Wink Martindale - DC candidate ?
February 6th, 2024 at 6:53 PM ^
well at least he knows the amoeba :)
but then Harbaugh will quickly swoop in and hire him as an analyst
February 6th, 2024 at 7:19 PM ^
He's already been fired by 1 Harbaugh
February 6th, 2024 at 8:57 PM ^
why are we hiring a game show host? tic tac dough doesn't really translate to the gridiron.
February 6th, 2024 at 9:17 PM ^
Uh, hello? Tic Tac Dough sounds like the perfect background for the NIL era. C'mon big money, no whammies!
February 7th, 2024 at 9:32 AM ^
New Michigan Basketball logo?
February 6th, 2024 at 9:26 PM ^
Lame joke attempt and a double post - and after I said no whammies! Sheesh.
February 6th, 2024 at 9:17 PM ^
Why do we want people from a system created by a guy that got fired by a Harbaugh. Both have been fantastic but is kind of funny no?
February 6th, 2024 at 10:05 PM ^
John Harbaugh is the NFL's most ruthless HC when it comes to handling assistants. You could be doing a good job and if John thinks he can do just a little better you are shitcanned. I'd take a hard look at Martindale.
February 6th, 2024 at 6:54 PM ^
If you surround him with elite recruiters on staff, it would make some sense. Let him focus on the game plan and coaching.
I don't think it's unrealistic that he would outscheme most coaches at the college level given his vast experience.
February 6th, 2024 at 6:57 PM ^
I mean the Ravens canned him for a reason and the Giants D was awful but I guess having "Ravens" on your resume is about where this program is at. Should come at a nice discount.
February 6th, 2024 at 6:59 PM ^
Minter’s Vandy defense wasn’t great.
Giants defense was better than it’s offense.
February 6th, 2024 at 7:34 PM ^
Vandy's a permanent outlier in the SEC. You still need players to execute.
February 6th, 2024 at 10:22 PM ^
They had a bottom 5 offense, so that's not saying much.
February 6th, 2024 at 7:02 PM ^
Actually, the Raven's didn't fire him. He left to pursue other opportunities and they hired one of his former assistants, MacDonald, to continue his system. The Giants D actually improved under Martindale by some metrics, granted the team was overall not very good.
Martindale also worked for Jack Harbaugh at Western Kentucky. I think there is still a lot of respect there.
I would support kicking the tires on this option if feasible.
February 6th, 2024 at 7:14 PM ^
They definitely fired him. But quietly.
February 6th, 2024 at 7:42 PM ^
Even if it truly was a "mutual agreement" I'm not sure this is the guy I want as a coordinator with our first time head coach.
Martindale just left a job after cursing out the head coach because he fired 2 defensive assistants. Sounds great that he's stepping up for "his guys" but the reason the head coach fired them is because they, along with Martindale, were working together to bypass the head coach about important decisions:
"was a feeling in the building that Martindale and Drew Wilkins were creating their own fiefdom within the coaching staff, at times bypassing Daboll and believing they had to answer only to each other and, ultimately, ownership." https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/39276348/new-york-giants-wink-martindale-cursed-brian-daboll-firings
February 6th, 2024 at 8:32 PM ^
Eh. It's hard for me to not side with subordinates in situations like these if the "leadership" is so incompetent instead of addressing the problem they just fire guys.
February 6th, 2024 at 9:32 PM ^
Brian Daboll is sort of an idiot as well; he's not beloved in NY based on the couple of Giants fans I know. Hell, after starting 7-2 in his first year (with a healthy dose of BS wins) he's gone 9-17-1 and they got dog walked in a lot of those games. And the guy saying he feared there was a fiefdom being made was Daboll, who fired Martindale, so I'd take whatever rationalizations he says with a grain of salt.
I don't know if he'd be a good DC in college or a good guy around Moore, but people have been screaming for a guy with Ravens roots and this is one of the few remaining with a legitimate claim to that.
February 6th, 2024 at 10:04 PM ^
If I remember correctly, Daboll was one of the Alabama assistants who regularly got chewed out on the sideline by Saban (though they did win the natty that year).
February 6th, 2024 at 10:26 PM ^
Daboll is pretty popular in NY and most people side with him on Wink. You can say the had BS wins, then they also had BS losses and could have won another 9 games this year. They're rebuilding, so acting like they need to be the 49ers is crazy.
