Since the onset of training camp, the New York Giants defense has completely dominated the offense. The only time the roles have been reversed is when coordinator Wink Martindale dials things back. And that’s rare.
“Yeah,” safety Julian Love said when asked if they’re giving the offense a hard time. “As I said since the beginning of training camp, it has been very competitive on the field and off the field in the locker room. Yeah, we’re going to be tripping a little bit just hoping for a response, but it’s just the nature of competition with them.”
That certainly can’t be fun for quarterback Daniel Jones, running back Saquon Barkley & Co. They’re ultra competitive but have been absolutely manhandled with seeming ease. There have been times the offense was given free first downs just so the practice periods could continue.
Although things have been remarkably one-sided, head coach Brian Daboll is appreciative of Martindale’s aggressive approach.
“I think it’s good. I think it’s good for an offense, too, to have to deal with that,” Daboll said. “However many plays in a row, it’s still good. It makes you think. But I do think you want to do that at times where you say, ‘Hey, give me two or three so every play isn’t mental gymnastics of figuring out different things.’ But I think it’s good to apply as much pressure because you’re going to deal with it at some point.
“Whether it’s 20 plays in a row, you never know about that, but it’s good for an offense to have to work through communication. And it’s really good to sit back after the practice and go through it and really talk about some things that are issues at times.”
It’s safe to say the Giants’ offense has been doing a whole lot of talking after practice.
That was a trend that continued on Monday as the defense had another stellar day against the offense. They were swarming all over the field, had constant pressure on Jones and were dominating both the offensive line and wide receivers.
Either this is going to turn out to be an incredible indictment of Martindale’s defense come the regular season, or a foreshadowing of another disastrous offensive season for the Giants.
