Tag: Shane Bowen

Giants vs. Commanders: 3 causes for concern in Week 2

The New York Giants square off in a Sunday afternoon battle against the Washington Commanders in Week 2. Here are three reasons for concern.

After an extremely disappointing performance in Week 1, the New York Giants will travel to take on a familiar opponent in Week 2 — the Washington Commanders.

With improvements needed on offense, defense, and special teams, the coaching staff will need to make plenty of adjustments ahead of Sunday’s game.

While the Giants will be seeing a very familiar team and one they have dominated in recent memory, Washington’s rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels will be facing off against the Giants for the first time — a team he will get to know very well in the coming years.

With both teams coming in at 0-1 and hoping to get back to .500 on Sunday, here are three causes for concern for the Giants entering Week 2.

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Lack of confidence

As the Giants saw last year, the season can get away from a team in a hurry. The Week 1 performance provided no bright spots on either side of the ball, nor did either of the Giants’ new play callers show any sign of being prepared.

Daniel Jones had an abysmal performance he would like to forget as did the rest of the team. The Giants were one of just two teams to not score a touchdown in Week 1 and the only team held under 10 points.

On the other side of the ball, they had trouble getting any sort of pressure on Sam Darnold, who was able to sit back and pick the defense apart.

The Giants have little to build off of from Week 1 and will need to put that behind them in a hurry.

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Facing a mobile quarterback

Jayden Daniels showed in his debut that he’s not afraid to run, carrying the ball 16 times for 88 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Traditionally, the Giants have struggled against mobile quarterbacks and will most certainly need to keep an eye on the threat Daniels presents as a scrambler.

The Giants have plenty of talent on defense even if it didn’t show in Week 1. Shane Bowen’s unit will have a chance to redeem themselves on Sunday.

Ed Mulholland/Getty Images

The new play-callers

The Giants’ Week 1 performance left plenty to be desired. It’s not just the players who need to be better, but the coaching staff as well.

The Giants defense, led by new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen, had no answer for Sam Darnold and the Vikings’ offense, making Darnold look like a Pro Bowler who had his way all game long.

In Brian Daboll’s first game calling plays on the Giants’ offense, the team put up just six points and had trouble moving the ball down the field. For a team that spent plenty of time talking about throwing the deep ball, the Giants had just one pass over 20 yards and it wasn’t due to a lack of separation by their receivers. The play-calling was, at best, suspect and will need improvement ahead of Week 2.

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Giants’ Adoree’ Jackson wants official fined for controversial DPI call

New York Giants CB Adoree’ Jackson believes an official should be fined for his blatantly incorrect DPI penalty on Sunday vs. Minnesota.

The New York Giants committed nine penalties for 95 yards in their 28-6 loss to the Minnesota Vikings at MetLife Stadium on Sunday but there was one that stood out.

The defensive pass interference call on Giants cornerback Adoree’ Jackson in the first quarter seemed a little egregious.

At the 5:32 mark of the first quarter, Minnesota had a third-and-7 on their own 37. Quarterback Sam Darnold hoisted a pass in the direction of wide receiver Jordan Addison down the right side of the field. Jackson got there in what seemed to be a timely fashion and broke the pass up.

Replays showed Jackson may have gotten there a split second too soon but he also had his head turned around facing the ball, which was underthrown.

A flag was thrown. Jackson — and many others — objected, but to no avail.

A frustrated Jackson vented to the New York Post after the game.

Was it a bad call? Should it actually have been offensive pass interference against receiver Jordan Addison, who seemed to initiate contact by jumping onto Jackson’s back to get to an underthrown pass by Sam Darnold?

“He knows it,” Jackson said. “When I say ‘he,’ the ref. That’s why he wouldn’t look at me, wouldn’t talk to me. You saw Addison almost pull my damn helmet off. I turned and looked for the ball. I can’t do anything about it.”

The penalty went for 36 yards, giving the Vikings a first down on the Giants’ 27. Three plays later, Aaron Jones scampered into the end zone to give Minnesota a 7-3 lead.

“The ref is sorry,” Jackson continued. “He can hear me say that. He needs to be fined just like they fine us on different things. That was a BS call. He knows it. I wouldn’t look at me either if I knew I made a bad call.

“You heard the crowd reaction. You looked at the screen and saw it. So, he knows he made a bad call. And he threw it late. Come on.”

It was just one of many things that did not go the Giants’ way on Sunday.

Jackson, who played the last three seasons with Big Blue, was playing despite just being signed “off the couch” last week. He had been a free agent since March and did not have the benefit of the offseason program or training camp.

