Brian Daboll and Don 'Wink' Martindale reportedly are at odds
The New York Giants will host the New England Patriots in a Week 12 game at MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon, and apparently will do so with a coaching staff that is at odds.
Giants head coach Brian Daboll and defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale are in a “bad place,” according to FOX Sports NFL insider Jay Glazer.
“The Giants had so much success last season and this year it’s kind of pretty interesting what’s happened there,” Glazer said on FOX pregame coverage. “Brian Daboll, great offensive coach. Wink Martindale, great defensive coach. These guys are in a bad place, bad place to the point where I don’t see them continuing their relationship after this season, maybe even during this season. It could be a mutual parting of ways.”
The G-Men enter Week 12 with a 3-8 overall record and are in the hunt for the top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, similar to the 2-8 Patriots. The loser of the Patriots-Giants matchup actually will be the winner as it relates to the draft.
“When I talk to people inside that organization, they’re saying the tension between these two, you could feel it. And it’s just getting worse,” Glazer said in reference to Daboll and Martindale. “And it’s just odd that it’s happened considering how much success they had last year together.”
It would be unfair to point to either New York’s offense or the defense as the team’s biggest problem. The fact is, both units have been terrible. New York’s offense ranks dead last in points and second to last in yards, and the defense ranks 28th in both points and yards allowed.
Fortunately for Daboll, the 2022 Coach of the Year, it feels like it’ll be his decision to make. That’s the unfortunate reality for Martindale, though.