Wink Martindale Gets Candid Regarding Loss of Safety Xavier McKinney

Plus a thought about the Giants might go about compensating for McKinney's absence.

The New York Giants hoped to return from their Week 9 bye rested, refreshed, and recharged, especially from the injuries that plagued them throughout the first half of the season.

Unfortunately, the Giants couldn't even avoid the injury bug during their bye week as safety Xavier McKinney, a key cog in defensive coordinator Wink Martindale's defense, suffered a broken hand during freak accident while on vacation in Cabo, Mexico.

McKinney, now sporting a hard cast on his left hand and left arm in a sling, was placed on the non-football injury list and will miss a minimum of four games. His absence will also cause Martindale to shuffle a few things around to compensate for the loss. 

"I think there will be an effect," Martindale said Wednesday when asked about McKinney's absence. "It could be a good effect or a bad effect. We’re going to find that out."

If Martindale has his way, the Giants defense will find a way to survive until McKinney gets the green light to return.

"I always talk to the defensive guys about (how) we control the narrative of every situation," he said. "There are the situations, series of events, if you will, during a game that you’ve got to handle. (And there are the) series of events during the season. I think we’ve done a good job of that so far, for the most part. It’s just another injury that we’re going to have to deal with and get ready to go play the Texans."

Injuries have plagued the Giants all season, but despite so many changes, even in the secondary, they posted a 6-2 record halfway through the 2022 season, a mark not very many people thought they'd ever see in this first year under head coach Brian Daboll.

Martindale is aware that there is no singular replacement for McKinney. Still, he believes this defense might be uniquely suited to make up for McKinney's loss, not by platooning during the game but just within their game planning week to week.

"I think you just look at each game differently on what you need for that game, and different guys will step up and step in," he said. "(Safety) Dane (Belton) will get more playing time than he has. He’s come along very well as a rookie – all of them. Our organizational alignment has been fantastic as far as building the roster and continuing to build the roster for what we need schematically. It’s going to be a different look." 

Belton will need to step up to fill a role. It is not a legitimate plug-and-play for McKinney because Belton is probably more comfortable at the second level, so fans should look for him to play more of the strong safety role and for Julian Love to take on McKinney's role. 

Martindale had very high praise for Belton, who missed most of training camp with a broken collarbone but has developed rapidly since returning.  

"He’s a student of the game. He takes it very seriously as a profession. That’s what jumps out at me. He’s a mature kid for being a rookie," Martindale said. 

"I don’t know if you all have had a chance to visit with him yet, but he’s very quiet. You got to get him talking louder and things like that, but I like how he approaches the game. The plays will come for him because he keeps doing the right thing. He’s not an error repeater; he doesn’t make the same mistake twice. I think as a rookie, he’s ahead of the game."

In addition to Belton having a bigger role, Love will likely move to free safety and take over the play-calling role in the defensive huddle.  

"I’m very comfortable with Julian – have been since day one with both those safeties (Julian Love and Xavier McKinney). And they’re both bright, young players that will have great careers. So, I’m excited for Julian to have this opportunity. He does a great job communicating on the back end, and I’m glad we have him," Martindale said.

Since Belton plays the third safety in the Giants three-safety looks, another guy needs to be ready to go. That is where Jason Pinnock and Landon Collins will likely get their respective opportunities. 

Overall, Martindale would prefer having McKinney in the lineup, but given how the coaching staff has been able to develop and get the most out of these younger players, that sort of eases the sting of losing McKinney, if just a bit.

"I feel bad for the guy (McKinney) himself; I know he didn’t do it on purpose. I feel bad for his teammates, but you got a group of men in there that are just selfless and want to play for each other, and they understand a series of events. They’re going to be ready to step up and go play," Martindale said.

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