The New York Giants overhauled their defense with the addition of edge rusher Brian Burns and a youth movement in the secondary, opening the door for more upside and an influx of athleticism to that side of the ball.
Burns may have the most tangible impact of any defensive addition New York has made this offseason, but a changing of the guard at defensive coordinator has its own set of ramifications and uncertainties, too.
With Wink Martindale out and Shane Bowen in, the Giants are a new-look defense in more ways than one.
On Sunday, head coach Brian Daboll spoke about the job Bowen has done thus far and what he’s taken away from two preseason contests.
“Well, you always say you're trying to hit the ground regardless of how many years you've been together,” Daboll said. “There have been systems I've been in for 10 years and you're doing that. So, everybody's just trying to do their job to the best of their ability. That's what we try to do. That's what we'll always try to do.
“There's a lot of good things to learn from as there always is when you play a game, particularly in the preseason. So, we'll go ahead and improve in those areas. They've been working really hard. I think Shane does a good job. Players have taken to it, and we've just got to continue to improve.”
New York shut down the Detroit Lions 14-3 in the preseason opener before falling to the Houston Texans 28-10 on Saturday. However, there’s little blame to spread around the defense – the Giants committed five turnovers in the loss.
More importantly, New York stared down star quarterback C.J. Stroud and perhaps the league’s best trio of receivers.
The first-team Texans didn’t score a touchdown.
Results don’t mean much in August, but the showing was nice to see. What Daboll took more from was the operation itself: play calls, communication, and in-game management.
“He gets the play calls in quick,” Daboll began. “He's good with the situations. He's a good communicator with the signal callers. He's a good communicator with the assistant coaches. He's able to process a lot of information quickly. He explains it clearly, precise.
“You know he's done it before, but he does a good job of leading, I'd say, not just the players, the coaches as well as the communication aspect of it.”
It’s far too early to tell whether Bowen will be the long-term upgrade Daboll hopes his new hire will be, but a less aggressive defense should aid a young secondary that will take time to gel and the early returns throughout the summer seem favorable.
He’ll have his first real test against the best receiver in football, Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson, in Week 1.
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