Giants defense will be expected to win one-on-one in 2024

The New York Giants were a blitz-happy team under defensive coordinator Wink Martindale last year, sending extra players to attack the quarterback on 32 percent of the defensive snaps.

Considering they only got home to sack the quarterback 34 times (29th in the NFL) most of that effort was largely wasted. Martindale is gone now and new coordinator Shane Bowen is instituting a different approach.

Bowen will not be dialing up blitzes as regularly as Martindale did. Last year as the DC for the Tennessee Titans, Bowen blitzed just 21 percent of the time.

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Rather, he expects his defensive front to win their individual battles and control both the line of scrimmage and the offensive backfield. By doing that, the back seven will be free to fly around and make plays.

“The defensive front will be expected to win one-on-one, get up-field and stop the run on the way to the quarterback,” writes John Schmeelk of Giants.com. “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.”

Bowen’s style is a collaborative one. Putting the team over self is his primary rule. That all starts up front with the key veterans Schmeelk mentioned.

“There is no egos involved here,” Bowen said. “We are going to be a very collaborative group as a coaching staff. Hopefully, we are that way as a unit: selfless players that put the team first.”