Giants hiring Wink Martindale as their new defensive coordinator

There is a new guy in charge of the Giants’ defense, and the look and feel of things on that side of the ball should be different, and interesting.

Brian Daboll got his man.

Not long after Daboll was hired by the Giants as their head coach, word got out that he was high on Don “Wink’’ Martindale and put him at the top of the list for defensive coordinator candidates. The only caveat: Daboll wanted Patrick Graham to stay to run the Giants’ defense and Martindale was the top option from the outside.

Martindale, 58, was the first candidate to meet with Daboll via teleconference and the first one to walk into the Giants’ facility on Monday for an in-person interview. The interest proved to be mutual, and on Tuesday Daboll made it official that Martindale will fill perhaps the most important assistant position on the entire staff.

Graham, prior to this, accepted the Raiders’ defensive coordinator position, opening the job for Martindale.

Daboll comes from an offensive-minded background, known for developing quarterbacks and calling plays. He needs a strong presence to run his defense. Martindale fits that mold. One reason why Daboll targeted Martindale? He could never quite solve his defense. In three games against the Ravens, Daboll, as the Bills’ offensive coordinator, scored 3, 17 and 17 points.

Daboll considered Sean Desai (Bears), Teryl Austin (Steelers), Jim Schwartz (Titans) and Steve Wilks (former Cardinals head coach), all candidates with previous experience as an NFL defensive coordinator. But Martindale’s body of work with the Ravens and his big personality won Daboll over.

This in a sense is a second-chance for Martindale. He impressed Giants’ ownership two years ago when he interviewed for the head-coach position that went to Joe Judge. Martindale at the time was frustrated about not getting the Giants’ job, and he has not given up on his desire to be an NFL head coach. Coming to the Giants could hasten that process, if he has success.

Martindale’s Ravens defense finished in the top 10 in scoring in each of his first three seasons in Baltimore. He is known for an aggressive style and normally uses a 3-4 base front. That fits with what Graham utilized with the Giants the past two years, but Martindale’s attack relies more on blitzes and pressure than Graham showed with the Giants.

Martindale has no problem isolating his cornerbacks in press man coverage up at the line of scrimmage. This will be an adjustment for James Bradberry and Adoree’ Jackson, the starting corners, and the need for top-end talent at the position will make it difficult for new general manager Joe Schoen to cut Bradberry to save $12.1 million on the 2022 salary cap to help the Giants reduce a $40 million cap imbalance.

After 10 years with the Ravens, a dip in production on defense in 2021 prompted head coach John Harbaugh to decide a change was needed. This does not mean Harbaugh is down on Martindale.

“Giants fans are really going to like his style,’’ Harbaugh told The Post’s Ian O’Connor. “He will be in attack mode. He’s definitely one of the best defensive play-callers in the league, and a real joy to be around every day. I have great respect for him.

“He’s a highly confident, charismatic-type coach. He’s a winner. He keeps offenses off balance, and you have to be prepared for what he is going to call. You’ve got to be ready for any call at any time, and that’s become one of his trademarks. And he keeps it honest and is very straightforward with the players.”

Harbaugh compared Martindale’s aggressive approach on defense to that of Steve Spagnuolo, who won Super Bowls with the Giants and Chiefs.

It looks as if Martindale will be reunited with one of the Ryans, not Rex, but his long-haired brother, Rob, who was the inside linebackers coach with Martindale in Baltimore. The colorful Rob Ryan, 59, and Bryan Cox, the former NFL linebacker who last coached in the league in 2016, are headed to the Giants, according to Pro Football Network.

Martindale worked with Rex Ryan at the University of Cincinnati in 1996 and 1997, and is not only a proponent of Ryan’s gambling style of defense, he also has a similarly boisterous personality. Martindale played football at Defiance College in Ohio, where he first gained the nickname “Wink’’ because he shared a last name with the television game show host at the time, Wink Martindale, of “Tic-Tac-Dough’’ fame.

Daboll believes in allowing his coordinators to make hires. Defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson will be retained from Judge’s staff. Drew Wilkins, the outside linebackers coach with the Ravens, was let out of his contract and is expected to come to the Giants with Martindale.

The new Giants coaching staff is shaping up. Daboll has injected outside influences, with Martindale coming from the Ravens and Mike Kafka, the 34-year old offensive coordinator, coming from the Chiefs. Shea Tierney, the new quarterbacks coach, comes with Daboll from the Bills. Daboll brought back Thomas McGaughey as special teams coordinator.

In addition, Adam Henry has interviewed with the Giants for the wide receiver coach position according to NFL Network. Henry was the receivers coach with the Giants in 2016 and 2017 on Ben McAdoo’s staff, and most recently was with the Cowboys.