Beware of the Blitz: Wink Martindale, Giants Will Be Coming After Jalen Hurts

The double-edged sword of Wink Martindale's aggressiveness will be on display
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PHILADELPHIA - Sometimes reputations can be overblown but in the case of Don “Wink” Martindale, the notoriety is the real deal.

No one in 2022 calls blitz more than the New York Giants' defensive coordinator.

To that end, SI.com’s Eagles Today asked one of Philadelphia’s offensive coaches if the film backed up the legend.

“Yep, he’s bringing it,” the mentor said.

In many ways, Martindale is the closest thing in the modern game to what many Eagles fans want, the uber-aggressive approach they think is the salve to all issues. In Wink’s world, pressure breaks pipes.

New York has the highest blitz percentage (40.8) in the NFL this season, according to Pro Football Reference. To compare, the Eagles have blitzed about half as much as that at 21.6%.

The numbers say that the Giants haven’t been nearly effective as the Eagles on defense, though. 

Philadelphia has the second-ranked defense overall and is No. 1 in pass defense, No. 2 in sacks, and No. 1 in generating turnovers, all while keeping explosive plays at bay for the most part.

Martindale’s defense is No. 23 overall, is only 22nd in the league in sacks with 25, and has intercepted just four passes, which is the second-fewest in the league The Giants are also 20th in 20-plus yard pass plays allowed (39).

That’s not to say Jonathan Gannon’s philosophy is better than Martindale’s because personnel and health are the biggest contributors to success in the NFL and the 11-1 Eagles are much more talented than the Giants at this stage and have had fewer significant injuries.

As you peel the onion back, you can see the method to the Martindale madness.

Where his acumen shows up is in situational football because he often keeps his best blitzes for the biggest circumstances and New York overachieves on third-down defense (No. 6) and red-zone defense (No. 5).

Despite playing without Xavier McKinney and Adoree' Jackson recently the Giants are seventh in touchdown passes allowed (14) and fourth in opponent completion percentage (60.3).

The loggerheads the Giants DC faces at MetLife Stadium on Sunday include perhaps the best offensive line in football, a quarterback who can make you pay with his legs if you don’t get home on the blitz, and receivers that match up well with the banged-up New York secondary in man coverage.

Jalen Hurts is a legitimate MVP candidate and he’s improved significantly against the blitz this season, completing 62.6% of his throws when defenses have sent extra rushers. 

Seven of Hurts’ 20 touchdown passes vs. one of his minuscule three interceptions have come against extra pressure. The comp in 2021 was a 55.0 completion percentage, nine touchdowns, and four interceptions against the blitz.

“Jalen is getting into that level, that top-tier quarterback because you can just see the jump,” Martindale said. “We went against him his rookie year when he was playing sparingly, and then last year to this past year, he’s really worked on his throwing mechanics, his footwork, and it’s paying off for him. The same way it did for Patrick Mahomes.

“If you go back and look at those comparisons, it’s very similar. He is a triple threat.”

The Eagles' offense looks like an untenable problem for Martindale, especially without one of his best defensive players up front, Leonard Williams, who has been listed as doubtful.

“I was telling the defensive staff, I know they’re not going to play the Pro Bowl this year," said Martindale, "but they’re playing it in Philly because they’re talented across the board."

-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen


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John McMullen
JOHN MCMULLEN

John McMullen is a veteran reporter who has covered the NFL for over two decades. The current NFL insider for JAKIB Media, John is the former NFL Editor for The Sports Network where his syndicated column was featured in over 200 outlets including the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and Miami Herald. He was also the national NFL columnist for Today's Pigskin as well as FanRag Sports. McMullen has covered the Eagles on a daily basis since 2016, first for ESPN South Jersey and now for Eagles Today on SI.com's FanNation. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube.com. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey and part of 6ABC.com's live postgame show after every Eagles game. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen