Brian Daboll’s first year as head coach of the New York Giants has been a success largely because of the excellent staff around him. Daboll assembled an exceptional braintrust of assistants led by coordinators Mike Kafka and Don ‘Wink’ Martindale, both of whom are among eight prime candidates to land a head-coaching gig this offseason, according to Mike Jones of The Athletic.
Martindale would be the bigger loss, and not just because of how he’s brought creativity and aggression to a burgeoning Giants defense. The 59-year-old is also “praised by players” for his leadership skills, per Jones.
Giants Can’t Afford to Let Key Coach Leave
The Giants would still be in good hands if Kafka swapped his role as offensive coordinator for a job as a head coach elsewhere in the NFL. Daboll’s presence would ensure that, thanks to his own history as a designer of prolific offenses for the Buffalo Bills and Josh Allen.
Replacing former Baltimore Ravens DC Martindale would be far more difficult. He runs a blitz and disguise-heavy scheme that’s unlike most around the league.
Martindale’s been calling his particular scheme for a number of years, but Jones doesn’t believe experience would count against him come hiring time: “The trend around the league is the young, fresh-faced head coach. But Martindale, 59, could prove to be the exception. The longtime Ravens assistant joined Daboll’s staff and has helped transform the Giants defense into one of the stingiest units on third downs, which ranks among the key factors in New York reaching the postseason for the first time in six seasons. In addition to his X-and-O skills, Martindale’s leadership, transparency and motivational skills are praised by players.”
Plenty of coach-needy teams would welcome a play-caller who’s helped the Giants allow a mere 67 of 191 third-down conversions this season. The Giants consistently stop teams on football’s money down because of how Martindale keeps opponents guessing by mixing man and zone coverage, with NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger highlighting examples from Week 17’s 38-10 win over the Indianapolis Colts:
.@giants defense has a lot of interchangeable parts; and in Wink Martindale, they have a great MasterMind! They gave the @colts a lot of 3rd down looks and @TheHumble_21 made the biggest play of the game. It’s good to be #BigBlue. Excited for January Football #BaldysBreakdowns
Showing different coverage looks is one thing, but Martindale is known for his fondness for sending extra rushers on the blitz. His gameplans have yielded a 38.9 percent blitz rate, the highest in the league, according to Pro Football Reference.
Many of those pressures have come out of unusual looks like this one that felled Lamar Jackson against the Ravens in Week 6 and earned praise from Gridiron Managing Editor Ollie Connolly:
A Wink Martindale defense:
– 1st in the league in blitz rate
– 1st in the league in bat-shit beautiful designs
– 1st in our hearts
Marrtindale’s aggressions hasn’t always served the Giants so well. It’s still true those who live by the blitz will also die by it, the way the Giants did against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 16.
The Vikes beat a Martindale a blitz on 3rd-and-11 with a wide receiver screen to Justin Jefferson that set up a 61-yard game-winning field goal. Despite the result, Martindale didn’t regret his aggressive call, per Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post: “It’s one of those things that if you have an ‘NY’ on your helmet — or the throwback ‘Giants’ on your helmet — we’re going to attack. We’re going to try to win the game. … I’d do it all over again just trying to win the game, because that’s who we are. I think the fans of New York appreciate that mentality.”
Having this much faith in his scheme is why teams would want Martindale as a head coach. It’s also why he can be the Giants’ secret weapon in the playoffs.
Coordinator’s Playoff Experience Vital for Giants
Martindale isn’t short of playoff pedigree, according to Charlotte Carroll of The Athletic: “In Martindale’s four Baltimore playoff games, his defenses allowed just 20 points per game, which is all the more impressive considering that in the two highest-scoring games, the Ravens had to overcome three turnovers by their offense.”
That’s a good omen for a Giants team preparing to continue surprising the experts and confounding its critics. Defense is a big reason to believe the Giants can embark on a postseason run.
Players like Pro-Bowl nose tackle Dexter Lawrence II and rookie edge-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux will dominate the trenches against anybody in the NFC. Meanwhile, Martindale’s relentless pressure calls make even the best quarterbacks look average, something Daboll and Allen learned the hard way when the Ravens beat the Bills in 2019, per Ravens Vault co-host Sarah Ellison:
Wink Martindale is blessed with a special secondary to blitz like a MADMAN.
He sent 5+ rushers Sunday on 27 of 45 drop backs, per @FilmstudyRavens.
The results? 8 yds allowed, 4 sacks, 1 takeaway & game-sealing PD.
Poor Josh Allen didn’t have a chance.
That game likely played a big part in Daboll hiring Martindale when he took the top job at MetLife Stadium. The Giants need this relationship to last more than a year, and there’s good reason to believe it will.
Hiring Trends Won’t Help Giants Favorite
Right or wrong, ageing defensive minds aren’t coveted by those teams on the head coach carousel. The dismal end to Mike Zimmer’s tenure with the Vikings and Vic Fangio’s with the Denver Broncos last season, along with Ron Rivera’s struggles in charge of the Giants’ NFC East rivals the Washington Commanders, have likely further soured teams on hiring journeyman coaches with backgrounds in defense.
Rivera isn’t the only defense-based HC who has found the going tough this season. The same is true for New Orleans Saints boss Dennis Allen, Tampa Bay Buccaneers chief Todd Bowles and Matt Eberflus with the Chicago Bears.
All three earned promotions during last year’s hiring cycle, but have combined for just 18 wins this season. Teams looking to fill vacancies in 2023 will have second thoughts about giving the keys to the kingdom to a defensive coordinator.
Good news for the Giants and Martindale’s players.
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Giants Could Lose ‘Exception’ from Brian Daboll’s Coaching Staff