The New York Giants are trying to rebound from a brutal 3-14 season, and the defense taking a step up in 2025 is a large part of that. Defensive coordinator Shane Bowen knows this, and he wants his D to be “pirates” this season, and the Giants DC recently told his squad.
“You’ll hear our guys say it. I say it ad nauseum: ‘Be a damn pirate,’” Bowen said Thursday, per NFL.com. “We got to find ways to get the ball. And, again, you get what you emphasize. We’re making it a priority this year to make sure we find ways to get the ball.”
“We’ve got to be better forcing takeaways,” Bowen continued. “Got to get the ball away. Twelve of the 14 playoff teams were in the top half of the league taking the ball away.
“We got to do better job of that, making sure we don’t miss opportunities to catch them when they’re there, don’t miss opportunities to try to attack the ball when they’re there, matching the hand, whatever that might be. That’s a big area of focus for us right now.”
All that said, if there was a bright spot for the G-Men in 2024, it was on defense. The unit ranked 21st in points allowed and 24th in yards given up, compared to 31st in points scored and 30th in yards gained on offense.
This season, the offense could be improved with either veteran signal-caller Russell Wilson or first-round pick Jaxson Dart under center. However, after taking Penn State pass-rusher Abdul Carter at No. 3 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, it is the defense that will have to take the lead.
Giants DC Shane Bowen has a lot of talent on his pirate ship this season, too. In addition to Carter, multi-time Pro Bowlers like Brian Burns and Dexter Lawrence III are joined by prior first-round picks like Kayvon Thibodeaux and Deonte Banks, as well as proven veterans like Bobby Okereke, Jevon Holland, and Paulson Adebo.
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