Jackson was signed due to his familiarity with new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen’s system from their days in Tennessee together. He played just 19 of the Giants’ 55 defensive snaps on Sunday, making two tackles but gave the Giants’ young secondary a veteran to lean on.

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Giants vs. Vikings: 3 reasons for optimism in Week 1

The New York Giants host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday afternoon in Week 1, and here are three reasons for optimism.

The New York Giants will open up the 2024 regular season at MetLife Stadium on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.

The two teams will meet for the first time since the Giants upset the Vikings in the playoffs two years ago. However, both sides have experienced significant change since then.

Both the Giants and Vikings enter Week 1 with low expectations and each will be going up against a competitive race in their respective divisions.

With the Giants trying to start the season off with a win, here are three reasons for optimism ahead of Sunday’s game.

Credit: New York Giants

A special year honoring the franchise’s 100th season

The Giants are celebrating their 100th season in the National Football League. There will be a little bit of extra buzz in Week 1 as the Giants will be sporting their “Century Red” uniforms to honor the franchise. This will be the lone game they will wear these uniforms this season.

The Giants also revealed their 100th-season stadium design earlier this week which will create a little extra juice around this game.

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Players and play-callers making their Giants debut

Sunday will mark the Giants’ debut for big-time acquisition Brian Burns, running back Devin Singletary, and rookies Malik Nabers and Tyler Nubin.

Burns got a lucrative contract from the Giants after they traded for him and will look to take the Giants’ pass rush to the next level. Meanwhile, Singletary is out to help Giants fans forget about Saquon Barkley and there is a lot of hype around the rookies Malik Nabers and Tyler Nubin.

Look for all these players to get their Giants tenures off to hot starts.

The Giants will also have new playcallers on both sides of the ball. While defensive coordinator Shane Bowen will look for his defense to attack and be aggressive, head coach Brian Daboll will take over the offensive play-calling. Look for both of the play-callers to want to prove they were the right man for the job in their respective debuts.

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Forcing Turnovers

Believe it or not, the Giants’ defense caused the most turnovers in the league last season. With the addition of pass rusher Brian Burns, the front seven should improve dramatically.

The front seven should be able to get some pressure on Sam Darnold and force a few turnovers on Sunday.

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Shane Bowen wants Giants defense to attack, attack, attack

New York Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen wants his players to be aggressive, attack relentlessly and control the game.

The New York Giants have a new defensive coordinator this season — former Tennessee Titans DC Shane Bowen, and he has a different approach to paying defense than his predecessor, Wink Martindale.

Bowen will not stress pressure like Martindale did but will focus on overall aggressiveness. He explained his strategy to reporters on Wednesday as the team prepared for the regular season opener against Minnesota this Sunday.

“I want these guys to attack,” Bowen said. “I want them to have an attacking mentality with everything they do, whether it’s attacking the line of scrimmage up front, playing with our hands, leading with our hands, being violent with our hands.

“Whether it’s linebackers getting downhill violently, physical, DBs getting out of breaks, showing up in the run game, staying on their feet, tackling, putting their chest on guys. It’s a play style. You play defensive football, I don’t care if it’s Pee Wee or if it’s up to the NFL, when you play defensive football, there’s an expectation of physicality, toughness, aggression and being aggressive throughout. Totally different than scheme and what that is and where that goes, but it’s more about play style to me.”

Bowen has a solid track record, especially against the run where the Titans allowed the fewest yards per game (76.9) in 2022. Under Martindale, the Giants were in the bottom quadrant of the league in that category.

The Giants were 28th in sacks last year under Martindale’s pressure schemes. The Titans were 15th under Bowen last season.

The Giants will have more firepower on defense this season, especially in their front seven. Bowen will let his stars, such as Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns, and Kayvon Thibodeaux, lead by example.

This week, we’ll finally see this dynamic trio in action.

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Giants’ coaching staff ranked in bottom third of NFL

ESPN recently ranked all 32 coaching staffs across the NFL and have the New York Giants in the bottom third.

The New York Giants’ 2023 season was, well, pretty painful. Injuries plagued the team and exposed its lack of depth. But during the offseason, the organization made adjustments to its coaching staff and made changes to player personnel.

Even with those changes, ESPN recently ranked the Giants’ coaching staff as 24th in the league.

During his explanation, Ben Solak notes that this is his opinion and he’s only ranking the head coach, offensive and defensive coordinators. No special teams or position coaches were considered in this ranking.

Daboll and Kafka are more willing than most offensive staffs to throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks. They have a wide variety of designer plays for key third or fourth downs (of which Daboll goes for many, and often the right ones). I like the analytical lean of this offensive coaching staff, but I can only put so much value in getting the best out of a bad roster. Who has developed as a young Giant during Daboll’s tenure? Andrew Thomas, the fourth overall pick? Dexter Lawrence, the 17th overall pick? Slapping together a ramshackle offense for a contract year Jones was nifty, but it’s time to find an identity on offense, and I don’t think the Giants are anywhere near that yet.

