The New York Giants have struggled through the first three weeks of the season, sitting with a disappointing 1-2 record. Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale did not shy away from the media in addressing their most glaring shortcoming ahead of their Monday night matchup against the Seattle Seahawks — tackling.
Wink Martindale addresses the defense’s tackling woes
Martindale spoke to the media this week and had this to say about getting players on the ground with more verve:
“What it comes down to is they are professional athletes and they’ve got to have that mindset of taking the right angle, stepping toes on toes, and making tackles,” Martindale said. “Which they have and they are going to do it again.”
New York is allowing 32.6 rush attempts per game, well above the current league average of 26.73. Teams are confident in attacking their defensive line on the ground and opening the door for pass plays — the first step in breaking down a defense.
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To add to their woes, the Giants are allowing receivers to rack up 359 yards after the catch. They’re also surrendering 138.0 rushing yards per game. Further, their 31 missed tackles rank fourth-worst in the NFL entering Week 4.
As a result, New York has not been able to capitalize on time of possession and all of their opponents have scored at least 28 points on them.
The Giants will need to improve their tackling in Week 4
Several members of the Giants’ defense have seconded Martindale’s comments in recent days and the uniformity in mindset in the locker room is an encouraging sign that all hands will be on deck in cleaning up their errancies.
The Seahawks convert well on passing first downs with the fourth-highest conversion percentage among all teams. The Giants have favored a zone defense thus far and Martindale as well as head coach Mark Daboll head into tomorrow night’s pivotal matchup knowing what to exploit to avoid a 1-3 hole in an NFC East where all teams are above .500.
