Bill Belichick suggested the Giants were too aggressive defensively for his liking in their first preseason matchup.
The Giants defensive coordinator responded with some passive aggression.
After Belichick sounded irritated the Giants blitzed as much as they did in the Patriots’ 23-21 loss in New England on Thursday night, Don “Wink” Martindale used Belichick’s own line against him.
“We’re on to Cincinnati,” Martindale told reporters with a smile at Giants practice Thursday when asked about the legendary coach’s critique.
Bill Belichick during the Patriots-Giants preseason game on Aug. 11, 2022.Getty Images
Wink Martindale during a Giants practice on Aug. 8, 2022.Charles Wenzelberg / New York Po Martindale was asked if he had broken an unwritten rule of some sort during preseason play.
“If it’s unwritten, I don’t know,” the first-year Giants defensive coordinator said before the Giants’ second exhibition game Sunday, against the Bengals. “We’re on to Cincinnati.”
Martindale, who had been the Ravens’ DC since 2018, is notoriously aggressive. His unit blitzed rookie Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe on 17 of his 33 dropbacks, according to Pro Football Focus.
According to PFF and NESN, the Giants sent 21 blitzes at the Patriots, who faced a total of five in last season’s preseason opener.
When asked about a lack of play-action in the game, Belichick intimated the Giants’ defense dictated the action.
“With what the Giants were doing, there’s a lot of reasons for some of the things that we did just to try to manage the game,” Belichick said. “So, just leave it at that.”
