Giants’ Defensive Coordinator Compares Rodgers to Python

New York Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale used some colorful language to detail his appreciation for Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – A lot of defensive coordinators are ready for Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers to drive off into the sunset.

New York Giants defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale has a different sort of drive in mind to celebrate Rodgers’ sometime-in-the-future retirement.

“When I’m retired on a golf cart someplace down in Florida hitting a golf ball, I hope he’s in the foursome in front of me and I’ll hit a golf ball into him,” Martindale joked with Giants beat reporters on Thursday, a few days before the Packers and Giants square off in London.

The 59-year-old Martindale is in his first season leading the Giants’ defense after a decade with the Baltimore Ravens. In Baltimore, his defenses from 2018 through 2020 ranked a cumulative No. 1 in points allowed. Last year, Rodgers threw for 268 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-30 victory at Baltimore.

“He’s a pain in the butt,” Martindale said. “If you have respect for the game, which we all do, you really are excited about this challenge, going against him. It will be something that you talk about the rest of your life.”

For Rodgers, this marks a third consecutive game against a great defense led by a great defensive mind. With a hot first half, the Packers beat Todd Bowles and the Buccaneers 14-12. With a hot second half, the Packers beat Bill Belichick and the Patriots 27-24. Up next, it’s Martindale’s Giants, whose No. 9 standing in points allowed is highlighted by No. 2 rankings on third down and in the red zone.

“Wink is a great coach,” Rodgers said. “A lot of different things he’s going to throw at you, so you’ve got to be ready for a lot of different coverages, some themes of the week, some pressures. It’s a big challenge for us.”

The challenge is a two-way street. Martindale likes to blitz. In fact, he has sent five or more defenders on 48 percent of the defensive snaps, by far the highest rate in the NFL, according to SportRadar. Rodgers likes to be blitzed. Because he’s seen it all, defensive coordinators rarely oblige. He’s been blitzed 20.3 percent of the time, the fourth-lowest rate in the league.

When the Packers and Ravens met last season, Rodgers was blitzed only twice out of 36 dropbacks, according to Pro Football Focus.

“I think there’s definitely some weighing to it,” Martindale said. “We’ve played him different about every time we’ve played him. The way to attack him changes from year-to-year of who he has with him.

“The thing that separates him is everybody knows that he’s a Hall of Fame quarterback, I think we’d all agree on that, and that’s from him throwing as many touchdowns as he has. So, everybody knows that, but what they don’t really appreciate, which I do, is just the great football mind that he has. He gets them in the right run game, he gets protections right, he knows the pressures are coming. He’s a great student of the game and I really admire how he goes about playing this game. It’s always fun, it’s a fun matchup.”

Without Davante Adams, the Packers’ passing game has changed drastically from last season, with less dependence on downfield throws and more reliance on quick passes and yards after the catch. Through four games, Rodgers ranks 26th in average distance of pass (6.65) and 32nd/last in average distance of completions (4.10), according to league data. During his MVP seasons of 2020 and 2021, those figures were 7.85 and 7.71 yards per pass and 5.51 and 5.30 yards per completion.

Martindale, however, isn’t counting on facing a dinking-and-dunking Rodgers in London on Sunday.

“It’s like owning a python and saying, ‘Don’t worry about it. He won’t bite,’” Martindale said. “Aaron Rodgers is Aaron Rodgers. To me, there’s no difference. I think that he’s just as effective today as he was five years ago, six years ago. That would be like saying Michael Jordan can’t hit any 3-pointers, you’re going to guard him outside and then he’ll five or 3-pointers on you. He’s playing at top level.”

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