New York Giants linebacker Blake Martinez was officially announced as the newest member of the Big Blue defense on Monday and expressed his excitement to work in a system that he says values his position more than his previous team.
As Martinez hit the free-agent market, he said the Green Bay Packers offered him a deal but their difference in views of the inside linebacker position ultimately caused him to choose the Giants.
In this, Martinez stated the Giants are valuing the inside linebacker position more in 2020 as the new coaching staff gets settled.
#NYG LB Blake Martinez said he and #Packers were on "different wave length" when it came to his value in free agency. Said GB doesn't value ILB the way some other teams do.
— Kimberly Jones (@KimJonesSports) March 30, 2020
There have been plenty of criticisms of Martinez’s game, especially when it comes to making impact plays. It will be interesting to see how new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham installs linebacker assignments in his scheme, but Martinez alluded to not having any assignments during his time with the Packers.
Instead, he called his game being more of a “clean-up crew,” basing his reads off of the rest of the defense.
Blake Martinez says the public misconception of him is that he doesn't make impact plays. He says that his role in the GB D was to be a "clean-up" guy, the only LB on the field, with no gap responsibilities. Basically play off the other guys and go make the leftover plays.
— Tom Rock (@TomRock_Newsday) March 30, 2020
The Giants are expected to play a lot more man coverage in Graham’s system. His history of scheme suggests a lot of Cover-1 could be on the way in East Rutherford.
The Giants have been needing to upgrade the linebacker position for years now. There have been too many misses when it comes to free-agent signings and draft picks in the middle of the field.
It remains to be seen if Martinez will make a difference in Graham’s defense, but he does seem to be excited about the Giants valuing the inside linebacker position more.