EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — It was the final play of the third practice of training camp for the New York Giants. Coach Brian Daboll called upon quarterback Daniel Jones and safety Xavier McKinney to take the roles of offensive and defensive coordinator.
Jones called the offensive plays; McKinney the defense. It was supposed to be fun for the team. A little competition that ended up being two plays — the first a pass interference penalty in the corner of the end zone, the second a leaping touchdown grab by wide receiver David Sills — to test the offensive and defensive playcallers.
Jones was the obvious choice for the offense. He’s the starting quarterback, and quarterbacks always get the green dot on their helmet with the speaker in their ear to relay the plays to teammates in the huddle.
McKinney’s situation is a little different. He’s a safety, and on defense the green dot is traditionally reserved for a linebacker. McKinney going head-to-head against Jones in the playcalling challenge confirmed that the Giants, in all likelihood, have a different plan this season.
“So, I had a discussion with [defensive coordinator Don] “Wink” [Martindale]. And I have a lot of confidence in Wink,” Daboll said. “He’s done it that way for the past few years. So, that’s who we chose to wear it right now.”
The initial response from former players to a safety getting that type of responsibility is generally surprise. It’s not the norm.
“Safety calling a defense? That’s rare,” former Giants linebacker and playcaller Jonathan Casillas said this week while watching the team practice. “Coverages sometimes come from defensive backs, but calling the defense? Never from a safety from my experience. But if you have capable safeties …”
McKinney has been the on-field defensive playcaller most of this summer, which makes some sense because the third-year safety rarely comes off the field and is part of the Giants’ future. Starting middle linebacker Blake Martinez might not always be a three-down player in Martindale’s defense, and is in the final year of his contract.
The Giants’ defensive formations this summer have featured a lot of three-safety and one-linebacker looks. Martindale seems to have endless pressure packages with rotating personnel, except on the back end.
Martindale has…
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