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Brian Daboll Denies Report of Tension with Wink Martindale

Daboll denied a FOX Sports report claiming that things have turned sour between him and his defensive coordinator.
Patricia Traina|
Brian Daboll Denies Report of Tension with Wink Martindale
Brian Daboll Denies Report of Tension with Wink Martindale

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New York Giants

East Rutherford, NJ - New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll denied a FOX Sports report about escalating tension between him and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale.

"I've got a lot of respect for Wink," Daboll said after the Giants beat the New England Patriots 10-7 at MetLife Stadium to record their second consecutive win. "Glad he's on the staff."

Daboll's response is predictable, as ever since he's arrived in East Rutherford, he's kept his feelings about matters close to the vest.

Daboll, who presented the game ball to Martindale after the game, then joked that his biggest argument with his defensive coordinator was over who got the last slice of pizza.

Linebacker Bobby Okereke, one of the team's defensive co-captains, said he doesn't sense any tension between Martindale and Daboll.

"No, I don't feel that," he said. "If there is--I mean, obviously, our record is what it is, so it's probably just positive tension trying to get positive results."

Okereke also said the defense has been responding to Martindale well.

"We all love playing for him. We love the aggressive style defense, and we love how he just keeps it an open forum," he said. "He's always asking me, X (safety Xavier McKinney), Bobby McCain--just different veteran guys on the team. But we're seeing what we like on game day. So I think he does a great job just keeping an open line of communication."

According to the FOX Sports report by NFL insider Jay Glazer, things have deteriorated to the point where a mutual parting of ways is likely pending.

"Bad place to the point where I don't see them actually continuing their relationship after this season, maybe not even during the season," Glazer said during the FOX Sports pregame show.

But with the Giants having won their second game in a row, a game in which they recorded three interceptions and forced three fumbles, any possibility of Daboll making a change during the team's upcoming bye week seems unlikely.

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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