It was reported that Martindale, Daboll could part ways
Rumors that New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll and defensive coordinator Don "Wink" Martindale are in a bad place were stamped out by the former after a 10-7 win against the New England Patriots on Sunday.
Daboll saw Martindale’s defense put together a brilliant performance, getting three interceptions into the box score to help the Giants to back-to-back victories, improving to 4-8 on the year.
At the podium after the game, a media member asked about Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer reporting that Daboll and Martindale were in a "bad place" and that a mutual parting of ways could come at some point, whether it was during or after the season.
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New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll, right, and defensive coordinator Don Martindale are shown during the game against the New York Jets, August 28, 2022, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
"Yeah, I’d say the biggest argument Wink and I have had is who has the last piece of pizza," Daboll responded with a smile. "Got a lot of respect for Wink, and [he’s] done a good job. I’ll leave it at that."
Daboll was also seen giving Martindale a game ball in the Giants’ locker room.
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"Hey, Wink, game ball, buddy," Daboll said while tossing the pigskin to his defensive coordinator. Martindale broke down the team shortly after, chanting, "1, 2, 3 Giants!"
So, all seems to be going well in East Rutherford, New Jersey. But, of course, all is usually well when you’re winning.
Don Martindale of the New York Giants is shown during the third quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium, October 15, 2023, in Orchard Park, New York. (Bryan Bennett/Getty Images)
The Giants weren’t doing that until recently, with the team’s defense playing relatively well while the offense was struggling. There was also Daboll and Martindale being caught having some serious conversations before and after halftime in a blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys a few weeks ago.
Glazer’s report added that people within the organization said they "can feel" tension between Daboll and Martindale, saying that "it’s just getting worse."
But Martindale denied any bad blood, and now Daboll is coming forward to joke about the situation.
Head coach Brian Daboll of the New York Giants looks on prior to the game against the New England Patriots at MetLife Stadium, November 26, 2023, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
We’ll see how the relationship fares as the Giants’ season continues to hold on with playoff hopes heading into their next matchup with the Green Bay Packers on Dec. 11.
Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.
