The Merriam-Webster Dictionary lists five different definitions of “offensive.”
So it's certainly possible that the Giants could field a different “aggressive” defense in coordinator Shane Bowen's debut against the Vikings on Sunday than the one they employed for two seasons under predecessor Wink Martindale, who was obsessed with blitzes.
Leading four defensive linemen to rush the quarterback and keeping cornerbacks in the zone rather than isolating them are not necessarily mutually exclusive.
“It feels passive-aggressive in a good way. When you're talking to people, it feels like they're yelling at you, but they're not actually yelling,” nickelback Isaiah Simmons said. “To call an offense 'explosive' means fast, physical, swarming, whatever that equates to on defense.”
The Titans never ranked higher than 24th in the NFL in blitz rate during Bowen's three seasons as coordinator (2021-23), but the Giants were the team that used the blitz the most during Martindale's two-year tenure.
On the back end, Bowen has called man-to-man coverage on just 24.2 percent of snaps during his tenure, a significant drop from the league-leading 39.4 percent that was the hallmark of the Martindale era.
“I want my guys to attack,” Bowen said before Thursday's practice. “It's about the style of play. When you play defensive football, you have to be physical, tough and aggressive from start to finish. It's completely different from strategy and tactics.”
Bowen praises his “fierce” handling at the line of scrimmage, his downhill linebacker and his physical defensive back's ability to tackle with his chest in the run game.
He has been praised in the locker room for his “direct” approach to making corrections.
“There's a fine line between being aggressive and hitting them legally and being stupid and hitting them late,” Bowen said. “We want to push it to the limit, but at the same time, we can't do anything stupid that will hurt our team.”
The Giants' investment in a front four and covering safeties who can play in the drop zone and match zone is in line with Bowen's thinking.
Brian Barnes and Kayvon Thibodeau, acquired in a trade with the Panthers, combined for 19.5 sacks last season, and Dexter Lawrence has had 81 pressures over the past two seasons, five times as many as any other nose tackle in the NFL.
“This defense [about] “You put pressure on the defensive line,” Lawrence said. “That's the way you want it to work. You let your big men control the game and not give the quarterback time to make accurate passes.”
Bowen's defense is characterized by stopping the run (one of Giants coach Brian Daboll's main priorities in retooling after Martindale's ugly ejection) and being tough in the red zone when the secondary can condense the field.
“The main focus is on the defensive line, and the defensive line's job is to provide them with the delicious side dishes and desserts they need,” Simmons said. “It's all going to work.”
The Titans ranked first last season and second over the past three seasons in fewest touchdown percentage allowed inside the 20-yard line during Bowen's tenure, first in fewest yards per carry (3.7) and second in expected points added by run defense.
In the one full series the Giants starters played during the preseason, an 11-play, 59-yard drive by the Texans stalled at the 6-yard line and resulted in zero points.
“This is a game changer. [if] “They're only going to get three points instead of seven,” Bowen said. “It's not like, 'Bend but don't break,' it's more like, 'Let's make sure we're defending our home when they get there.' The end zone is our home. We're going to do everything we can to find a way. It goes back to mental toughness, the ability to play the next play, the ability to focus on what's going to happen instead of focusing on what's happened.”
The big question is what happens if the pass rush doesn't have success.
The Vikings receiver duo of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison could easily test that theory.
“I think our level of communication — pre-snap, post-snap, during the play, off the field, off the facility — is as high as anybody in this league,” safety Jason Pinnock said. “We're going to teach our guys that by halftime, they've got to change that strategy.”
The Giants have an inexperienced secondary that struggled to keep the ball in front of them during joint practice sessions with the Lions and Jets, and the tactic may not be of much use considering the Titans rank 31st in pass defense while completing an astounding 175 passes of 20-plus yards over three years.
“This defense emphasizes that we have to have everybody on the floor talking,” linebacker Micah McFadden said. “With new formations and motions, the job can change pretty quickly, so we have to try to keep it simple.”