Defensively, Shane Bowen is an appropriate compatriot to Daboll and Kafka — he loves to try some wacky stuff schematically and see if he can get the drop on opposing coordinators. I think he’ll help a thin and young secondary survive for just long enough that Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Lawrence can do their jobs in the pass rush.

Daboll and his staff definitely have their work cut out for them after last season, and it seems they’ve made valiant efforts to bring in the appropriate personnel with the resources they have.

No one will know how well they did until the regular season is underway, but if the mood out of the locker room is any indication, the Giants are ready for 2024.

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Giants’ Shane Bowen encouraged by the progress of Tyler Nubin

New York Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen is encouraged by the progress Tyler Nubin has made following a calf injury.

New York Giants rookie safety Tyler Nubin is a second-round draft pick out of Minnesota where he set the school record for career interceptions with 13.

As a senior, Nubin recorded 53 tackles (34 solo), four passes defensed, one sack, one forced fumble, and five interceptions. It’s easy to see why the Giants selected him in the early rounds.

But Nubin’s acclimation to the NFL has been a tad slow due to a calf injury. He’s returned to the field now, though, and defensive coordinator Shane Bowen is “encouraged” by what he’s seen.

“It was good to see him last week versus Detroit as well,” Bowen said Thursday. “He continues to get better. He continues to improve each day. I think the one thing with him is he’s finally out there. He’s healthy. We missed him those first two weeks.

“And he’s had ground to make up to get back in that competition. He’s been good. He’s taking advantage of the opportunities. Doesn’t make the same mistake twice. I’ve been encouraged by where he’s at right now.”

Nubin needs that in-game experience to help him catch up to where he needs to be. So far, it seems he’s putting forth the effort which bodes well for his playing time. His ability to acclimate and make plays will be huge among a youthful crew.

Throughout the week, and with injuries at the safety position, Nubin took first-team reps and appears poised to get a good look on Saturday against the Houston Texans.

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Giants’ Azeez Ojulari may take on Justin Tuck-like role in 2024

The New York Giants could bring back the NASCAR formation on defense with LB Azeez Ojulari playing a prominent role.

The New York Giants have a lot of talent in their defensive front seven these days. It looks nice on paper with Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Bobby Okereke leading the way, but no one will know how good this group can be until the games start.

Deploying all of those resources this season will be new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen. The Giants would like to have the four players mentioned above take the lion’s share of the snaps at their respective positions but they will need depth to make things work. They have it.

On Thursday, Bowen revealed a wrinkle for one of the more forgotten players on the Giants’ roster — linebacker Azeez Ojulari.

Welcome back, NASCAR.

Ojulari was a second-round pick out of Georgia back in 2021 but his last two seasons have been ruined by injuries. The Giants had to draft over him with Thibodeaux and then added Burns via a trade.

Ojulari will assume a role that could be similar to that of Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka back in the last decade when the Giants were winning Super Bowls. The strategy is to get as many of your top pass rushers on the field a the same time.

Ojulari, when healthy, can rush the passer with the best of them. Again, when healthy. With Thibodeaux and Burns on the field, he is being wasted on the sidelines. He’s better than a backup. Bowen sees that and is looking to use him in

“There’s only two edges,” Bowen said. “When it comes to passing situations, finding your best four — whoever that is, however we gotta coordinate — to get to the quarterback. It gives you a lot of versatility.”

And Ojulari is one of those four. The Giants haven’t gotten a lot out of him thus far in his career. Maybe this move will change that.

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Giants’ Nick McCloud taking full advantage of his opportunity to start

New York Giants veteran defensive back Nick McCloud, who has a chip on his shoulder, is on his way to earning a starting spot at cornerback.

The New York Giants are going through some major changes in their defensive backfield this summer. They are led by their second-year cornerback Deonte Banks and a collection of unproven draft picks and free agents.

One of those free agents is Nick McCloud, a player the Giants picked up in 2022 who has played in 31 games, starting 11, with little fanfare.

McCloud has basically been known as a backup and a special teamer who fills in when either someone gets injured or the Giants deploy nickel and dime packages.

This summer, however, the former Notre Damer has been playing all over the defense for the Giants. He’s being used at nearly every spot — both inside and outside — as new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen figures out who can do what for him in the secondary.

“Just trying to find the best pieces for us as it relates,” Bowen said at the outset of training camp. “Nick’s been kind of doing a little bit of everything so far in camp. He’s been outside some. He’s been inside some. He’s played some money for us on third down.”

