Tag: Shane Bowen

Giants’ Shane Bowen: Starting safety job ‘is Dane Belton’s to lose’

New York Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen says the starting safety job is “Dane Belton’s to lose.”

The New York Giants selected Minnesota’s Tyler Nubin with the 47th overall pick in this year’s NFL draft with the intention that he would fill the void left by the departure of Xavier McKinney in free agency.

That plan was in place until last week when Nubin was sidelined with a calf injury and replaced by third-year veteran Dane Belton, who is healthy and proving his worth in practices.

Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said on Thursday that Belton is currently the front-runner for the starting safety job next to Jason Pinnock.

Belton has recently said, he believes the job should be his by right, anyway.

“I’m confident in my abilities,” Belton said, via NJ Advance Media. “I feel like I earned the right to play (more last year). . . This year, I’m trying to take the job.”

That aside, Nubin is working hard to get back on the field. He is doing individuals on Thursday.

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Giants sign veteran CB Breon Borders

The New York Giants have signed well-traveled defensive back Breon Borders to fill their open roster spot.

On Sunday, the New York Giants announced the signing of veteran cornerback Breon Borders to fill the empty roster spot left by the release of quarterback Nathan Rourke.

Borders, who turned 29 last week, is a well-traveled player. The Giants are his 13th stop in the NFL. His career began as an undrafted free agent out of Duke for the Oakland Raiders in 2017.

Since then, Borders has spent time with Buffalo, Houston, Jacksonville, Washington, Pittsburgh, Miami, Tennessee, Arizona, Chicago, Atlanta, and most recently, New England.

Borders has played in 32 NFL games (starting six) with his busiest period being with Tennessee in 2020-21 when he played in 17 games with five starts.

Current Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen was an assistant with the Titans during that period.

Over seven seasons, Borders has recorded 42 tackles (35 solo, one for a loss), one QB hit, one fumble recovery, seven passes defensed, and one interception.

Should he make the roster, Borders also has special teams experience.

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Giants’ Isaiah Simmons enjoying expanded role under Shane Bowen

Isaiah Simmons is enjoying an interesting and expanded role under first-year New York Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen.

The New York Giants’ secondary is a youthful group. Bringing in Jalen Mills added some experience to their ranks, but defensive coordinator Shane Bowen has another idea.

As we discovered early in Hard Knocks, Bowen is giving linebacker Isaiah Simmons an expanded role.

Before joining the Giants in 2023, Simmons played under Vance Joseph in Arizona. The role Bowen has in mind for Simmons is similar to what Joseph did in 2021, and the veteran responded well to the task recording 105 tackles, one interception, four forced fumbles, and 1.5 sacks that season.

“I think it does give me more consistency,” Simmons said of his new role for Bowen, via Sports Illustrated. “Allows me to settle in and. . . just allows me to master something first and then get into doing other things because I played nickel, and it’s not like I changed positions within different things we were doing.”

Previously, Simmons lined up at the nickel spot, which has helped him be more comfortable in his new role.

“Everything was always me at the nickel spot. It was just based on the call — it could be a different alignment or a different responsibility. So I think this makes me a lot more comfortable with that just because it could allow me to do the exact same thing — allows me to just really focus in, get set, and then focus on what I have to do,” he said.

Simmons will add more experience to the secondary, and his perspective will be valuable in weekly preparations.

However, don’t expect Simmons to be limited. He’ll see time at safety, nickel, and linebacker throughout the season. Bowen fully intends to tap into that versatility.

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Giants’ Bobby Okereke: Shane Bowen-led defense will dominate in 2024

New York Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke believes the defense will “dominate” in 2024 under coordinator Shane Bowen.

One of the biggest storylines in the early part of the New York Giants offseason was the confusing and ugly departure of defensive coordinator Wink Martindale.

The Giants would eventually replace him with Shane Bowen, who worked as the Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator the previous three seasons.

Linebacker Bobby Okereke, who had arguably his best season in his first season in a Giants’ uniform under Martindale, seems to be excited about the defense under Shane Bowen.

Okereke previously spoke highly of his expectations about the Giants’ defense heading into 2024. Now he’s at it again, praising Bowen during an appearance on Up & Adams with Kay Adams.

“It’s almost about as 180 of a flip as it can be,” Okereke said. “Going from Wink — I loved that system, attacking, blitzing all the time — to Shane, very methodical, probably one of the most cerebral defensive coordinators I’ve ever been around. Just the way he sees the game, the way he’s gonna call it, the way he coaches it, the attention to detail. Yeah, I think we’re gonna dominate this year, and it’s gonna be led by him.”

Martindale brought out the best in a few players like Okereke, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Dexter Lawrence. It will be interesting to see how the strengths of the Giants’ defense shift to Bowen’s system.

Of course, the addition of elite pass rusher Brian Burns is only going to help the Giants’ strong front seven.

Okereke played every defensive snap for the Giants last season and arguably should have been a Pro Bowler. With the change to Bowen, the Giants’ defensive approach is going to look a lot different in 2024.

