The real story behind the controversy involving the Giants, Brian Daboll, Wink Martindale, and Mike Kafka
But thanks to a roughing-the-pass call outside the red zone by Kayvon Thibodeaux, Washington’s offense was now moving the ball. Brian Daboll then began placing the blame on Martindale and the defensive personnel:
“You’re gonna lose this game just like you lost us the Jets game,” Daboll griped over the headset, according to many people in the building.The Giants lost against the Jets 13-10 in overtime on October 29, and Daboll was blaming the defense for everything. The offense had passed for -9 yards, and Daboll’s poor play calling in the final minutes of the game had set the stage for a complete collapse of the club.
Daboll was hardly unusual in his divided finger-pointing. That’s one of the reasons why, sources say, Giants GM Joe Schoen had begun listening in on the coaches’ headsets on game days that week in Washington — although the GM also was taking a step that both the Texans’ Nick Caserio and the Cowboys’ Will McClay have done to gain a better understanding of the game day operation.
Numerous coaches believed Daboll’s demeanor on the sidelines was detrimental. He was constantly reactive rather than proactive in his input. Furthermore, he hardly ever offered a remedy to his fury.According to a team insider, “He lacks composure.”
On Sunday Night Football in Buffalo on October 15, America witnessed it firsthand. Daboll, who acknowledged that his mind was not in the game, was “very frustrated” that he was unable to respond to questions at halftime, according to NBC sideline reporter Melissa Stark. Right now, I am unable to concentrate on anything.Schoen was now keeping an eye on the dynamics at Washington after receiving warnings from a number of influential parties about Daboll’s actions and the unfavorable sideline dynamic.
It has been reported that Schoen would wear headphones for four games—against the Commanders, Patriots, Packers, and Saints—before taking a break for the remaining three.However, the tale of the Giants’ collapse in 2023 is not about a personal rivalry between Daboll and Martindale or the past. The issues at hand are poor football and a deficient system that persists inside the Giants’ confines.
This is about a company that has enough issues that a recent Giants employee told an NFL assistant enquiring about a position:
‘AWAY FROM THE WAVE’
In August, following a Lions punt return score, Daboll created an antagonistic tone by staring down his special teams coordinator, McGaughey, on the sideline. Though Daboll’s outburst wasn’t really welcome, it wasn’t unexpected.
He’d dismantled a lot of people in 2022, including DeAndre Smith, the former running backs coach who signed with the Colts this past offseason. In addition, Daboll has trashed Daniel Jones twice in the last two years, tossing a tablet next to his quarterback in disdain following Jones’ pick-six in Week 4 against the Seahawks.But many club insiders claim that Daboll’s anger has been directed mostly at Kafka, the youthful offensive coordinator for the Giants. A source claimed that he is “constantly second-guessed.”
After working with Josh Allen’s Bills offense, Daboll was hired by the Giants. His offense collapsed, starting with a 40-0 defeat to the Cowboys in Week 1. Daboll ran a continuously high temperature. He also frequently vented to his OC.”If he called a run and [Daboll] didn’t like it, he would motherf–k him,” the insider claimed. “He would make [Kafka] run the ball.”
The Giants had only one offensive touchdown in their first five games as they began 1-5. It didn’t help that this athletic training staff had poor O-line personnel and an annual injury problem. They went three straight games without an offensive TD against Seattle, Miami and Buffalo in Weeks 4-6.The good fortune of the previous season’s playoff run had soon faded.“Last season it was like we were riding a wave,” one player remarked as the season plummeted. “And with that, the wave is over.”
Sources claim that Daboll denied Kafka playcalling many times, but each time he returned it. Week 10 vs Dallas: reports state that he handed it over to QB coach Shea Tierney for the second half.One source claimed that Daboll’s “unpredictability” was what made him unique. His shifts from other people’s viewpoints lacked any structure, logic, or pattern.
As the Daily News originally reported, Daboll also assumed control of Kafka’s offensive meetings in Week 7 prior to a home game against Washington. And although the offense had averaged 11.75 points in that 1-3 run, he didn’t return full authority to Kafka until Week 11.
The Giants won five of their last seven games with 24 points or more while Kafka was back in charge. However, Daboll’s impetuous personality also showed through in the way he mishandled game circumstances in defeats.He sent a panicked message to the squad in the first quarter of last year’s divisional round in Philadelphia by opting for a fourth and eight on the Eagles’ 40-yard line with a 7-0 deficit. This concluded the 38-7 loss.
The Giants then suffered their two worst losses as a result of bad situational football: in Week 6 against Buffalo, Tyrod Taylor was called for a run check at the goal line just before halftime, and in Week 8 against the Jets, Daboll sent an injured Graham Gano out to miss a field goal when one yard would have won the game.
Even though the defense faltered toward the conclusion of those losses, some staff members perceived the defense’s inability to take responsibility for its errors as a lack of accountability when the offense was struggling and the final-game choices were backfiring.
