Don “Wink” Martindale was a strong candidate for the New York Giants’ head coaching vacancy, but eventually lost out to New England Patriots assistant Joe Judge, who the Giants’ settled on yesterday.
Martindale, the Baltimore Ravens’ defensive coordinator who hits from little Defiance College in Ohio, said he was disappointed he wasn’t chosen to head the Giants.
But Martindale has both feet on solid ground as he could be headed towards another Super Bowl appearance in Baltimore.
Ravens DC Don “Wink” Martindale said he had a great experience interviewing for Giants head coaching job. The Giants have since hired Joe Judge. “Am I disappointed? Sure,” Martindale said. “But I feel I’m playing with house money. Look where I’m standing.”
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) January 8, 2020
Not many were predicting Martindale would get the nod from the Giants but then again Judge was a long-shot, too. Since beginning his coaching career at Defiance in 1986, Martindale has always been either a linebackers coach or a defensive coordinator, never rising to the level of head coach.
That likely didn’t turn the Giants off as Judge hasn’t been a head man anywhere, either. He is comfortable as a defensive coordinator, especially in Baltimore. It would take a “dream job” scenario to lure him away. Apparently, the Giants fit that bill.
“I don’t know anything more,” Martindale said, via PFT. “It doesn’t really matter until you get a call, but we love this city, we love this organization here. It would have to be a dream-type job to take, where you know you can build a winning culture like we have here.”
The Giants are trying like hell to build that type of culture but have yet to establish it under general manager Dave Gettleman.
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