Big Blue View
The New York Giants fired defensive coordinator Shane Bowen on Monday after their latest defensive collapse.
The Giants have coughed up six leads, five of them double-digit leads, en route to their 2-10 record on the season. Firing Bowen was a move that had to happen, though I’d argue it probably should have happened after the 2024 season. Instead, the Giants decided on a massive infusion of talent on the defensive side of the ball.
Cornerback Paulson Adebo and safety Jevon Holland were widely considered to be among the top young free agents in last year’s class. Defensive end Chauncey Golston and defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris were considered solid rotational players who could fill out a thin depth chart with real contributors. Edge defender Abdul Carter was universally considered one of the top two players in the 2025 draft class, while defensive lineman Darius Alexander was generally considered a high second-round or fringe first-round talent.
Not to mention the fact that Bowen would be getting Dexter Lawrence back from injury after a season and a half of abject dominance in the middle.
Pretty much every analyst and evaluator agreed that the Giants had assembled one of the fiercest defensive rosters in the NFL. Yet that embarrassment of riches fell flat on its face — Again, and again, and again, and again, and again.
There are who argue that the players everyone agrees were good — even, great — before 2025 are bad, actually.
There are others who (rightfully, in my view) place the blame on Bowen. There have been criticisms of his scheme, his aggressiveness, and his lack of creativity, each of which have been speculated upon as reasons why the Giants’ defense has wilted in big moments.
Those, however, are all downstream of what has been the persistent problem with the Giants’ defense, which has been their execution.
The Giants’ defense has consistently been bit by “the little things”, dating back to preseason. Even in the first preseason game we saw the second and third levels of the defense out of position and taking poor angles to the ball. Those have made them play slower than they otherwise might, making it difficult to rally to the ball or tackle with good form when they get there.
Case in point: Fans have spent significant time this year bemoaning the lack of speed in the Giants’ secondary — and safety Tyler Nubin in particular.
Granted, he is not a fast safety with a 4.59-second 40-yard dash. However, he’s actually faster than former Giant Xavier McKinney.
Nubin is also on par with 2024 All-Pro safeties Brian Branch (4.58 seconds) and Kyle Hamilton (4.59 seconds). So, if Nubin is just as fast as three All-Pro safeties, why does he appear to play so much slower?
The answer is that Nubin, along with the rest of the Giants’ back seven, is too often out of position. The Giants’ secondary often appears unsure of its reads, doesn’t communicate efficiently, and doesn’t take the most efficient...