They didn't fire Wink, he resigned, Daboll only fired the 2 assistants. If you want to say he was forced to resign, sure, but then the Ravens also forced him to resign so that's not the best look.
February 6th, 2024 at 11:52 PM ^
I would curse out Daboll too if I had the chance. He's hothead on the sidelines, not Martindale. The Giants would bust the salary cap if they counted the Thinkpads he destroys on a weekly basis. I'd support that hire 100%. Martindale created the Ravens defense, but he's way more blitz-happy than MacDonald or Minter. We're talking Don Brown-ish every down blitzing. That leaves open the possibility of big plays. But, again, I'd be happy with this hire.
February 6th, 2024 at 7:19 PM ^
Ravens defense under Martindale was (very) good but dipped to decent in his final season.
The problem was the high number of injuries to starters which forced Wink to rely on backups.
Also, Lamar Jackson was injured and that forced backup QB Tyler Huntley to start. And any defense will tire more easily if the offense can't sustain drives to stay on the field. Generally, fewer snaps for defense = better results.
Source: Family members who are hardcore Baltimore Ravens fans.
February 7th, 2024 at 2:22 PM ^
I would also like to point out on the NYG side - their offense has been putrid this year. Defense was average the year before and lo and behold the offense actually moved the ball and scored points. I think it is hard to knock a defense when the offense is so incredibly anemic as it was this year outside of elite defenses, which is probably more Joes than Xs and Os.
February 6th, 2024 at 8:50 PM ^
I wish Sherrone was as smart as you are. Its a wonder he's able to tie his shoes on his own without your expert guidance
February 6th, 2024 at 9:32 PM ^
Giants d was not awful. The Giants were awful lol
February 7th, 2024 at 7:44 AM ^
The Giants defense was actually pretty good. He wasn't fired...he quit.
February 6th, 2024 at 8:11 PM ^
Lets just get this out of the way, there is no longer such a thing as an "elite recruiter". It is all to the highest bidder now. No better example than Ryan Day at O$U, you're telling me these guys want to go there for "the culture and family feel"? please. Follow the money.
February 7th, 2024 at 4:02 AM ^
I agree. Mike MacDonald is now the youngest HC in the NFL, so John was wise to give him the opportunity at the expense of Martindale. I'll take the guy that helped develop him.
From a Ted Nguyen Jun 22, 2022 article in the Athletic regarding MacDonald taking over the DC role, Ravens DC Mike Macdonald transitioning defensive philosophy with varied, flexible approach, it talks about Martindale's style.
"Martindale’s signature was heavy, aggressive blitzing with man coverage. At Michigan, Macdonald transitioned the defense from former defensive coordinator Don Brown’s man-heavy system to what was essentially a simpler version of Nick Saban’s and Kirby Smart’s man-match-heavy system, and as the season progressed, he added his own twists to it. However, he isn’t married to a particular scheme, and he has collaborated with the Ravens’ staff to develop a system that fits the strength of the players on the roster. Macdonald’s flexibility is likely one of the reasons he was chosen to replace Martindale, who stubbornly stuck with his aggressive scheme despite not having enough healthy corners to cover man-to-man at a high rate last season.
The Ravens will move away from playing so much man-to-man and will be more varied in their defensive approach. They’ll play more split safety (two-deep safety) coverages like quarters, cover 6 (quarter, quarter, half) and Tampa 2 (two-deep zone). At Michigan, Macdonald didn’t blitz as much as Martindale, but there were games when he cranked up his aggression, like against Ohio State. But he used more simulated pressures, which are pressures in which the defense rushes four but with the fourth rusher coming from a second- or third-level defender instead of a defensive lineman, rather than bringing five or six at a high rate."
February 6th, 2024 at 6:58 PM ^
It would work if you used him to develop and call game plans. Recruiting would fall to younger coaches.
Even if is only for a year or two that would give Sherrone time to establish himself and win games. Then when Don moves back to NFL he can hire a younger DC.
Moore needs to stabilize things right not. Whether it is Martindale, Cullen, or someone else he needs to fill the spot quickly.
February 6th, 2024 at 7:11 PM ^
so he can be Moore's Martelli. Just don't let it go more than 2 years.
