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2024 Training Camp

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24 Questions in 24 Days: Shane Bowen's defense explained

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Giants.com is counting down to the start of 2024 Giants Training Camp with 24 questions in 24 days.

20) What does Shane Bowen's defense look like?

John Schmeelk: Our player interview series on the "Giants Huddle" podcast is underway, with our defensive interviews set to begin next week. The nature of Shane Bowen's defense was a huge topic of conversation with all the defensive players I spoke to. Here was the consensus:

  • More zone with players watching and reading the quarterback on the second level.
  • More two-high safety looks.
  • Fewer blitzes with more adapting the scheme to the offense lined up across from them.
  • Aggressive one-gap penetrating scheme on the defensive line while maintaining rush lane integrity.
  • Not a passive zone scheme.
  • There will be a combination of pattern match and drop zone.
  • Do not expect a lot of uncontested short passes.
  • There are man principles in many of the zone coverages.

Those were the major highlights of the conversations you will hear over the nest few weeks. The defensive front will be expected to win one-on-one, get up-field and stop the run on the way to the quarterback. 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.

In the secondary, all the linebackers and defensive backs were excited to have their eyes on the quarterback a lot more than the last two years, when their backs were often to the quarterback playing man-to-man defense. It will allow them to use their instincts and film study to anticipate where the quarterback wants to go with the football and make plays on it. The Giants were tied for the league lead with 31 takeaways last season, and the design of the new defense should give them a chance to finish near the top of the league again.

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Get excited for the 2024 season with photos from Media Day at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center.

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