Xavier McKinney deflects blame for Giants’ woes: Don’t blame the defense
Prior to a Week 4 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football, New York Giants safety Xavier McKinney took exception to questions about the team’s poor tackling.
Despite missing nearly 20 tackles the week prior, McKinney said that defensive futility was not the reason for Big Blue’s struggles.
He stopped short of pointing fingers elsewhere.
“(Tackling) is not the reason why the games are going how they’re going. (There’s) a lot of other different things that we’ve got to correct and be better with, and like I said, fundamentals matter and they’re always going to matter, and we’ll be better with it. I’m not going to stress too much over that because I know that we’re a good tackling team,” McKinney told reporters.
“Obviously, we’re just going through a little hiccup, but like I said, we’ll correct it, and we’ll keep moving forward. Not going to stress over it, though.”
On Sunday, following a 31-16 loss to the Miami Dolphins, McKinney again deflected all blame for the loss. Despite giving up over 520 yards and countless plays of 20 or more yards, the team captain suggested the defense had nothing to do with the defeat.
“OK, what we’re not gonna do is keep blaming the defense,” McKinney said, via the New York Post.
No one in the room had blamed the defense or suggested it was their fault. McKinney was simply asked about all of the big plays surrendered to Miami’s dynamic offense.
“Then don’t ask me the question,” McKinney snapped after a brief back-and-forth with reporters.
McKinney also vented over commentary made by FOX analyst Jonathan Vilma during the broadcast. Vilma suggested that McKinney blew coverage on Tyreek Hill’s 69-yard touchdown.
“That’s not accurate at all. Who was on the broadcast?” McKinney asked before being told it was Vilma. “Oh, OK. He don’t know what he’s talking about then. He don’t know football. He don’t know coverages, clearly.”
Vilma, of course, spent 10 seasons in the NFL and was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2004. He was also named to three Pro Bowls and picked up a Super Bowl ring with the New Orleans Saints.
Whether not Vilma’s breakdown was accurate is irrelevant. McKinney has a long history of deflecting blame and complaining dating back to the Joe Judge era when he criticized Patrick Graham for not playing him immediately after an injury.
This is not how a team leader should be acting. It sets a bad precedent and is just another example of the wheels completely coming off in East Rutherford.
