Shocking News: Giants Dismissed Two Defensive Coaches, ‘Terrible Mistake’-Opinion.
In an unexpected—and possibly consequential—move, Brian Daboll dismissed two of Wink Martindale’s most important assistants of their responsibilities. Martindale, is that you next?
Two more assistant coaches, both on the defensive side of the ball, have reportedly been fired by New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll, who earlier on Monday morning announced the firing of offensive line coach Bobby Johnson and special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey.
The Athletic reports that defensive assistant Kevin Wilkins and outside linebackers coach Drew Wilkins have been let go. Defense coordinator Wink Martindale brought in the Wilkins brothers; Daboll told reporters he expects Martindale to return in 2024, even though he hasn’t spoken with the 60-year-old defensive coordinator.
“I anticipate that Wink and Kafka will both return. However, Daboll stated that talks will still be had. “I believe they’re good coaches, so having them back will provide some continuity.” I am aware that Wink discusses this as a destination and other such topics. Their dedication to the team and their hard work are much appreciated.
The development of the Giants’ outside linebackers, such as Jayvon Thibodeaux, Azeez Ojulari, Tomon Fox, and Jihad Ward, was under the purview of Drew Wilkins. Thibodeaux led the squad with 11.5 sacks, which was a major improvement. The expected bookend, Ojulari, had to deal with injuries once more.
Kevin, his brother, served as the team’s defensive assistant.
From their time together in Baltimore, Martindale and the Wilkins are believed to be quite close both personally and professionally. It was thought last season that Martindale would have chosen Drew Wilkins as his defensive coordinator if he had been hired as the Colts head coach.
According to Schoen and Daboll, as of Monday morning, no other team has asked the Giants for authorization to speak with any of their assistant coaches. That being said, the coaching carousel is just getting started, so it’s still rather early in the process.
Now that Martindale’s two best assistants have been fired, all eyes will be on the coordinator to see if he chooses to stay on for what is likely to be his last season.
“I know Wink talks about this as a destination place and things like that, it’s good,” Daboll stated. “I appreciate how hard they work, their commitment to the team, so that’s my plan.”
Martindale, according to ESPN, isn’t anticipated to be with the Giants for very long.