February 6th, 2024 at 7:22 PM ^
Moore would have to make 3-4 hires in the next 48 hrs to “stabilize” things. I mean, you only appoint Moore as coach if you believe he is going to be surrounded by continuity and stability
At this point, for whatever reason, JH is clearly looking to send Michigan a message and leaving Moore in an incredibly difficult position.
February 6th, 2024 at 6:59 PM ^
Total disagreement with the OP. This would be a really good move. He's the man who originated the defensive scheme that Macdonald and Minter brought here. Let other guys do the recruiting and him do his thing, and we'll not only have excellent defenses but he can also train his successor.
This would be by far Sherrone's best move as a head coach to date.
February 6th, 2024 at 7:19 PM ^
Yeah, if you want a guy who knows the Ravens system (he helped invent it) and is good at game planning to stop NFL defenses you could do a lot worse. Also, neither Macdonald nor Minter were big recruiters so that's not a huge issue provided the guys around him can do that.
Also, the Giants weren't great this year but their defense was a bit worse than league average while their offense was terrible. He's better than a lot of options at this point if you're going for NFL guys.
February 6th, 2024 at 7:25 PM ^
And Rich Rod invented the spread. People caught up and passed him.
February 6th, 2024 at 7:28 PM ^
Rich Rod failed here because he is 1) a shit human being and 2) totally clueless about the defensive side of the ball. But he wasn't bad at coaching offense.
February 6th, 2024 at 11:09 PM ^
His offense sucked balls against any team with a decent defense. No offense could go 3 and out faster than his, and be down by 21 points in the blink of an eye against MSU, OSU, PSU, Iowa or Wisconsin. But put up 45 points against Indiana or Illinois *fart noise*
February 6th, 2024 at 7:55 PM ^
Rich Rod is a shitty human being but he went on to coach Arizona to one of their best stretches in history and then took Jacksonville St. to a bowl win (and a 9-4 season) in their first year in FBS.
At no point did people "pass him" offensively as a coach. He also didn't really invent the spread but that's for another day.
February 6th, 2024 at 7:31 PM ^
This is by all accounts a better idea than Joe Cullen. Keep Clink as co-DC in charge of recruiting, let Wink do the gameplans and finish teaching whoever on the system so they can take over in a year or two
February 6th, 2024 at 9:21 PM ^
Seems like a fair trade.
Chargers get our recruiting coordinator and S&C coach and we get a long in the tooth NFL coach. Perfect!
Don Brown but less blitzy and not as good a recruiter. Yep we are fucked.
February 6th, 2024 at 11:29 PM ^
You have got to be one of the most negative people on this blog - I respect your ability to be original with your hate though.
February 7th, 2024 at 11:58 AM ^
Ill be positive when there is positive news. Over reacting or just adequate reacting all balances on what transfers come this spring. If we lose Graham, Grant, and some of our secondary I might look conservative. If we keep everyone and hire a top notch D coordinator and staff then yeah Ill need to chill out. Shinning a light on shit things we have done shouldnt be a flaw but a feature!
February 6th, 2024 at 6:59 PM ^
Giants fan here. I don't see Wink wanting to spend that kind of time on the road recruiting.
February 6th, 2024 at 7:10 PM ^
Yea I doubt he would especially after not being in college for 20 ish years...but, if surrounded him with young top recruiters it might work..might
I would have a concern though about adjusting/dealing with college offenses and their go fast tempo (which I have said a bunch of times)
February 6th, 2024 at 8:16 PM ^
Top recruiters? You mean guys with binders full of blank checks?
February 6th, 2024 at 6:59 PM ^
No way, he was the Giants DC and he lives and dies by the blitz like Don Brown. He also tried to sabotage the HC because he felt like he should have more power.
February 6th, 2024 at 7:01 PM ^
Not sure how his work on Tic Tac Dough or High Rollers translates to the college game but it involved giving out a lot of money so seems like he could thrive in the NIL era.
February 6th, 2024 at 7:15 PM ^
Should work OK. No Dragons on the schedule either.
February 6th, 2024 at 7:37 PM ^
Well done, sir!
February 6th, 2024 at 8:18 PM ^
I came here to post this. But you did. So, an upvote and my job is done here.