Giants DC Shane Bowen Responds to Claims He Doesn't Disguise Coverages Enough

To some, what New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler said about the New York Giants defense was a classic case of throwing shade at the opponent.

To recap, Rattler was asked earlier this week about the Giants’ pass rush being disruptive, to which he responded with praise.

“Yeah, really good front,” he said. “You know, probably one of the best in the league. We gotta have a good plan for them.”

Rattler then turned his thoughts to the Giants' defensive secondary, offering the comments that made their way to East Rutherford this week.

“A lot of speed, a lot of power, you know, on the back end. They don't do as much as what we've seen from these other teams disguise-wise, but you know, they got their wrinkles and everything,” he said.

“But they do, they run what they do well and can cause some havoc, you know, to quarterbacks and offenses.”

Rattler’s words, which are true by the way, aren’t necessarily a diss as they are perhaps an inference that what the Giants' pass defense has been running of late has worked to their advantage.

After a shaky start to the season, the Giants pass defense appears to have settled down. The unit ranks 25th overall in total passing yards allowed per game (235.5) but is 10th in passing yards allowed per play (5.89) and 12th in passing yards per attempt (6.4).

The Giants' pass coverage has also allowed a 63.7% completion rate, tied for 11th with the Arizona Cardinals.

They’re also tied for seventh (with the Cardinals, Raiders, Falcons, and Eagles) for fewest passing touchdowns allowed (five), while also being tied for eighth in interceptions (3) and ranking ninth in opponent passer rating (84.4).

While it’s fair to speculate on why Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen hasn’t relied more heavily on disguising his coverages, that could be due to the defensive backfield having two new members who are still trying to gel with one another.

“I think there are certain situations we probably do a little bit more than some others at times,” Bowen said this week about disguising the coverages.

“That's something we kind of evaluate how we want to play certain things week to week. Some of the matchups come into play with that. The personnel and who we have available and what we're willing to ask them to do in certain situations.”

Bowen insists that his goal is to find ways to get the quarterback to hold the ball for as long as possible, giving the pass rush a chance to get a sack.

“It takes all 11 in the passing game, and that's a big part of being able to get home-- get the quarterback to hold the ball for a split second, allowing him to decipher what it is.

"We always try to work at, and just especially in the situations that we're able to, we definitely want to be able to do that.”

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