The New York Giants are hiring former Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Shane Bowen to fill their DC vacancy after a long, frustrating search.
Here are five quick things to know about Bowen.
He's a young, established leader
Bowen, 38, served as Mike Vrabel’s defensive coordinator in Tennessee for three seasons. He is seen as a rising star in NFL circles and is known as both a solid strategist and teacher.
The Giants were apparently impressed by Bowen in the interview process and even though he was not their first choice, they saw the value in hiring a coach who has a long future ahead of him rather than an older coach who is closer to retirement.
A different approach to pressure
Bowen has a different style than his predecessor, Wink Martindale — who was the king of blitzing and creating pressure.
“The defense is 3-4 in base but varies greatly weekly depending on the opponent,” explains SNY’s Connor Hughes.
“The one consistent is an emphasis on rushing the passer. The scheme is simpler than Martindale’s — which could help the Giants. The main goal with Bowen, which draws the greatest parallel to the Patriots, is the weekly focus to erase an opponent’s top offensive weapon. Bowen, like (Bill) Belichick, wants to make you beat him with your No. 2 and 3 options.”
The Giants were 28th in the NFL in sacks last year despite the constant blitzing. The Titans were much more successful under Bowen with 45 sacks.
A top performer in the red zone
Under Bowen, the Titans were the NFL’s top red zone defense, allowing opponents to score a touchdown on just 37.7 percent of their trips into the red zone.
The Giants were 25th last year, allowing opponents in the paint over 61 percent of the time.
Holding down the opponent
Bowen’s defenses have been fairly solid in keeping the opponent off the scoreboard.
The Titans finished 11th in scoring defense in 2021, allowing just 20.8 points per game, and 10th in 2022 (19.9).
Last year, Tennessee was 15th, allowing 21.6 points per game.
The Giants under Martindale were 26th (23.9) last season and 22nd (22.8) in 2022.
Stopping the run
Bowen’s defenses are excellent at stopping the run. In 2021 and 2022 they led the NFL in rushing defense, allowing 83.5 and 76.9 yards per game respectfully.
Last season, the Titans slipped down to No. 14 with a 107.7 average per game.
The Giants, on the other hand, could use a boost in their run defense, which finished 29th and 28th under Martindale.
