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Notebook: Giants confident in Devin Singletary

DEVIN-SINGLETARY

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Devin Singletary was pleased with one play he made and vowed to repeat it if he can. But the Giants' leading rusher was dismayed about another play and hopes it doesn't happen again.

Singletary, the sixth-year veteran and first-season Giant, clinched the team's 21-15 victory Sunday in Cleveland when he gave himself up at the one-yard line when another step would have resulted in a 44-yard touchdown.

But with the Browns out of timeouts, Singletary knew the Giants could finish the game in victory formation after the 2-minute warning. He heard from family members, friends, and former teammates after the game, some apparently not as selfless as he.

"It was like, 'You're better than me, I would have scored,'" Singletary said today. "You're going to hear all of that. But for me, and what we got going on here, like I said I would, I'll do it over again. To secure that win, get us the first one on the board, I'll do it again, man."

Singletary said the decision was easy.

"Of course, you always want to score a touchdown," he said. "If you're on offense or defense, you want to score a touchdown. But in that situation where you're trying to get a win, trying to go 1-0 for that week, I'd do it over again if I had to."

It was Singletary's final touch in a game in which he had 16 carries for 65 yards and scored the Giants' first touchdown on a one-yard run and added four receptions for 43 yards.

What sticks with Singletary is not the 60-minute body of work or the sealing play at the end. It was his fumble on the Giants' first possession of the second half. Singletary was hit by defensive tackle Shelby Harris, who separated him from the ball, which was recovered by safety Ronnie Hickman. The turnover didn't cost the Giants because Dustin Hopkins missed a 53-yard field goal attempt.

But the fumble was Singletary's second in as many games on the first series of the third quarter. His turnover in Washington led to a Commanders field goal that tied the score, 12-12, in a game the Giants lost, 21-18.

Singletary is determined to hold onto the ball when the Giants host the Dallas Cowboys Thursday night in MetLife Stadium. Though the Giants are limited to walk-throughs because of the short week, Singletary has worked on ball security.

"You hear it a lot, do the little things, do simple right," Singletary said. "It goes a long way and that's doing simple right. Sometimes people (will say) you hear it all the time, but it's true. You gotta get back to the fundamentals. It goes a long way and that's what we're doing now."

Singletary has 5,468 yards from scrimmage on 1,114 career touches. He has fumbled 16 times, losing seven. When Brian Daboll was his offensive coordinator in Buffalo from his rookie year in 2019 through the 2021 season, Singletary lost two of 10 fumbles.

Daboll, now the Giants head coach, was asked today about the necessity of Singletary taking better care of the ball.

"He knows that," Daboll said. "He's a pro. He'll work on that. I've been around him a bunch. You can't let one bad or two bad plays define a lot of the good things. So, you keep working on your ball security, and he'll do that."

"He's a pro, played a lot of football," quarterback Daniel Jones said. "We have a lot of confidence in him and that's not changing any of our confidence. He's played well, come back and been big time for us. No one's losing confidence in that."

In the first four games of the 2021 season, Singletary fumbled four times, including twice in the opener. But he's fumbled just eight times in the 55 games since then, including six in the playoffs. Last year in Houston, Singletary played 19 games and fumbled only once. So, two in the first three games this season is unacceptable to him.

"Definitely something I gotta correct," Singletary said. "When I'm running, I gotta cover it up with two hands when I'm in traffic. Been doing a lot of drill work with that; teammates have been helping me out a lot with that trying to do punch outs and stuff, even though we're doing walk-throughs, we're still getting those punch attempts. I definitely have to clean that up because can't be turning the ball over.

"I don't look at myself as a fumbler. It comes with the game. Guys that get paid to do this (on defense) just like me. You gotta have thick skin. Mentally, you gotta be locked in, you gotta be tough mentally and keep rolling. I definitely don't want to let my guys down anymore."

*On Sunday, Malik Nabers became the second NFL player this season with a rushing attempt, passing attempt and a reception in the same game. Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed that trifecta against Baltimore on Sept. 5.

*Nabers made two highlight-reel catches in Cleveland, reaching over cornerback Martin Emerson, Jr. for a 28-yard gain, and following moments later with a toe-tapping 4-yard touchdown reception on the left side of the end zone.

It seems Nabers impressed everyone in the stadium, except for…Malik Nabers.

"They were good catches, but I've made some way better catches than that," he said. "I'm not surprised by it. It's just how I play, it's how I am."

When has he made those better receptions?

"I always make some crazy catches in practice," Nabers said, "so I'm excited to see how the practice can translate to the game."

*Because of calf injuries they suffered in Cleveland, cornerbacks Adoree' Jackson and Dru Phillips would not have worked had the Giants practiced today. Daboll said, "we'll go all the way to the end like we normally do" before determining their availability for Thursday's game.

*Corner Nick McCloud, who missed the last two games with a knee injury, was on the field. Asked if McCloud will play, Daboll said, "we're not doing physical activity, but that's my hope."

McCloud would have been limited in practice, along with defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence (foot), linebacker Micah McFadden (back) and wide receiver Darius Slayton (thumb).

View rare photos from the historic rivalry between the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys.

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