Four days after New York Giants team captain Xavier McKinney criticized defensive coaches for failing to listen to veteran leaders, defensive coordinator Wink Martindale addressed those complaints head on.
“It surprised me because it’s the first time it’s ever happened in my career,” Martindale reacted candidly during his Week 10 press conference on November 9. “That a player would make a statement like that.”
“I think it was a case where the kid is just frustrated from losing,” the Giants DC went on. “We spoke, we cleared it up. The example that he gave me of what he was talking about was an in-game adjustment and it was over — I mean, it really took a while for him to point out to me exactly what it was, but I think that you grow from that.”
Martindale did add that he told McKinney that comments like that can “hurt the locker room” and “hurt the defensive room.” He also noted that statements like his “put money in [the media’s] pockets and takes it out of [the team’s].”
Hinting that reporters are always looking for a quote that they can make a headline out of.
“It was an emotional thing right after the game, and you just gotta learn from it,” the long-time NFL coach concluded, confirming that he and McKinney have already moved on from it.
Giants Teammates Don’t Back Xavier McKinney
Martindale also told reporters that he made sure to check in with his other captains and veterans on the defensive side, but McKinney was supposedly the only player with any sort of issues.
“I talked to everybody in every room, and I said — hey, is there something that we’re not discussing? Is there a problem here?” Martindale explained. “To a man, they said no.”
On the offensive side of the locker room, fellow team captain Andrew Thomas dismissed McKinney’s leadership critiques as well.
“I would say you have to ask Xavier that,” Thomas responded when asked about the situation.
Continuing: “I don’t know exactly where he’s coming from or where he’s feeling that, but for me personally, I think we do a good job just being able to communicate with the staff. Anything we need or any of our frustrations or whatever, any questions we have, I feel like they are pretty open.”
Martindale reiterated that if players have any sort of complaint, they should “say something” to the staff. He also made it clear that the Giants have already addressed the issue, and that it shouldn’t be a problem from here.
“We like confrontation,” he stated, implying that he’d rather talk things out in person. “I like confrontation. I think that’s the only way you can move forward as a defense and go from there. If you don’t do that… I think that you’re letting something grow that, it’s needless to let grow.”
The NYG DC expects McKinney to be in his usual role against the Dallas Cowboys.
Rehashing Xavier McKinney Comments About Giants Coaches
If you missed McKinney’s quotes, or need a refresher, here they were again.
“I think that from a leadership standpoint, I don’t think they’ve done a great job of letting the leaders lead, and listening to the leaders and the captains,” the starting safety told ESPN’s Jordan Raanan after Week 9.
Later, McKinney went into more detail.
“It was little things,” he told Raanan. “It was one of those things where you have some of your leaders, captains from a defensive standpoint, trying to switch things up. And just not really being heard.”
McKinney also acknowledged that “there are other things too that we could’ve done” like execute better. Adding: “When you got guys out there that are playing and seeing different things and are being vocal and communicating that with the coaches and whoever and are not being heard, it’s hard to go out there and be able to make plays and do things of that nature.”
The former second-round pick did voice that “we have to stick together.” He also said that “there is not going to be any breakage to the guys in this locker room.”
Hopefully, this is one drama that the G-Men can put behind them.
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Giants DC Wink Martindale Reacts to ‘Leadership’ Critique