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The New York Giants will have a new defensive coordinator in 2022 after Patrick Graham departed for the Las Vegas Raiders and Don Martindale was brought in to replace him.
Martindale, of course, is known for being an exceptionally aggressive defensive play-caller. His defenses traditionally blitz more than any others, which is unique for today’s NFL.
During a recent sit-down interview with Bob Popa, Martindale elaborated on his defensive approach and guaranteed it will remain the same in East Rutherford.
“Everybody says right away, ‘pressure.’ But pressure can be viewed in many forms. A lot of the times that we had free runners in the past, it’s just been on four-man pass rushes. Now it’s been different guys coming,” Martindale said. “But I think that’s our trademark — we know how to attack protections and I’m looking forward to doing the same thing here.
“In today’s football, because of the rule changes and everything else, a lot of people just want to play it safe. I’m not built that way. We’re not built that way. We like to attack. . . Pressure breaks pipes on these offenses. I just don’t want to sit back and say, ‘okay, let’s see what you’ve got.’ I want them to sit back and see what we have.”
Martindale, whose defensive philosophy was shaped by the likes of Skip and Lou Holtz, Buddy Ryan, Al Davis and Ozzie Newsome, is admittedly quite fond of the Giants. He views them as a legendary franchise and wants to restore pride — particularly on the defensive side of the ball.
“It’s been a great experience with an iconic franchise. We’re so excited to be here. Looking forward to going to work,” Martindale said.
“This is a great organization with great fans and I already know it.”
Meanwhile, Martindale has already begun his deep dive into the Giants’ defensive roster and is encouraged by what he has to work with — especially safety Xavier McKinney.
“You have to see where you think your weak link is,” Martindale said. “It’s never as bad as it seems, it’s never as good as it seems. People would be surprised with what we can do with what we have already.”
And Martindale’s final message to Giants fans? Get ready for some throwback defense.
“You’re going to be excited coming to the game to watch the defense as well as the offense. It’s going to be (the) attacking-style, old-school Giants football you’ve seen in the past,” he said.
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