New York Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale has been at this for a long time. That doesn’t mean he’s accustomed to facing an elite offense like the one New York is set to go up against on Sunday.
It was less than two weeks ago that the Miami Dolphins dropped 70 points on the Denver Broncos. It was a record-setting performance for head coach Mike McDaniel, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and Co. It was also pretty damn embarrassing for veteran Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph.
In talking about his preparation for Sunday’s tilt against the Dolphins in South Beach, Martindale provided pretty much the quote of the NFL season.
“I’m sleeping like a baby. Every two hours I wake up and cry, go to the bathroom and try to go back and get some more sleep,” the New York Giants’ defensive coordinator said.
The video is even more hilarious.
What keeps you up at night? This give that question to a whole new meaning.
Whether it’s nightmares of Tua tossing the ball around the schoolyard to Tyreek Hill or rookie running back De’Von Achane scoring another million touchdowns, we fully understand what Martindale is stepping in here.
Martindale began his coaching career at a small college called Defiance back in 1986 before stints with Notre Dame, Cincinnati, Western Illinois and Western Kentucky. He’s been an assistant in the NFL since all the way back in 2004 with the then-Oakland Raiders. Even then, he hasn’t seen anything like what the Dolphins put on display two weeks ago against Denver.
Related: New York Giants standing in Sportsnaut’s NFL defense rankings
New York Giants up against it in Week 5
Joking aside, Wink Martindale and the Giants are facing an uphill climp. They are 1-3 on the season and are coming off a disastrous 24-3 home loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football.
A loss against the Dolphins, which is to be expected, would likely lead to a lost season in Jersey. That’s especially true with a Week 6 outing looming against the Buffalo Bills in Western New York.
Though, it must be noted that New York’s offense is the main culprit in these struggles. Daniel Jones has been sacked an absurd 22 times in four games. The Giants rank dead last in the league in scoring at 11.5 points per game.
As for Martindale’s defense, it also must step up after yielding an average of 30.5 points over the first four games.
Sleep well, Wink. Perhaps, some nighty time tea will serve you well over the next couple of nights.