Giants DC Wink Martindale Wants to Stay in NY Despite Reported Rift with HC Daboll
New York Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale has expressed a desire to remain with the team beyond this season despite reported disagreements between himself and head coach Brian Daboll (per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan).
When asked by reporters on Friday if he wants to return next year, Martindale responded with a blunt “Yeah.” He revealed that he hasn’t discussed his future status with the team’s owners, though.
“We haven’t even talked about it because, like I said, to me that is where it gets back to the players and being focused on winning this game [against the Green Bay Packers on Monday],” he said.
Just before the Giants’ 10-7 win over the New England Patriots in Week 12, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported that tension had been building between Daboll and Martindale in New York’s locker room.
“Bad place to the point where I don’t see them actually continuing their relationship after this season, maybe not even during this season,” said Glazer.
Despite boasting a talented defensive line that includes Pro Bowler Dexter Lawrence and former No. 5 overall pick Kayvon Thibodeaux, the Giants’ defense as a whole has struggled in 2023. New York is allowing 364.3 total yards per game, the fifth-worst mark in the NFL.
It’s worth mentioning that Daboll’s offense hasn’t fared much better by recording a paltry 258.7 yards each contest, the lowest average in the league. The Giants’ defense has slowly unraveled at the end of games due to the extended period of time that they’re on the field after the offense fails to consistently move the chains.
However, Martindale didn’t give any indication that the relationship between himself and Daboll is rocky.
“We’re fine,” he said, via Raanan. “It’s the same thing it was last year. It was just different because we were winning more games.”
At 4-8, the Giants are still outside of the NFC playoff picture despite winning consecutive games. They’ll attempt to continue the streak with a matchup against the Packers on Monday Night Football, with kickoff set for 8:15 p.m. ET.
