
When the New York Giants hired James Bettcher to take over the defensive duties, it was expected that the change would be significant. That expectation became a reality, as in his first season the unit saw fundamental struggles.
It is not easy to change the entire scheme of a defense and expect efficiency in year one, which is why 2019 should see a significant step forward in the productivity of the unit as a whole.
There will be challenges present due to the youth general manager Dave Gettleman has injected into the team, specifically the defense. Majority of the secondary has been overhauled — Drafting DeAndre Baker, Julian love, Corey Ballentine and signing, and Antoine Bethea. The team also acquired Jabrill Peppers, free safety, and the Odell Beckham Jr. trade.
Having two new safeties in Peppers and a Bethea should provide the Giants with an improved defensive backfield.
James Bettcher commented on how his defense is progressing:
“To develop young players now in this league, you need to teach them the process first. The process being, how can you take something from the meeting room and take it to walk-through. How can you take it from walk-through to your individual period? How can you take something from individual to team, and then run it full circle? To be able to do that on a Tuesday, on a Wednesday, on a Thursday, day after day for seven months to improve yourself as a player. I think their eagerness to learn, their ability to put their guard down and get coached, and know that it’s not about, Coach Shurmur always says, and I think he says it in a great way, ‘It’s not about attacking people, it’s attacking problems,’ and we’re trying to get better.â€
The difference from college to the NFL is significant, especially when it comes to understanding playbooks and schemes. For rookies, it will take up a substantial portion of their time and focus as they learn how a defense operates at the professional level.
Luckily, the Giants have two established veterans in Janoris Jenkins and Antoine Bethea that have helped significantly in the rookies making the transition.
When asked about the youth and inexperience on his defense, Bettcher stated:
“I’ll answer that in two parts.â€
“Because when I look at guys that don’t have experience I think about a lot of different things, and I’ve said this to our group. I call plays for the first time, so everybody that’s been something has done it for the first time. You wrote a story for the first time at one point in time, and although some people might have thought that you couldn’t do it, you were able to write something that was maybe beyond other people’s expectations. We will never be limited by expectations of others, whether we are playing our first game or our 100th game in the National Football League. We’re not going to be limited by expectations.â€
There will be hurdles the Giants face throughout the course of 2019, but they are essential ones that will make the team better in the long run. The quality of youth on the team is unlike anything we’ve seen in the past few years, especially in the secondary. The defensive line is also looking to take a major step forward with the drafting of Dexter Lawrence and Oshane Ximines.