Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale left the same job with the Ravens this offseason and that’s made his matchup with his former team one of the talking points leading into Sunday’s game between the teams.
That talk has been positive from Ravens head coach John Harbaugh and Martindale had nothing but good things to say about his 10 years in Baltimore during a Thursday press conference. Martindale said he has “a deep love” for Harbaugh and many others in the Ravens organization, which led to a question about why he and the team decided to part ways at the end of the 2021 season.
“I think that it’s just one of those things,” Martindale said. “I always believe that wherever you’re at is where you’re supposed to be. John and I had conversations way back before they made the announcement of about where we wanted to be and what we wanted to do. I knew there was going to be a lot of movement in the NFL, and it has reenergized me to go someplace new and try to build it again. It was like I said, we’re family, John and I are. It was nothing negative, it was just time. When I say it was just time, it was just time for both of us.”
Martindale’s arrival has energized the Giants as well. They finished last season 23rd in points allowed and are up to 9th through five weeks of this season, which is a big reason why the team is 4-1 and why they feel like they have a chance to handle Lamar Jackson and company on their way to a 5-1 start.