Wink Martindale didn’t take long to make noise after his name was tied to the Jets this offseason - and this time, the shot was aimed directly at Woody Johnson and New York’s decision-making.
Martindale, who was originally lined up to become the Jets’ defensive coordinator before the team changed course and hired Brian Duker with Aaron Glenn calling the defense, went after the franchise during a recent podcast appearance with the New York Post’s Pat Leonard.
“AG, he needs to stop trying to call defense and actually manage the game. Just focus on managing the game, because it’s too much, too fast... Just think if the owner would've actually paid for a real defensive coordinator, they might've had a chance to win some more games.”
He followed that with an even harsher swipe:
“Just think if the owner would have actually paid for a real defensive coordinator, they might have had a chance to win some more games. I think the Jets are the definition of a losing organization.”
Martindale’s comments landed with the kind of edge that makes the rounds fast, especially when they’re aimed at a team already carrying the burden of a 3-14 season and another offseason of change. He pointed to the Jets’ defensive setup and suggested they would have been better off if they had gone with “a real defensive coordinator.”
There’s no denying the Jets have earned plenty of criticism. The longest playoff drought in professional sports is still hanging over them, and that kind of record invites hard judgment.
But Martindale’s timing makes the whole thing feel less like clean analysis and more like a guy taking a parting swing after being passed over. That’s where the message gets muddy. He wasn’t some detached observer; he was in line for the job before the Jets moved on.
And the résumé behind the criticism isn’t exactly bulletproof. Martindale spent two straight seasons out of the NFL before this interview, and in his last three years as a coordinator, his defenses finished 25th, 25th and 27th in yards allowed, while ranking 19th, 17th and 26th in points allowed.
He also comes with his own history of friction, most notably his very public issues with Brian Daboll when they were together with the Giants. So when Martindale says the Jets would have had a much different outcome with him in charge, that claim doesn’t exactly stand on solid ground.
As for the defense the Jets actually have, the numbers are better than the usual reputation. Through seven games, they sit 16th in EPA per play, 13th in points allowed and ninth in yards allowed. Miami gave them problems, sure, but the bigger picture suggests a unit that has generally held up.
So while Martindale’s comments made the kind of splash he clearly intended, they also raised a simple question: if this is the tone he’d bring from the sideline, was New York really missing out by letting him go?
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