ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It’s been something of a mixed bag for Michigan football defensive coordinator Wink Martindale.
Both of his predecessors in Ann Arbor were his proteges with the Baltimore Ravens and their defenses were much more elite than Martindale’s edition in 2024. Being a longtime defensive coordinator in the NFL, expectations were sky high for Martindale and his tenure with the Wolverines, but given some of the personnel losses and the offense often giving the defense short fields to work with, it’s been a bit of a struggle, at times — especially compared to much of his time in the professional ranks.
On Wednesday, Martindale was asked if he’s enjoying the college experience and if he’s thought about staying long term. And in doing so, he didn’t have a strong answer, but one thing he alluded to seemed to call out his time in Rutherford when he was the DC of the New York Giants.
“I haven’t sat down and thought about the long haul,” Martindale said. “When you’re 61 you just try to think about tomorrow. But, yeah, I mean, I’m glad that I’m here. I love the players that we have. I think that it’s obviously a different game.
“But, it’s a lot better than being in some places that are 2-7.”
The Giants, who are struggling in the NFC East, are currently 2-7, so that number that Martindale used is likely referring to his most recent team in the NFL.
Martindale was not fired from New York but was essentially pushed out when the Giants fired some of his most trusted assistants. Clearly, there’s still some bad blood there, and given that he ended up back in the college ranks — no matter which league you’re a fan of — you can understand that he may have some lingering frustration for the way his NFL career ended.