Daboll receives advise on his headset in crucial instances from an analytics and game management crew. That cooperation, according to one source, is neither comprehensive or sophisticated, and they have “broken down.” Furthermore, Daboll’s decisions on game day become arbitrary, unrestrained snap decisions regardless of what is discussed during the week.
“We’re like, ‘Wait, what was the purpose of that meeting?'” the insider remarked. “There are several instances of contradiction or acting in total opposition to our discussions. Game results are affected by the fact that the rest of the league is too far ahead.
The Giants offense finished the first half of a Week 10 blowout over Dallas with 27 yards and one first down. In the end, the defense gave up and gave up 640 yards. Additionally, according to insiders, Daboll was meddling with Martindale’s play-calling so much that he was tearing up the defense so hastily and continuously following successful Cowboys plays.
Martindale reportedly requested Daboll to pause so he could finish the play, according to multiple sources. Schoen used the headsets to keep an eye on the issue the next week.Regarding working with Daboll, one insider claimed, “You’re living on the edge every week.” “It makes your job difficult.”
WHY WINK DIDN’T WORK OUT
The Daboll-Martindale combination did not work, as was evident from the first day of training camp the previous year.Daboll let the belief to develop that he had leaked play calls to the defense to put Jones in a difficult situation when the offense had a difficult start to camp.
However, sources claimed that the offense was having fits as a result of Martindale’s pressure packages. Daboll informed Martindale that he would be limiting his blitzes for the remainder of the camp.
That established a coaching culture between the offense and defense that did not benefit the offensive, particularly this season.The defense scored three touchdowns on its own and finished with more takeaways (31) than touchdowns (25) produced by the offense. In just one of the Giants’ first nine games, the offense scored more than 14 points.
During the team’s worst two games of the season, blowout defeats to the Raiders and Cowboys, the defense could no longer bear the burden of the offense’s troubles.A defensive starter stated, “We know we have to be perfect because of the offense right now,” following the Dallas game. “It is challenging.”The way in which safety Xavier McKinney’s public criticism of the coaching staff was handled following the Raiders defeat in Week 9 provided an excellent glimpse into the Daboll-Martindale divide.
Daboll attempted to contain the repercussions inside the company and was offended when Martindale publicly criticized McKinney a few days later. However, some saw Daboll’s lack of public repercussions for McKinney—as well as the eventual disclosure of his discontent with Martindale—as an example of a head coach prioritizing a player over his defensive coordinator.
Ultimately, McKinney’s finest football came in the second half of the season once he was held accountable.However, Week 10 at Dallas, FOX sideline reporter Tom Rinaldi saw a lengthy, unusual chat between Daboll and Martindale. Next, in the victorious locker room of Week 11 versus Washington, Daboll had McKinney break down the squad.
All of that led to FOX’s Jay Glazer stating in Week 12, before to a Patriots victory, that Daboll and Martindale were “in a bad place.”After the 10-7 victory over the Patriots, nobody thought Daboll was sincere when he gave Martindale the game ball. It was perceived as an obvious, contrived PR stunt. But there was no revolt among the players. Daboll had established support in the locker room.
Athletes publicly supported him. A player stated that even with this downtime, Daboll’s 2022 playoff berth and victory mattered. From training camp to the team’s walkthrough-heavy last three weeks of the season, players also responded well to a more relaxed practice schedule.
Many others in the building, including executives, coaches, and players, claimed that Daboll’s achievement from the previous year represented a significant investment. However, given how poorly Year Two went, pressure should now be increased in Year Three.
Martindale also had a large following. The most vocal opponent was captain and middle linebacker Bobby Okereke, who told the News in November that losing Martindale would be “devastating.” A number of players also expressed similar sentiments.A few people became weary of hearing about the competing coach camps.One participant commented, “Too many egos.” “Too many egos.”
Ultimately, the Giants dismissed Martindale’s right-hand man, outside linebackers coach Drew Wilkins, and his brother Kevin on Black Monday without alerting the defensive coordinator.
That just served to quicken Martindale’s plan to get out of what had become into a losing, unhealthy, and unworkable arrangement. There were rumors that Martindale blew up at Daboll.He yelled, “Go f–k yourself,” at Daboll, who was used to hearing such remarks. Martindale departed from the team and the building thereafter. First to report that he was quitting was The Daily News.
According to the formal conditions of his resignation, Martindale was free to apply to any other team for a head coaching or defensive coordinator role. In exchange, he returned his $3.25 million salary for the last year of his Giants deal, according to sources.
Although Martindale plainly decided that his freedom and the Wilkins’ reputations were worth it, it was still a costly price to pay.The truth is that the Giants didn’t resolve any issues in this instance. They couldn’t get their own house in order, so they lost a well-liked coordinator.