New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale have appeared to butt heads in recent weeks but publicly, each has toed the company line.
Following a 49-17 blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 10, which featured a viral moment between the two coaches, Daboll downplayed the incident.
“I don’t even know. We talk a lot throughout the game. Probably going into half, kind of some things we wanted to get worked on, things we want to do, but I have conversations with all those guys,” Daboll told reporters after the game. “No different. Normal stuff during a game.”
Martindale insisted the conversation, which appeared heated and lasted throughout the halftime break, was about coverages.
The explanations fooled nobody and their relationship has reportedly only soured since then.
During the FOX pregame show on Sunday, NFL insider Jay Glazer reported that things between Daboll and Martindale are “in a bad place” and that a mutual parting of ways could be on the horizon — possibly even before the season ends.
"When I talk to people inside that organization they're saying the tension between these two, you could feel it." @JayGlazer has more on the tension building between #Giants HC Brian Daboll and DC Wink Martindale ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/vXjJ4KdpYe
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 26, 2023
“These guys are in a bad place. Bad place to the point where I don’t see them actually continuing their relationship after the season. Maybe not even during the season,” Glazer said. “Could be a mutual parting of ways.
“When I talk to people inside that organization they’re saying the tension between these two, you could feel it. And it’s just getting worse.”
Martindale previously got into a public back-and-forth with safety Xavier McKinney, which apparently did not sit well with Daboll. Following a Week 11 victory over the Washington Commanders, the head coach chose McKinney to break down the team.
The Giants have a bye in Week 13 and it may be far from quiet. In addition to general manager Joe Schoen conducting his in-season press conference, the team may also be changing their defensive coordinator.
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