NFC East Watch: Eagles QB Jalen Hurts Sought Input from ex-Giants DC Wink Martindale

Hurts sought to pick Martindale's brain regarding how opponents were playing the Eagles down the stretch.

Aug 1, 2024; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) passes the ball during a training camp practice at Lincoln Financial Field. / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL is ultimately a brotherhood between players and coaches, but when it comes to upfront communication between personnel from other teams, a line is typically drawn.

But Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts felt it necessary to contact Wink Martindale, the Giants' former defensive coordinator, for insight on how opponents were viewing the Eagles' offense so that he could salvage the Eagles' 2023 season, an explosive new report from ESPN claims. 

The season had ended with Philadelphia losing six of its last seven games, including a 32-9 Eagles Wild Card loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Martindale, who had already resigned from his post with the Giants following an ugly confrontation with head coach Brian Daboll by the time Hurts reached out to him, admitted he was surprised to hear from Hurts. 

Giants defensive coordinator Don "Wink" Martindale during warm ups before the Houston Texans at the New York Giants in a game played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ on November 13, 2022. / Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

“I’ve been doing this for 40 years,” said Martindale, now the defensive coordinator with the Michigan Wolverines. 

“It’s the first time I’ve had an opposing quarterback call me up. I thought it was pretty cool that the guy called. It shows you what kind of pro he really is. He’s just looking at every angle that he can to get better.”

Regardless of his surprise, Martindale was only too happy to offer his perspectives to help Hurts understand the weaknesses in the Eagles’ offense system, spending about an hour sharing his insight, which included an opinion that because the Eagles weren’t as committed to the running game and in particularly the quarterback runs, it made defending them a lot easier.

“They were trying to throw the ball a little bit too much on early downs, which put them behind the sticks. That's when defenses can go to work," Martindale told ESPN.

To his point, Martindale blitzed Hurts on 68% of his dropbacks in Week 16 and 63% in Week 18, the two highest blitz rates against Hurts in his career, per ESPN’s Stats & Info. 

Had the Eagles incorporated more of the run, this might have altered how often the Giants blitzed.

Following the 2023 season, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, who had been rumored to be on the hot seat, survived, but he fired both of his coordinators, replacing them with former Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and former Dolphins defensive coordinator (and one-time Eagles consultant) Vic Fangio. 

The Eagles also sought to boost their running game by adding former Giants running back Saquon Barkley.

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