Tag: Wink Martindale

Ex-Giants coach on Brian Daboll: ‘We were all trying to get out’

A former New York Giants coach says Brian Daboll was so impossible to work for that they “were all trying to get out.”

The New York Giants have tried to turn the page on last season’s dysfunction that resulted in significant offseason turnover, but the entire story has yet to be told.

The poor optics from the Brian Daboll-Wink Martindale fallout linger, compounded by assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka likely to have his play-calling stripped despite being given a “promotion.”

The entire situation is something the league took note of, especially after reports surfaced that Kafka was willing to move laterally to escape East Rutherford.

“It doesn’t set a great precedent,” an NFL executive told ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. “It’s almost like a make-up present.”

Raanan also detailed previously unknown incidents where Daboll melted down, screaming at Martindale over random media reports.

“So, you think I’m a clown?” Daboll yelled, according to multiple sources who saw or heard about the altercation.

The Giants head coach was referencing a report from former NFL scout and host of the “3 and Out” podcast John Middlekauff that suggested the coaching staff “can’t stand” him.

Many have assumed that the crux of the coaching conflict was specific to Daboll and Martindale, as well as his trusted assistants, Drew and Kevin Wilkins, but Raanan reports that the rot spread much further than that.

Sources close to the situation said that Martindale, along with several other coaches on both sides of the ball, had grown tired of Daboll’s frequent outbursts. Daboll’s staff felt he’d stopped listening and there was constant “finger-pointing,” multiple team sources told ESPN.

“It was like, ‘Are we on the same team?’ It sure doesn’t feel like it,” one coach said.

As tensions grew, general manager Joe Schoen eventually hopped on the headset to listen to in-game communications last season. He dismissed it as something he “always wanted to do” and nothing more. However, several assistants noticed a significant change in Daboll when he knew Schoen was listening.

“You could tell when (Schoen was on the headset) because Dabes’ demeanor was totally different,” one non-defensive coach told Raanan.

Another coach said that when Schoen wasn’t on the headset, Daboll was so ravenous it was “hard to think.” Ultimately, many wanted out.

“We were all trying to get out of there,” a non-defensive coach said.

Special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey and offensive line coach Bobby Johnson were fired on Black Monday. Running backs coach Jeff Nixon, tight ends coach Andy Bischoff, assistant offensive line coach Chris Smith, and director of strength and performance Craig Fitzgerald also all willing departed.

Daboll’s explosiveness was addressed by co-owner John Mara this offseason, who admitted he’d like to see the head coach tone it down a bit.

Thus far, Daboll has done exactly that. Players have noted he was much calmer this spring and his eruptions have come fewer and further between.

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How Wink Martindale ended up at Michigan football

The culture in Ann Arbor continues to thrive. #GoBlue

Three years ago, it was something of a coup for Michigan football to manage to get a rising NFL assistant in Mike Macdonald to leave the pros to come to the college level (though many Wolverines fans were unsure of the hire at the time). Under no circumstances would any believe back then that the man who was above Macdonald, and leading the Baltimore Ravens defense, would eventually come to Ann Arbor to be the replacement for both Macdonald and his other protege, Jesse Minter.

After Jim Harbaugh left Ann Arbor for the NFL, Sherrone Moore managed to somehow lure longtime pro-level defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, ‘the O.G.’ of the defense, back to college. So how did it happen? Certainly, Martindale was a hot commodity, yet the Michigan job was appealing enough that he didn’t entertain any other possibilities.

It all started through a notable ESPN personality who made a phone call to Martindale, gauging his interest in the position. Martindale shared more with Jake Butt on a Champions Circle subscriber podcast.

“How that all came about was through Adam Schefter,” Martindale said. “And, I talked to some other people — Steven Eisenberg, I’ve known for 12 years now. And when I was down in Sarasota, in my mind, Jake — and you know, from being in the program — I was going to take this year off, and then just go back. And I received a phone call from Adam Schefter. He said, ‘Hey, would you be interested?’ And I’m like, ‘Sure. I’d be interested, I want to talk to (Sherrone Moore).’

“And I talked to the guy, his passion — not towards Michigan — his passion towards the kids. I’m like, ‘This is my guy.’ He wants to do everything right by the players. And what’s the best way we can do it for the players?

“And he had questions for me, and I had questions for him. And we talked, I want to say twice for about an hour each time when I was down in Sarasota. And he said, ‘Why don’t you come up here?’ And we talked for another two hours. Warde came over, and I didn’t realize, and Sherrone told me later, when I came up here, I already had the job, I didn’t even realize it. And you know, we got to be around some of the players.

“And we watched the Ohio State game and it was just like, like I said before, I wish I’d come up with something even more clever. But if you love the game of football, you love Michigan football, because it stands for what’s right.”

That was the how, but what about the why? Why leave the NFL for the same position in college, certain a step down in terms of prestige.

Martindale says that it was the players and how they operate that coerced him more than anything. Because the work ethic in Ann Arbor is at an even higher level, as is the personal accountability, than that of the NFL, as far as he’s seen.

“These guys, they want to win. That’s the first thing that attracted me to this job,” Martindale said. “The thing that surprised me because I didn’t really know what I was — it’s been 20 years, I didn’t know what I was going back into.

“With the players themselves, these guys love football. And I said this the other day, I was talking about Will Johnson, who’s a very humble kid who has just so much going for him that he doesn’t even know it yet. And that’s a good thing. Because the way he works, and as many things as we do football-wise within the program, I’ll see Will during a time out there with 10 or 12 teammates, they’re just out there working on their own. And I don’t care what anybody says, I don’t think you see that anywhere.”

Wink Martindale: Michigan football not ‘going back to the old school Don Brown system’

Let’s put this narrative to rest. #GoBlue

One of the big narratives that Michigan football fans have openly discussed after Wink Martindale was hired to lead the Wolverines defense is what it will look like compared not only to the past three years but to the defenses of years past.

The aggressive, blitz-heavy coordinator has drawn a lot of comparisons to former defensive leader Don Brown — who was nicknamed Dr. Blitz during his time in Ann Arbor. But on a subscriber Q&A with Champions Circle members, Martindale stressed that there is no comparison between he and his distant predecessor.

“There’s a narrative out there right now, one of the things is — and I’m telling all the listeners: I don’t listen to radio, I don’t read articles or anything else — But there’s a narrative now that some people are afraid it’s going back to the old school Don Brown system,” Martindale said. “That’s not the case whatsoever. To me, that’s profiling just because I’m old and Brown’s old. You can you can’t put us together.”

So, what will it look like? In a lot of ways, it will look similar to what the defense looked like under Mike Macdonald and Jesse Minter — but Martindale will certainly put his spin on it.

Even so, Martindale will tinker, and he’s already doing so in his mind. Of course, he has to get used to the personnel, and he’ll get the best view once fall camp comes around.

“This is Michigan’s defense. This is Sherrone’s defense. And if you take one of those elements out next year, yeah, it’s still the same system,” Martindale said. “But there will still be another little personality thing to it. And it comes down to who’s calling the game, as well — which I’ll be calling the games.

“But yeah, the defense has so much flexibility. We haven’t even talked about the players yet. It has so much flexibility. It shows the personality of who’s coaching the defense, and we’re all coaching — this is a we thing, this isn’t an I thing. We’re all coaching it and I’m looking forward to this month being over with all the official visits and — alright, I’ll tell you, I’m looking forward to vacation weeks away, but also I’ll be continually thinking about different ways, different looks, different things that we can do.”

Wink Martindale expounds on how he’ll run the Michigan football defense

The O.G. isn’t gonna hold back! #GoBlue

Michigan football brought in ‘the O.G.’ of the defensive system installed initially by Mike Macdonald and continued by Jesse Minter. Both coordinators learned the system they implemented in Ann Arbor from Wink Martindale when they were under him during their time with the Baltimore Ravens.

Now Martindale is back in college, running the system his proteges thrived with. And though he’s known to be more (self-admittedly) aggressive, he’s more focused on what will work with the players than putting his stamp on things.

He shared more on his defensive approach on the GM Shuffle podcast.

“As a system, it’s very flexible, it’s very player-friendly,” Martindale said. “You know, when you get into the sub-sub stuff — I say it’s a position on this defense, that has a lot of flexibility — and once you understand the concepts, it’s easy to learn the defense. But it’s also different personalities calling the defense. And, I think that at the college level, there’s a lot of more simulated pressures that you see when you’re watching tape that work just as effectively as sending them all. So I think that it’s gonna be a wait and see once we get through fall camp and everything else.

