The divorce between the NY Giants and Wink Martindale was an ugly one. More specifically, things did not end well between the former Big Blue defensive coordinator and Brian Daboll, with a shouting match being included and Martindale resigning from his position.
Since then, some wild stories have surfaced about the awful relationship between the two. Now, it looks like Martindale has no problem helping out NY rivals if they pick up the phone and give him a call.
In a new report from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Tim McManus, Jalen Hurts apparently called Martindale shortly after he left his post in East Rutherford to help bring him up to speed on what he and the Giants defense saw in his game to try and slow him down.
Keep in mind that NY beat Philly in the regular season finale, with Hurts playing pretty badly while on the field. When he called Wink, he wanted to get some tips on what to improve on, as the Eagles were hoping to go on a deep postseason run, which didn't happen.
Jalen Hurts and Wink Martindale had a long talk after he left the NY Giants
"I've been doing this for 40 years and it's the first time I've had an opposing quarterback call me up. I thought it was pretty cool that the guy called. It shows you what kind of pro he really is. He's just looking at every angle that he can to get better."Wink Martindale via ESPN on Hurts
Per the ESPN article, Martindale brought up the fact that the Eagles 'weren't committed to the run' and that they were focused more on the aerial attack, especially during early downs. The Giants took advantage of that, focusing on trying to slow the QB down. NY indeed stunned Philly in Week 18, something no one saw coming. The Eagles and Hurts then lost to the Bucs in the Wild Card Round.
Shortly after that win, however, multiple coaches were fired and then Martindale was on his way out of town too. He's now the new defensive coordinator for the reigning NCAA champion Michigan Wolverines. Martindale is focused on helping Michigan repeat and he won't have much time to watch Hurts or his former employer once the NFL campaign gets here.
With the way things ended between him and Daboll, though, something tells us he'll be hoping Hurts and Co. come out on top of any contests moving forward vs. Big Blue.