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Wink Martindale Named Top-10 Defensive Coordinator by PFF

Martindale's first year with the New York Giants was a success despite some challenges the unit had to overcome.
Patricia Traina|
Wink Martindale Named Top-10 Defensive Coordinator by PFF
Wink Martindale Named Top-10 Defensive Coordinator by PFF

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New York Giants

New York Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale might not have found success in the last head coaching cycle, but that doesn't mean he's lost any lister on his star.

The 60-year-old Martindale landed in Pro Football Focus's top 10 defensive coordinator list at No. 6.

Martindale may have moved from Baltimore to New York for his defensive coordinator duties, but his aggressive nature and play-calling remained intact — and successful. No team in the NFL last year played more Cover 0 or Cover 1 (man coverage) than the Giants. Their coverage and pass-rush units were in sync, yielding 136 pressures and 24 sacks while in man coverage. At 60 years old and with 18 years of NFL experience, Martindale is still dialing it up with the best of them.

On a macro level, the Giant's defense, which ranked 25th overall (358.2 yards/game), has a lot of room for improvement. The run defense finished 27th (144.2 yards/game), and the pass defense 24th (214.0 yards/game).

But when it came to situational football--third-down and red zone--Martindale's defense finished as a top-five defense in both categories the Giants allowed a 35.12 percent conversion rate in the red zone and a 49.21 percent conversion rate in the red zone, both ranked fifth in the regular season.

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And, of course, the blitz-happy Martindale didn't change his way from his days with the Ravens. The Giants blitzed a league-high 39.7 percent last year, having blitzed 253 times. Despite not having Leonard Williams, Azeez Ojulari, and Kayvon Thibodeaux for parts of the season, the Giants defense finished with a 24.3 percent pressure rate, sixth-best in the league.

The Giants added several key faces to the defense this off-season that will hopefully help the unit become more stout this coming season. Linebacker Bobby Okereke is the centerpiece of the newcomers, a man whom the Giants hope will help boost the run defense, which struggled last year.

They also added a bunch of defensive backs in the draft, including first-round pick Deonte Banks and Day 3 picks Gervarrius Owens and Tre Hawkins III, both of whom can play the man coverage style of defense Martindale prefers.

 

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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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