Coughlin says twice is twice too many.
“Why this is taking place with Hakeem . . . you have to catch that ball,” Coughlin said, per Mike Garafolo of the Star-Ledger. “I can tell you, ‘Yeah, the route should have been this way and the quarterback should have put it here,’ and so on. You have to catch the ball.”
Nicks blamed the mistake on “Lack of concentration. You have to look the ball all the way in. It just comes from trying to make a move before you look the ball all the way in.”
Coughlin says that whatever the reason, the Giants’ receivers need to stop dropping passes.
“You expect a guy at this level, if he gets his hands on the ball, he better catch the ball,” Coughlin said. “Period.”