The Good, Great, and Ugly of New Giants Defensive Coordinator Shane Bowen's Defense
The Wink Martindale era came to an abrupt end early this offseason for the New York Giants. Like his predecessors, Patrick Graham and James Bettcher, his tenure only lasted two seasons with its fair share of successes and failures.
Head coach Brian Daboll selected former Titans defensive coordinator Shane Bowen to fill the all-important role, tasking Bowen with getting the Giants defense back to being among the top in the league in macro and micro statistical categories.
Bowen was in charge of a solid defense in Tennessee, where there were areas where his defense excelled and others where there were questions about how much improvement Giants fans might expect in 2024.
Let's look at the good, the great, and the ugly of the new defensive coordinator's scheme.
The Good: Run Defense
The rush defense has always been solid in Tennessee under Bowen. What you like about their run defense the most is how committed the players are to their run fits. It is much more difficult for backs to find creases and cutback lanes if every player is filling the gap they are supposed to fill.
The defensive linemen make themselves big and force the offensive linemen to stay home, which allows the linebackers to attack their gaps first and run to the ball before the running back can get a burst through the line of scrimmage.
It may seem simple or easy, but there are a lot of teams that struggle with run fits; the Giants have struggled with consistency in their run fits over the past few years. It has resulted in inconsistency in stopping the run, especially in critical situations.
The above clip shows a series of run plays where the defense can attack their gaps, flow to the running back, and make a stop. Hopefully, it is a sign of things to come.
The Great: Red Zone Defense
The run defense is one of the reasons why Bowen’s red zone defense is the best in the NFL, but it is not the only reason. One of the biggest reasons for Tennessee’s success against offenses in the red zone is that it is more effective in confined spaces. The less room an offense has to work, the better Bowen’s defense performs.
Why? Because his defense is a meat-and-potatoes defense. They are not trying to surprise you. There are not a lot of exotics, but what they do is play assignment-driven football, and they key the ball well.
Sometimes, in the open field, that can lead to players being flat-footed in the secondary or the defensive line, not generating pressure. However, in the red zone, getting beaten over the top is difficult, and there are many more defensive bodies around the ball to swarm.
This next clip illustrates how the defense stiffens up in the red zone and forces a field goal.
The Ugly: Big Play Defense
The Titans defense did not force many turnovers, especially through the air. They were dead last in the NFL in interceptions. Many do not understand that the scheme can play a big role in turnover numbers.
The Titans did not generate a ton of pressure up front. Because they are a staunch assignment-based defense, the defensive line often will not pin their ears back and go hunt the passer, especially in situations where the offense runs play-action. The results were normally flat-footed defenders getting run by and defensive linemen just a step away from the quarterback when he pulled the trigger.
While some of this responsibility lands on the players to make plays, when it often happens throughout the season, we are forced to look at the defensive scheme and overall philosophy as a reason for surrendering so many explosives.
It could be a result of Bowen shaping the defense around his players and therefore leaving them vulnerable to big plays if the offense made them, or it could be a flaw in the scheme that offenses were just able to exploit. Either way, it will be something he needs to clean up in New York.
Final Thoughts
All eyes will be on the coaching staff when on-field activities begin for the Giants. Not only are there questions about the offense, but with things seemingly headed in a positive direction for the defense, the pressure will be on Bowen to sustain what Martindale began and take it to the next level.
Bowen was not an early hire--it's been long believed that the Giants' first choice was former Baltimore Ravens defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson, who eventually was named as Bowen's replacement in Tennessee.
Meanwhile, there was a delay with the Giants hiring Bowen, who initially received permission to interview with the Giants before the Titans reportedly decided to refuse to relinquish their rights to his services. At the same time, new head coach Brian Callahan filled out his staff with newcomers and holdovers.
Regardless of what happened or why, the deciding factors for the defense under new leadership will be the ability to rush the passer and tackle, two things that the team did not do consistently in 2023.
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