Giants' Nabers says it will be his call if he plays against Cowboys

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- It's up to New York Giants standout wide receiver Malik Nabers if he plays Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys. That much is crystal clear three days before the opener. Nabers has been a full participant in practice this week but still insists he hasn't made a final decision despite having confidence in his knee as he recovers from a torn ACL suffered in Week 4 of last season. "They're leaving that decision up to me," Nabers said on Thursday. Nabers had surgery on his knee last October. The Giants' No. 1 receiver had a follow-up procedure earlier this year to relieve stiffness and clean out scar tissue. The Pro Bowl player sat out the spring but was on the field for the start of training camp. He's been a regular ever since, even returning to live drills in recent weeks. "I'm very confident on my ability to move. So I'm very confident," Nabers said. "Like I said, I put in great work, tested well. I've done tremendous testing. So, overall, I'm good. My confidence is there. It's just when do I want to put it on display." The Giants open against the rival Cowboys and then play on the road the following Monday night against the Los Angeles Rams. Nabers said he'll let God lead him in the right direction and tell him when to play. Nabers said it's all trending in the right direction. But It doesn't appear as he wants to play limited snaps or on a pitch count. If he returns, it will be on full blast. "If that's the case, then they're not letting the decision be on me," Nabers said of a possible pitch count. "I would come to them and tell them I want to be on a pitch count. I wouldn't want anyone to tell my I'm going to be on a pitch count because at the end of the day it's my career and it's my body. "If a pitch count is in the conversation, then I will lead that conversation. The decision will be on me." The Giants are leaving it dangling for now. Coach John Harbaugh said Wednesday he wasn't going to disclose whether Nabers would play Sunday night. "I can just say this right now. Can we put a stop to all these questions because I'm not going to tell you who's playing in the game. I'm not going to tell you who's starting," Harbaugh said. "I'm not going to tell you what package we have in. I'm not going to tell you what plays we're running. I'm not going to tell you any of that. OK? "So we can make it great and have a great press conference or we can make it uncomfortable. But I'm not going to tell you because if you know, then the Cowboys know. Or every other team we play knows. And that's not [in] the competitive interests of our football team. Does that make sense? So I think you can respect that." Harbaugh added that Nabers "looked good" for a second straight day. But Nabers said he's not playing around. This isn't an attempt to keep the Cowboys guessing. There is still a decision to be made. "By the look on my face, do you feel like that is what it is?" Nabers said. "I don't care who I play. I don't have no fear in anybody. I'll let them know if I'm playing. I'll let them not know if I'm not playing. If you see me out there, you see me out there. If not, you don't." The 23-year-old wide receiver is looking at this from a much broader perspective. There is a big-picture element to it all. Nabers is in his third year with the Giants and is eligible for a contract extension after this season. "I've been wanting to play for so long now. At the end of the day, I can't put my career at risk. I got to take that into account," he said. "There is a lot of football that I still have left to play. So making a split decision on when am I [playing], when do I think I'm able to perform rather than just go out there, I think the coaches know that and I know that. I have a lot more football to play. So just being conscious and making sure I'm at the right standpoint of going back out there."