Giants defensive passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson says the 26-year-old McCloud comes to work every day with a chip on his shoulder.

Although he’s played for two large college programs (N.C. State, Notre Dame) and the Giants are his third NFL team, McCloud is still looking for respect.

“Really just going back to my roots,” McCloud said on Sunday when asked about Henderson’s comment. “Three-star recruit out of high school. I really didn’t get much love coming out of high school. Just going through the stuff I went through in college, staying five years. And then obviously being undrafted.

“It’s not really hard for me to wake up with a chip on my shoulder. But I feel like I’m moving past that point of just trying to prove people wrong. Now I’m to the point where the people who are in my corner, I’m just going to try to prove them right. So that’s just how I feel about that.”

These days, McCloud is in direct competition with Cor’Dale Flott for a starting role at outside cornerback. Flott is dealing with a quad injury at the moment, giving the journeyman McCloud the inside track.

“Definitely a huge opportunity,” he said. “I don’t think I’m just trying to take this opportunity to go win a job, every time I step on the practice field, I’m trying to win a job. Whatever reps that I get, those are valuable reps. I went from last year, I didn’t get any reps with the ones and the twos, really. Now I’m getting some reps. I just take every opportunity at practice, game, whatever it may be, just try to maximize that.”

The Giants may have something with McCloud, who has played very well at times in a Giant uniform. He is more motivated than ever now that he sees his chance in this new and improved Giants’ defense.

“I wake up every day feeling like I’ve got to prove myself, no matter where I’m at on the depth chart, no matter what the circumstance may be. I wake up every day wanting to be in the toughest situations,” he said.

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Giants’ Dexter Lawrence competing against himself to be NFL’s best DT

New York Giants NT Dexter Lawrence wants to be the NFL’s most dominant interior defender and he’s competing against himself to do it.

The New York Giants haven’t had a player who is the best at their position in quite some time. That’s changed with defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, especially now that Los Angeles Rams future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald has retired.

In a Sunday interview with Kay Adams of Up & Adams, Lawrence was asked who he is competing with these days for the top spot in the NFL.

“It’s a daily grind against myself,” he said after Adams rattled off some accomplishments and statistics.

One of the most glaring stats that exemplifies how much better Lawrence is than the rest of the field, is his ability to create pressure from the interior of the defense. Nobody does it better.

This offseason, the Giants added Pro Bowl edge rusher Brian Burns via trade. Burns was amazed at how quick the 6-foot-4, 342-pound Lawrence was in person.

“Just look at him. A guy that big shouldn’t be moving that fast,” Burns said laughingly. “When he takes grown men and tosses them to the side, yeah, it’s amazing.”

The best could be yet to come for Lawrence as the Giants have been building their defensive front with more quality players.

“That D-line competition is as strong as any competition on our team right now,” defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said at the beginning of training camp.

“I feel like we’ve got really good depth. And right now, as it stands, there’s going to be some good football players that don’t make this team in that room, and they’re battling. So, it’ll be interesting to see how that shakes out.”

No matter how it shakes out, Lawrence will be front and center, that is for sure.

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Giants’ Bobby Okereke says defense is ‘in a good spot’

New York Giants LB Bobby Okereke feels the defense is “in a good spot” as Shane Bowen continues installing his defensive scheme.

During the offseason, the New York Giants lost former defensive coordinator Wink Martindale and replaced him with new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen.

With a new defensive scheme to learn and new personnel on the field, the defense as a whole has to work hard to be ready for the regular season.

Bowen is spearheading the installation of his defensive scheme, and Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke says the unit is in a good spot.

“We’re in a good spot,” Okereke said Thursday after practice. “We’re growing every day. Obviously, we’re still installing. Guys are still getting a feel for each other, how we communicate, how we play. It’s still day six or seven of camp, so we still have a lot of growth. This joint practice (against the Detroit Lions) will be a good test for us, and we’ll just keep growing as we go.”

Guys are still getting a feel for each other, and Okereke is also building rapport with Bowen. As the quarterback of the defense, Bowen and Okereke need to be on the same page.

“It is a growing relationship. Shane has to get to know me. I got to get to know him. How we’re going to be in stressful situations as the plays go on. But I think we’re developing a great rapport,” Okereke said.

Okereke led the defense last season with 149 tackles (92 solo), 2.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, two interceptions, 10 passes defensed and four forced fumbles. His on-field communication is key to the success of the defense.

Okereke has to pay attention to everything on the field at all times, and that goes for practice too. So when he says the defense is “in a good spot,” it’s probably safe to trust his opinion.

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