EAST RUTHERFORD - One thing should be crystal clear for the New York Giants with Wink Martindale's expected resignation as defensive coordinator and don't let anything or anyone lead you to believing anything else but this:
Brian Daboll is the head coach of the Giants and it's his show - period.
And until he no longer holds that title, he needs to be able to make the calls he believes will get the team to where it needs to be in order to stay here long-term.
Make no mistake: Daboll is going to get painted in a certain light because of the Martindale fallout, in part, he doesn't play the game publicly with the media.
On the heels of a 6-11 campaign, the fans are not rallying to support Daboll, either.
The players see a different side of Daboll's personality than we do at news conferences. That's his choice. He knows this is how he's going to be portrayed.
Daboll certainly is not winning a popularity contest with Martindale, and he's not looking to win one.
Consider this a call for everyone reading this: be a critical thinker.
Step back from the emotional aspect of what's going on with the Giants and how things have turned with Martindale and see this for what it is.
Wink's greatest strength in the public eye is winning over the crowd. He gives us, the media and fans, the red meat for which we starve. We love him because he serves our needs. Daboll does not.
So we spend all this time talking about how Daboll's personality is the one that needs changing because he holds his players accountable on the sidelines, gets in their faces when they need it and throws a tablet to the ground in disgust. He equally offers up a genuine hug and praise when that is deserved and earned.
Time to open your eyes and minds, Giants fans: who is driving this narrative and why?
Martindale is smart. He knows how to play the game, and he plays it well.
Last Thursday, he played to the fans in his presser one last time going into the finale against the Eagles when we all knew the crowd had nothing to do with that game. His personality has made him exceedingly popular with certain segments of the fan base, and what we're seeing in the fallout from all this is the reaction.
In Sunday's 27-10 victory over the Eagles, Martindale had a photo of Kiefer Sutherland's Jack Bauer with a countdown from the show "24" on the back of his play sheet - presumably a reference to the end of the coach's time with Daboll and the Giants, at least that's how it is being perceived on social media.
I'll make the argument that Fox Sports insider Jay Glazer's report about Daboll and Martindale being "in a bad place" was intended to undermine Daboll. Not saying that was Glazer's intention, nor is it his concern, because the information he reports more times than not is beyond reproach.
But the report had ramifications that benefitted Martindale a heck of a lot more than Daboll.
We started hearing all about Daboll's personality after that, and that somehow, he was the one who had to fix things to make sure Martindale stayed.
The team was struggling. The last thing Daboll and the Giants needed was a distraction.
Again, this is all part of the game.
Now flash forward to Monday: Martindale informs the media through various channels that he is resigning from his post with the Giants without officially handing in the resignation to the team.
As NorthJersey.com reported Monday afternoon, Martindale's resignation is expected, but not official.
The expectation now is the resignation and its terms will be handled by Martindale's representation and members of the Giants' front office. Daboll's mention of Martindale's previous comment about the Giants being a "destination," referencing the past quote about this not being a stepping stone was just as calculated.
So was the wording about his "expectation" on Monday morning that Wink would be back as DC.
Do the Giants want Martindale to leave and have his pick of jobs when he’s under contract for one more year?
In some ways, both sides are jumping through necessary hoops here.
Say you want him back, he says he wants to be back last week and put the cards on the table. Who blinks? Could they have handled this better on both sides? Would seem that way.
If Daboll fired Martindale in-season when the Glazer story came out or if he chose to go on the attack, he would've surely lost the locker room. Daboll needed to toe the line and be very careful as the Giants were very close to having this season blow up because of what deteriorated into what we're seeing now.
Consider what soon-to-be free agent cornerback Adoree' Jackson said in an interview with WFAN on Tuesday regarding Martindale's departure: "Shocking that he just left like that.”
In what should be a credit to how Daboll handled the situation, Jackson added that Daboll and Martindale did not show any tension between them in meetings or in front of players.
Our business in the media has its flaws. You want to talk to us, give us what we need, we love you. We defend you. We want more. We make you a martyr if need be. Why was former Giants coach Joe Judge defended for his personality by some locally - which clearly rubbed more people the wrong way at 1925 Giants Drive - but Daboll is criticized for his personality?
This isn't an optimal situation for the Giants. Let's not play it any other way. But can Daboll move past this, learn from the entire situation and get a better team out of it? Absolutely.
To insist they can't, well, that could be true as well. What comes next matters. They'll have interviews and ultimately hire a new defensive coordinator. We'll see how that goes.
The Giants need to get better. Everywhere.
Running it back across the board would be insanity. Pretending the defense did not need to improve is just disingenuous. The pressure falls on Daboll and to an extent general manager Joe Schoen no matter what.
They need to make the changes that get them better. They live with the consequences.
In the immortal words of Andrew Shepherd in the movie, "The American President": "People don't drink the sand because they're thirsty. They drink the sand because they don't know the difference."
Brian Daboll is the head coach of the Giants. There should be no mistaking what that ultimately means, regardless of the freedom he gives his coaches to do what must be done in the best interests of the Giants.
Martindale interviewed for the head coaching job with the Giants four years ago and did not get it. He is a good coach and will eventually get another job, likely even next season, but he's not the one wronged here.
The Giants are moving forward without Wink, and it'll be on Daboll to make sure the team is better for it.
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January 10, 2024 at 01:13AM
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Wink Martindale: Making sense of his anticipated exit as NY Giants DC - NorthJersey.com
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