Malik Nabors said with a smile about fellow rookie Tyrone Tracy Jr.
When he ended his chances of playing in Sunday's game against the Colts (he missed practice Thursday because of a toe injury), the grim look on his face disappeared.
Nabors lit up again when asked about the entire rookie class: himself, Tracy, safety Tyler Nubin, cornerback Jrue Phillips, tight end Theo Johnson and linebacker Darius Muasau.
“We all feel like idiots,” Nabors said.
Nabers, the crown jewel of this class, is most impressed by the group's toughness and willingness to make hurtful plays, even when they suffer repeated losses.
He singled out Nubin and Johnson for playing through early-season injuries that ultimately required season-ending surgery.
If possible, Nabers is scheduled to play in Sunday's game against the Colts, even though Giants fans would probably prefer him to sit out the game in order to get the No. 1 overall pick in April's NFL Draft.
“We have a mentality that we want to win,” the standout receiver said. “There's nothing stopping us from accomplishing what we want to do. We're limited in how far we can go to achieve it as a group and as a group. I'm happy about that.”
It was a positive in this lost season. Tracy, a fifth-round pick, is 17 yards shy of 1,000 yards from scrimmage.
Phillips, a third-round pick of the Giants, looks like a slot corner keeper, and his Pro Football Focus grade of 77.8 ranks him 11th out of 217 players at his position.
He has allowed just 30 catches for 274 yards and one touchdown in 14 games, according to NextGenStats.
Johnson appeared in 12 games and showed promise as a pass catcher, recording 29 receptions for 331 yards and one touchdown before a foot injury ended his season on Thanksgiving.
Muasau has started to shine recently, recording 11 tackles (four of his lone tackles) in last Sunday's loss to the Falcons.
Next up, Nabors, who was the No. 6 overall pick in last April's draft, is three yards short of 100 yards receiving and 31 yards short of 1,000 yards. He already holds the team's rookie record for receptions.
The only Giants rookie with over 1,000 yards receiving was Odell Beckham Jr. (1,305 yards) in 2014.
“There's a lot of things to fix, a lot of things that we can look back on in our rookie year and continue to work on to improve on next year. I'm happy with this group… They picked ” Nabers said. “We've done a lot of great things and we hope to continue doing those things throughout the year.”
Tracey added: “As you can see from what we've put on tape so far, we have a bright future with this organization. … We want to win at all costs because we think we're winners. We're the dudes. You can see that each of us plays with energy and passion. Whether we're up 10 points or down 10 points, we still scream and play hard. That's just in us. You can’t really coach that.”
The Giants' immediate future is uncertain. It's whether coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schon return.
Who will be the team's starting quarterback next season?
But this rookie class has at least given this devastated fan base a reason to believe that next year and the years after that won't be so bad.
“It's been tough, but we have a lot of fire in store for next year,” Nabors said. “Thank you to the fans who came out and supported us this year. But we have to be better. We have to go out there and put on a show. I've been trying to do that, but things didn't work out [gone right].
“But, yes, next year, there's a fire burning inside me to give the fans a show every time I'm on the field. That's why I'm going to continue to be out there and give the fans their lives, the team's lives.” That's why I keep going out there and showing my skills, leading by example, and trying to be that guy.''
