Things are, apparently, getting tense on the New York Giants coaching staff. Seemingly, a lot of that intensity comes down to the relationship between defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale and head coach Brian Daboll.
A veteran coordinator, it was widely reported that Martindale resigned following the end of the season. Now, more details about the situation are coming to light.
According to the NY Post, Martindale cursed out Daboll before storming out of the building. The Giants, apparently, have not heard from their defensive coordinator since then. That includes not hearing from him about the supposed resignation or what his plans for the future are in general.
The issues between Martindale and Daboll seem to stem from a postseason meeting where Daboll said he wanted to make staff changes. That includes special teams coach Thomas McGaughey and offensive line coach Bobby Johnson. On top of that, Daboll brought up firing the Wilkins brothers. Drew Wilkins, in particular, works closely with Martindale and came with him from Baltimore, which led to the frustration.
That’s when he cursed out Daboll, left, and hasn’t been in contact with the team since. He told people close to him he was going to resign, but hasn’t actually told the Giants that.
As a result of that, Mike Garafolo reports that the Giants have not started to search for a new coordinator. They also have no plans to start searching. In fact, they want him to be their coordinator and he will continue to be their coordinator until he actually contacts them with a resignation.
On Tuesday morning, Wink Martindale flew to Florida where he will continue the standoff with the Giants.
It’s hard to imagine the relationship between the two sides continuing after this point. However, he is still under contract for next season and is owed $3 million. That’s money that he would forfeit by resigning. On top of that, if he resigns, the Giants could potentially block him from joining a new team. That would include a division rival, like the Philadelphia Eagles.
The expectation was for Martindale to return but with those staff changes. Clearly, the changes have led to major issues for New York.
New York finished the season a disappointing 6-11, which was third in the NFC East. The Giants had issues all over the field and it’s easy to see why Daboll wants to make changes. However, after tension between him and Martindale was reported throughout the season, it’s also not surprising that defensive changes led to this disagreement.
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