“But let’s make no mistake about it: I’m more aggressive than probably both those guys, sometimes to a fault. Jesse did a fantastic job. I mean, I’m calling him and — now they changed up some terminology because this is the first year we can do the coach-to-player communication. So they changed up some of the names so it’s just shorter one-word names, which is smart. And it helps you right into — when teams want to go fast and play you just say one word.

“But it’s all the players, the vets that are coming back. They know the system. And it’s been really enjoyable. It’s been a lot of fun.”

The knock on Martindale is that he’s blitz-heavy. While his predecessor, Jesse Minter, often shied away from the blitz, fans are worried that Martindale will come in and be a redux of former Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown.

While Martindale will be quick to admit, yes, he does like to blitz, that isn’t necessarily his ethos. Sometimes, it’s all about showing a quarterback a look and then giving him something different — much like we saw happen under Minter and Macdonald.

“Well, I think that, like you already alluded to Mike, when you have free runners to the quarterback, the average fan just says, ‘Well, he’s zero pressure.’ And we don’t, we just attack protections. Well, in reality, I think it changes from year to year, depending on who you have playing for you and who you’re playing against.

“Like, the first year we played (Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick) Mahomes. I think we hit him 18 times, back in 18. And then he got so good at seeing pressures and where they were coming from and changing protections. The last year that we played him, we just did anything that looked like a pressure was simulated, because he — there’s no reason to blitz it, because he sees it. And he throws it quick. So I think it’s not only by percentage-wise throughout the season, but also per game, per quarterback.”

If Martindale does indeed tailor his defense to the players and the system they’re already familiar with (and it appears he has) and shows restraint, then the sky’s the limit for that side of the ball, assuredly.

Giants’ Shane Bowen expects an easy transition in leadership

New York Giants DC Shane Bowen expects the defensive transition from Wink Martindale to be a smooth one.

In 2023, the New York Giants had a season full of drama on and off the field. It wasn’t just injured bones and muscles but also injured pride and high tension among the front office staff.

The result was Wink Martindale’s departure and Shane Bowen’s entrance as defensive coordinator.

Bowen has been asked all kinds of questions about how he will handle the more colorful parts of Brian Daboll’s personality, and he’s been asked all the standard questions a new DC is asked.

One thing about Monday’s press conference that stood out was that Bowen expects the transition between regimes to be smooth.

“I don’t think they are really going to have to unlearn anything. I think it’s just going to be what we are emphasizing a little bit more, these guys understanding their piece in the defense, how it all works together, understanding concepts, being able to tie them in so we can do different things that are similar in a lot of ways, but there might be one or two variations here or there,” Bowen told reporters.

“But the focus right now is on style of play, on fundamentals and as we get to scheme and we get going in that direction, I think they will be able to pull a lot from what they have done in the past and then if there’s some new things here or there, we’ll teach them, right. We’ll teach them.

“But ultimately for me, I think it’s more of a general approach from my standpoint than anything.”

Bowen seems to have an understanding of what he’s walking into, what he has to work with, and how to make this a smooth transition.

The less the defense has to learn, the more they can focus on the new scheme and how to implement it. Mid-way through the season we’ll have an idea of how well Bowen did that job.

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Why new Michigan LB Jaishawn Barham is the perfect fit for Wink Martindale

He’s fitting in really well for #Michigan. #GoBlue

New Michigan transfer linebacker Jaishawn Barham might know the future or just be really lucky. Either way, the kid has landed in the perfect spot after transferring from Maryland.

See, when Barham committed to Michigan he had no way of knowing Jesse Minter would be leaving and Wink Martindale would join the Wolverines and call the defense. In the grand scheme of things, the difference between Minter and Martindale isn’t extreme. Both run the same basic system, but Martindale blitzes the absolute snot out of his linebackers while Minter is a tad more conservative.

That is where Barnham fits like the last piece of a puzzle. Barham was a top 120 recruit in the 2022 cycle. He was heralded for his size (listed at 6-foot-4, 233 pounds at Maryland) and ability to play outside or inside.

At Maryland, Barham played mostly as a traditional middle linebacker but also utilized heavily as a blitzer. He even lined up as an edge defender on occasion. He’s no Micah Parsons, but with seven sacks to his name through two seasons of football, he understands how to get to the quarterback.

Martindale is famous for a particular defensive front that involves using three defensive linemen to cover up both guards and the center while sitting two edge defenders just outside of the tackles. Barham’s versatility as an edge-linebacker hybrid means that Michigan can run this front without substituting from their base personnel. Kenneth Grant will hulk over the center, Mason Graham and Derrick Moore will work the guards, and Josaiah Stewart and Barham will be the edge defenders.

This alignment would leave Ernest Hausmann as the lone linebacker, but he is more than capable of shifting through traffic and making a tackle in a crowd.

Being able to shift into this formation without substituting is a huge tactical advantage. As many Wolverine fans are aware, Ohio State invested a lot of resources into the run game this offseason and will likely attack on the ground more effectively than in seasons past. If the Buckeyes start to move the ball against the traditional 4-2-5 package, Michigan can adjust its run-stopping front without needing to hustle any players off the field. That plays as a terrific counter to what is usually an advantage in the offense’s favor.

Michigan football players suggest Wink Martindale’s defense is ‘totally different’ from predecessors

This is certainly unexpected. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The thought when Michigan football brought in Wink Martindale to replace Jesse Minter — who coached under Martindale with the Baltimore Ravens — was that there wouldn’t be much change. That it would be a continuation of the defense that the Wolverines have run under Minter and Martindale.

However, if you ask fifth-year safety Makari Paige, that’s not how he sees it, not one week into spring practice.

WolverinesWire asked Paige on Monday about the similarities and differences between the two defensive coordinators’ schemes, and Paige put it quite succinctly.

“It’s totally different,” Paige said. “It’s totally different. Everything’s different.”

OK, then.

Paige isn’t one to expound much, but we asked him again because it certainly could have been something of an obfuscation. But he insists: no, it’s a much different defense.

“No, I’m being serious — it’s totally different,” Paige said. “The plays, his mindset — not mindset, but philosophy, I guess?”

Well, let’s get a second opinion, then.

We also got a chance to hear from junior defensive tackle Mason Graham, and while he didn’t go into great detail, he did note that there are different ways that defenses can be run — even if they’re spiritually similar. As Graham tells it, there are nuances, but perhaps not wholesale changes.

“I mean, everyone just has their mix, their splash of their little ideas that they bring,” Graham said. “So I feel like Coach Minter and Coach Wink have different philosophies still within the same structure, but they just have their little differences on defense.”

It’s difficult to know for sure what the truth is here, but it adds intrigue to the defense moving forward.

Fans will at least be able to get a first glimpse on April 20 when Michigan football hosts the annual spring game at The Big House. It will take place at noon and will be broadcast nationally on Fox.

Ex-Giants DC Wink Martindale the highest-paid assistant in college football

Former New York Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale is reportedly the highest-paid assistant coach in college football.

Former New York Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale is now the highest-paid assistant coach in college football, reports Doug Samuels of Football Scoop.

Martindale and the Giants parted ways in January after a falling out with head coach Brian Daboll. Less than a month later, he landed the defensive coordinator position with the University of Michigan where he reportedly signed a three-year deal with a base salary of $2.3 million in 2024.

That number will increase to $2.5 million in 2025 and $2.7 million in 2026.

“Wink’s awesome, man. I love Wink,” Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore said, via The Athletic. “He’s such a great, vibrant person, a great human being, obviously an extremely intelligent coach. The boys love him. He brings such a great vibe to the team, and experience, obviously.”

Martindale has had quite a successful career as an assistant coach. He was the coach of several amazing NFL defenses including the Super Bowl XLVII champion Baltimore Ravens.

Most recently with New York, in his first year, he led the Giants to the 18th-best scoring defense after years of misery for Big Blue. His defensive prowess helped the Giants win nine regular season games that season and a playoff game.

However, the team’s defense stats fell to 26th in the league during the 2023 regular season. Martindale was not getting the trademark pressure on the quarterback from his troops that he was so well known for. He will now have big shoes to fill at Michigan as they are coming off of a national championship with college football’s best defense.

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Wink Martindale not married to heavy blitzing: ‘I think you change every year’

Don’t expect a redux of Don Brown here. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — With Don ‘Wink’ Martindale coming to Ann Arbor to run a defense that was patterned after what he ran in the NFL, there are questions as to how similar — or different — it will be with the Michigan Wolverines compared to the Baltimore Ravens or New York Giants.

Many fear that, given how much Martindale tended to blitz this last year in New Jersey, that it will be a return to the Don Brown-style of play, where it was somewhat boom or bust — with the final two-plus years of his system being more bust than boom. However, Martindale says that fans shouldn’t have to worry too much about that. How much he decides to send extra men into the offensive backfield is entirely situational and he’s not married to the idea of blitzing heavily on a down-to-down basis.

“I think you change every year,” Martindale said. “When you go back and look at what you’ve done, and it all depends on the personnel you’ve had. Like in New York, for example, they talked about I blitzed so much — there’s a lot of games where we hadn’t blitzed, in whatever that situation was. I think it changes every year.”

One reason why he may not have to is because he has a tandem at defensive tackle which may be the best in all of college football in Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant.

When you’re able to get consistent pressure up the middle and have adequate edge rushers, it allows a defense to not send extra help in order to get to the quarterback. Last year, the Wolverines had solid edge rushers in Jaylen Harrell and Braiden McGregor, but they weren’t on the same level as say an Aidan Hutchinson or a Kwity Paye or even a Chris Wormley or Taco Charlton. But given that the interior was so dominant, it allows for the edges to make plays perhaps more than what they might otherwise.

That’s not to say the aforementioned duo weren’t stellar players — they were — but similar to last year, trotting out Derrick Moore and Josaiah Stewart (who are up-and-coming in their own right) becomes a little more daunting for an offensive line that has to worry about the two athletic big men in the middle.

Martindale says he’s pretty excited to inherit both, noting they’re the types of players you can build a defense around.

“Every year, no matter where you’re at, you break your entire defense down and start building the foundation from the ground up again,” Martindale said. “You can’t just pick up from where you were the year prior. So I think the foundation, to have those two to start with, would help any defense out — at any level.”

Spring ball kicked off on Monday and will continue into late April with eyes on the spring game on April 20.

Wink Martindale excited to delve heavily into recruiting for Michigan football

OK, getting psyched up about this hire! #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Usually, when a longtime coach at the pro level comes back down to the college ranks, you often hear a lot about how they’re not exactly the most voracious recruiters.

The college game is much different in that regard. There’s really no offseason. Coaches have to be on their game, talking to high school prospects, working diligently to convince them that their college is the best fit for them to develop and get national attention. Now, with the transfer portal, new Michigan defensive coordinator Wink Martindale sees a lot of similarities between college and the NFL.

It may be quite rare that NFL coordinators take college jobs, but Martindale is excited for the challenge. Between the college job itself and the specter of recruiting, he shared his thoughts on how he ended up in Ann Arbor.

“It’s getting very comparable to the National Football League,” Martindale said. “So I think that through mutual friends, Sherrone and I got in contact with each other. And that part worked right away immediately. Just talking to Sheronne, I’ve heard a lot of great things about it. And everything that people have told me I’ve seen, and it’s an opportunity that for myself, and for my wife, I’m like, ‘I want to do this.’ And she’s like, ‘Are you sure?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, I want to do this’. And, you know, to coach at this great of a university and play the games that we play — I mean, this schedule is not much different than the schedules I’ve been playing for the last 20 years. I know that. So it’s gonna be a tough challenge for us.”

At 60 years old, many have written Martindale off from the recruiting aspect, but don’t be so sure. On Friday, he shared a hefty amount of enthusiasm for that aspect of the game.

His proteges, and also predecessors, in Mike Macdonald and Jesse Minter were decent, although not avid recruiters. But Martindale appears ready for the challenge. And it’s something he says has to be done on a daily basis.

“Well, I think that recruiting, as a coach, I think you recruit every day,” Martindale said. “And the players you have on the roster — now, you tie to the portal, with the pros, it’s free agency. High school kids are transferring now and everything else. I think that part of recruiting is just coaching.

“As far as going out on the road, we did the same thing in the NFL. You can see out here at pro day all the guys that are out. We talk to as many people as you can, as well, as you know, on campus about these players. Same thing in high school. You go to a high school, you’re going to talk to as many people — you’re going to talk to more people at the high school than you are actually the kid to find out about the kid.

“And I think I love the challenge of recruiting, excited about recruiting, I think we have an advantage winning the national championship. And like I already mentioned, the coaches that were brought here, they’re all excellent recruiters. And Sheronne and Sean, they have a plan in recruiting and it’s going to be fun to execute.”

So if you thought that Martindale was going to oversee the defense and nothing else, perhaps it’s time to change your expectations. Because it appears that he’s ready to hit the road and take the challenge of recruiting head on — along with everything else.