However, clearly Okereke has confident in what his new defensive coordinator brings to the table.

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Giants defense will be expected to win one-on-one in 2024

The New York Giants will rely more on their defensive front and secondary to win their one-on-one battles this year rather than blitzing.

The New York Giants were a blitz-happy team under defensive coordinator Wink Martindale last year, sending extra players to attack the quarterback on 32 percent of the defensive snaps.

Considering they only got home to sack the quarterback 34 times (29th in the NFL) most of that effort was largely wasted. Martindale is gone now and new coordinator Shane Bowen is instituting a different approach.

Bowen will not be dialing up blitzes as regularly as Martindale did. Last year as the DC for the Tennessee Titans, Bowen blitzed just 21 percent of the time.

Rather, he expects his defensive front to win their individual battles and control both the line of scrimmage and the offensive backfield. By doing that, the back seven will be free to fly around and make plays.

“The defensive front will be expected to win one-on-one, get up-field and stop the run on the way to the quarterback,” writes John Schmeelk of Giants.com. “Expect some wide alignments, especially on passing downs to generate 1-on-1 matchups for top pass rushers like Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence and Kayvon Thibodeaux. The defensive front is the strength of the team, and they should be able to execute what the scheme is asking of them.”

Bowen’s style is a collaborative one. Putting the team over self is his primary rule. That all starts up front with the key veterans Schmeelk mentioned.

“There is no egos involved here,” Bowen said. “We are going to be a very collaborative group as a coaching staff. Hopefully, we are that way as a unit: selfless players that put the team first.”

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Giants implored to sign DT Lawrence Guy

Aaron Schatz of ESPN believes the New York Giants should sign veteran DT Lawrence Guy as one of their final roster moves ahead of camp.

The New York Giants are currently enjoying their summer break but that doesn’t necessarily mean roster tinkering has concluded. General manager Joe Schoen is forever looking for ways to improve the team and several needs remain.

One potential need comes at defensive tackle, where the Giants are somewhat thin behind superstar Dexter Lawrence.

There is some quality talent in Rakeem Nunez-Roches, Jordon Riley, and Jordan Phillips but Riley is still developing and Phillips, who contemplated retirement this offseason, could become a cap casualty.

Aaron Schatz of ESPN believes the Giants could shore up the position and quell some of those concerns by signing veteran defensive tackle Lawrence Guy.

The Giants’ biggest roster hole probably is tight end after the retirement of Darren Waller, but without a lot of strong tight ends available on the free agency market, it’s hard to recommend that as a big final move. Instead, the Giants have several places on their defense where they could add veteran depth. Guy spent the past seven seasons with the Patriots and can play against the pass and the run. He had an 83% stop rate last season on his run tackles, meaning that they stopped a successful offensive play 83% of the time. The Giants don’t want to be rotating out Dexter Lawrence very much, but Guy would give them more depth along with Jordan Phillips and Rakeem Nunez-Roches.

The 34-year-old Guy was originally selected by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round of the 2011 NFL draft. He also had stints with the Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Chargers, and Baltimore Ravens before spending the past seven seasons with the New England Patriots.

In 177 career games (122 starts), Guy has recorded 507 tackles (271 solo, 39 for a loss), 63 QB hits, 17.0 sacks, nine passes defensed, one interception, and two forced fumbles.

Although Guy would represent solid depth and a veteran presence, defensive coordinator Shane Bowen seems inclined to add an interior option who excels at rushing the passer. That is not exactly what Guy does best.

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Giants’ Isaiah Simmons will play significant role in Shane Bowen’s defense

New York Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen expects Isaiah Simmons to play a significant, three-down role during the 2024 season.

On Thursday night at Madison Square Garden during the New York Giants 100: A Night with Legends celebration, a preview of the upcoming HBO series, “Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants,” was aired.

The two-minute clip focused largely on incoming defensive coordinator Shane Bowen and how his defense will be structured. There were several notable takeaways but perhaps none more significant than the role Isaiah Simmons is expected to play.

Early in the clip, Bowen outlined his plan for Simmons, who is going to fill a significant role in 2024.

“In our minds, (he will) be a first- and second-down nickel and then playing ‘money’ on third-down,” Bowen said.

Stating the obvious, Bowen anticipates Simmons will be a three-down player, which means a large increase in snaps from the previous season (377, 33%). It may also mean a decrease in special teams snaps from last year (224, 49%).

The versatile Simmons will see significant time in coverage, which has increasingly become a strength. He earned an 82.7 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus last season, allowing 17 receptions on 21 targets for 153 yards while recording three passes defensed and one interception.

Simmons will also be relied on to rush the quarterback at times, which will be easier to disguise given his versatility. He’ll see time at nickel, free safety, strong safety, inside linebacker, and along the edge.

Although Simmons has yet to reach his ceiling and even, at times, underwhelmed (largely during his time in Arizona), might Bowen finally be the guy to get the most out of him? He certainly seems to think so.

