Big Blue View
Monday night was Charlie Bullen’s first as New York Giants interim defensive coordinator after interim head coach Mike Kafka fired Shane Bowen. There were some noticeable differences in how Bullen called the game
The Giants’ defense surrendered 395 yards during a 33-15 loss to the New England Patriots, with star quarterback Drake Maye accounting for 282 through the air. From a results standpoint, it was more of the same for New York’s defense, even with the return of cornerback Paulson Adebo and safety Tyler Nubin. Still, Bullen’s play-calling provided the unit with a noticeably fresher look.
The Giants’ defense had its third-highest blitz rate (34%); New York’s defense averages a 24% blitz rate on the season. The blitzing wasn’t purely out of desperation, either. Bullen dialed up early blitzes in the first quarter that we’ll go over soon. Bullen also featured creative double green-dog blitzes with the linebackers penetrating the same gap, with the initial back absorbing the running back’s protection.
Bullen wasn’t shy about crowding the line of scrimmage before bailing defenders into coverage. The creativity was evident, and the attempt was commendable, but Maye and the Patriots weren’t fooled. More broadly, the Giants’ defense lacks the talent and physicality to compete consistently.
Outside of the defensive front, Dru Phillips remains the only Giants defender who consistently brings real violence to the point of contact — a telling indictment of the roster. With the Giants now eliminated from playoff contention, the focus shifts to evaluation and the broader decisions that will shape the team’s future.
Bullen attempted to dictate early:
The Giants align in a Cover-4 look presnap against 11 personnel. Josh McDaniels ultimately won the chess match of 12 personnel deployment against the Giants’ base package, which we saw throughout the game. Still, Bullen sent this fire zone blitz with Cover-3 rotation to match the Patriots, with cornerback Dru Phillips (22) — from a condensed offensive look — as the extra defender. Both Phillips and Brian Burns (0) pressure Drake Maye, and the quarterback had to bail the pocket and throw the football away. This was just six plays into the game. Bullen stayed aggressive three plays later:
On second-and-goal from the 6-yard line, Bullen sent a Cover-0 blitz at Maye, and the Giants’ man coverage accounted for the receivers well. Both Zaire Barnes (46) and Dane Belton (24) attacked the B-Gaps with wide rushes from Burns and Tomon Fox (45). Bobby Okereke (58) did a fantastic job cheating toward his assignment — TreVeyon Henderson (32) — right before the snap to help disguise the blitz and then execute the play that Maye attempted to exploit. Bullen didn’t stop there with the aggression; here’s the next play:
The Giants sent the house on third-and-goal at the 4-yard line with Phillips being in good enough position to force a field goal attempt on the next play. This was a quality red zone stand by the Giants’ defense — one where New York dialed up the pressure in a scoreless...
