Film breakdown: 5 Wink Martindale exotic pressures

The New York Giants hired Don “Wink” Martindale to replace Patrick Graham as defensive coordinator. Martindale is an accomplished play-caller who coordinated the Baltimore Ravens' defense since 2018. Graham was a fantastic coordinator for the Giants' defense, and hiring Martindale is a stylistic contrast.

Both coordinators are great, but Martindale is much more pressure-oriented whereas Graham is much more bend don’t break. Martindale’s philosophy is pressure breaks pipes and dictate the terms to the offense - not the other way around.

Through his four years as defensive coordinator for the Ravens, Martindale’s defenses ranked 11th, 21st, 14th, and 23rd in sacks. His lowest sack count was 34 in 2021 and 43 in 2018; for reference, the Giants had 34 sacks in 2021.

However, Martindale’s defense ranked in the top five of pressure rate in two of his four years calling plays in Baltimore. He had pressure rates of 23, 26, 23, and 28 percent; for reference, the Giants had a pressure rate of 20 percent in 2021.

Other than 2021, Martindale’s defense ranked in the top five of points allowed per game, with them ranking No. 1 in 2020. The risky nature of exotic pressure packages and Cover-0 looks put some stress on the defensive backs, but manipulating opposing protection packages is something Martindale thrives at.

Here are five sacks from the 2021 season where Martindale was able to create confusion, chaos, and havoc for opposing offenses.