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NFL insider: Giants should be ‘in the mix’ for division title in 2024

One NFL insider believes the New York Giants will be in the running for the NFC East crown.

After an ugly and underwhelming 2023 campaign, expectations surrounding the New York Giants aren’t very high entering the 2024 season. In a highly competitive division, many expect New York to finish last.

However, one NFL insider believes the Giants could compete –and ultimately need to compete — for a division title if they hope to keep the current regime together.

“I’m not saying the Giants are gonna win a division, but they certainly should be in the mix, and as we get into December, you shouldn’t be saying, ‘Well, it’s a two-team race that doesn’t involve the Giants,'” Mike Garafolo of NFL Network told the “Locked On Giants” podcast.

In a make-or-break third year under head coach Brian Daboll, Big Blue hopes they have a similar season to his first year with the team.

The Giants lost big-name free agents in safety Xavier McKinney and most notably running back Saquon Barkley, who the offense was run through over the last several years.

However, the Giants got a major upgrade on defense by acquiring edge rusher Brian Burns. Many also expect both the offensive line and passing game to improve given the additions in free agency and the selection of Malik Nabers in the draft.

The Giants’ success will, of course, depend heavily on how quarterback Daniel Jones plays in his return from injury, how the defense does under the direction of Shane Bowen, and how Devin Singletary fares as Barkley’s replacement.

“Look, Devin Singletary has played games in the playoffs for the last four years, I believe, right? Like, so he’s a guy that you can win with and make the postseason with. So there’s enough on this roster as you go through it to say this team should be in contention.” Garafolo said.

Although it may not look like it right now, the Giants could just surprise people in 2024, just as they did two years ago when Daboll won AP Coach of the Year honors.

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Giants’ Shane Bowen challenges players to earn a role, playing time

New York Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen isn’t handing anything out, challenging players to earn a role and playing time.

The New York Giants defense is going to look a lot different in 2024.

Wink Martindale is out as coordinator and Shane Bowen is in. There will be a different approach to things such as blitzing and press coverage. The Giants will have more of a pragmatic approach under Bowen, moving away from the chaotic ‘bring the kitchen sink’ mentality under Martindale.

Another wrinkle is that Bowen, while inheriting stars such as defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence and linebacker Brian Burns, is challenging his players to earn their keep and therefore, earn playing time.

This week at the Giants’ mandatory minicamp, Bowen told reporters the expectations he has for his players.

“My expectation for all the young guys and every single guy that we have in this building, undrafted, second-round draft pick, first-round draft pick, like it doesn’t matter what you did, it matters what you do when you’re here, right?” Bowen said.

“So my expectation for them: be better than you were yesterday. When the opportunities come, make the plays. They’re going to earn their role. It ain’t on us. We’re going to coach the hell out of them and give them every opportunity they can imagine. We’re going to try to get them in the best spots that fit their skill sets. When the time comes they have to make the plays and show they deserve more.”

There won’t be a whole lot of competition for some of the starting roles. Lawrence, Burns, linebackers Kayvon Thibodeaux and Bobby Okereke, and cornerback Deonte Banks are set in stone but there are a lot of snaps to be had this season for players who are looking to make their mark.

“It’s the NFL. Like everybody has to earn it. Go do it,” said Bowen. “There is a lot of positions within our defense right now where the competition hopefully will continue to drive that. But I want to see guys grab these opportunities and run with them.”

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Titans’ Arden Key makes surprising admission about last coaching staff

Part of coaching is correcting mistakes, but it appears the previous Titans coaching staff wasn’t doing enough of that.

If there’s one thing Tennessee Titans outside linebacker Arden Key is good for aside from getting sacks, it’s giving honest answers. The latest example of that came after the Titans’ latest practice of organized team activities on Wednesday.

Key shared his thoughts on new defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson, who he is most definitely a fan of. During his response, Key revealed that Wilson doesn’t move on from something until the mistakes are corrected.

“The intensity (Dennard Wilson) got, the detail and we don’t move on until everything is fixed,” Key said, per Paul Kuharsky. “And the detail he got, the swag he got that he comes in with everyday, man, it’s going to be exciting.”

Kuharsky then asked if the previous coaching staff would move on before details were fixed, and Key was very clear in his answer.

“Hell yeah,” Key responded. “Yes, we moved on. If we messed up, we didn’t fix it. And now, this year, when we mess up, we don’t move on until we fix it.”

Key has only been with the Titans for one full season, so it isn’t clear if this was the approach in the years before he got there. However, it is a bad look for former head coach Mike Vrabel and former defensive coordinator Shane Bowen, who is now with the New York Giants.

This goes a long way to explaining why we saw so many of the same mistakes over and over again last season.

Not taking the time to fix mistakes is not a good approach, especially when it comes to developing younger players. It’s a good thing the Titans chose not to rebuild their roster with a staff like that.

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