Giants' Brian Daboll gives Week 12 game ball to Wink Martindale amid reports of discord after beating Patriots

Before their Sunday kickoff against the Patriots , the Giants battled discord between coach Brian Daboll and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, according to Fox Sports . But Daboll specifically gave a game ball to Martindale after New York beat New England, 14-7, suggesting the two have reconciled - or are at least presenting as much.

New York's brass apparently heard the initial report, which suggested the coaches were not on the same page prior to their team's 1 p.m. ET kickoff. Giants director of player personnel Tim McDonnell spoke with Martindale after the report was released, according to the New York Daily News . Team president John Mara was then spotted speaking with Daboll and Giants general manager Joe Schoen near midfield.

Martindale, who served as the Ravens ' defensive coordinator prior to coming to New York, was indirectly criticized by Giants safety Xavier McKinney earlier this season. McKinney said the team's leaders were "not really being heard" after New York's loss to the Raiders earlier this month.

"Yeah, it surprised me because it's the first time it's ever happened in my career that a player would make a statement like that," Martindale said of McKinney's comments, via ESPN , earlier this month. "I think it was a case of the kid is just frustrated from losing. We spoke. We cleared it up. The example that he gave me of what he was talking about was an in-game adjustment.

"It really took a while for him to point out exactly what it was. But I think you grow from that, and I just told him that is something that it hurts the locker room. It hurts the defensive room when you say something like that."

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To say that it's been a tough year for the Giants has been an understatement. The Giants entered Sunday with a 3-8 record a year after winning the franchise's first playoff game since 2011. Injuries have largely contributed to the Giants' rocky year.