It’s been noted often on the pages of Big Blue View that New York Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale’s philosophy of defense is to maximize the pressure put on quarterbacks to force them to make quick decisions. Sacks are not that important to him, but good man coverage by defensive backs is, because it allows him to scheme to get a numerical advantage on the pass rush, creating an unblocked rusher.
It follows that general manager Joe Schoen should have prioritized strengthening the Giants’ defensive backfield in the 2022 off-season. In several ways, though, he did not seem to do that:
- He released James Bradberry, their most experienced and accomplished cornerback, rather than re-structuring his contract and/or trying to extend him to solve his salary cap problem.