Giants' Xavier McKinney addresses potential controversy amid woeful season

New York Giants safety and team captain Xavier McKinney raised eyebrows when he said shortly after the club's 30-6 loss at the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday that "from a leadership standpoint, I don't think they've done a great job of letting the leaders lead and listening to the leaders and the captains." 

Per Kimberly Jones of Newsday, McKinney confirmed during a turkey giveaway at the American Eagle Food Pantry of Northern New Jersey on Tuesday that he's since addressed those comments with defensive coordinator Don "Wink" Martindale.

"We met and we’re going to keep pushing," McKinney explained. "We got on the same page. We’re keeping everything in-house. We’re on good terms. Everything is good. We’re going to keep working and figure out how we can string these wins together. That’s really all that matters."

ESPN stats show the 2-7 Giants are responsible for the league's worst overall offense this fall, and that unit lost quarterback Daniel Jones to a season-ending torn ACL in Las Vegas. New York has already suffered five double-digit defeats on the campaign, and McKinney may want no part of a rebuild once his rookie contract expires at the end of a season that probably can't end soon enough for the club. 

"I love being here," McKinney insisted on Tuesday, according to Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. "I love this team. I love this organization. Obviously, they’re the organization that gave me a chance in the first place. They’re the ones that drafted me [in Round 2 in 2020] and made my dreams come true. My heart lays here, and I feel at home for the time that I’ve been here. I would love to continue being here." 

As recently as Monday, NFC East reporter Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports suggested Giants co-owner John Mara could consider moving on from at least head coach Brian Daboll this winter if Big Blue fails to earn another win this season. It's unknown what Mara blowing things up could mean for McKinney, but the 25-year-old seems to enjoy playing under Martindale.

"He doesn’t get too high, doesn’t get too low," McKinney said about his coordinator. "I think that’s the great part about him. He keeps his composure. He tells us all the time that, no matter what, he’s going to keep his composure. That’s still true in the time that I’ve known him and even when I’ve seen him coach at other places. There’s never a moment where he gets too high or too low, and that builds confidence throughout the team because that rubs off on us." 

The Giants next play at the 5-3 Dallas Cowboys this coming Sunday. As of Wednesday afternoon, oddschecker listed New York as a 16-point road underdog for that contest.