Meanwhile, Okereke's reputation was growing even before he returned to the building this week.
“What's most encouraging to me right now is all the things I've been hearing about leadership,” Bowen said of Okereke on Giants.com's “On the Drive with Sean O'Hara.” . “At that position, getting the green dot and making the calls is huge, even more than the great plays he's going to make on the field. But leadership is number one for me right now.” I like the set. He'll be able to maneuver around the box well, but he probably won't do it as well as he used to. With those things in mind, we're going to try to get the most out of all of these players, not just Bobby, but hopefully we'll put them in a position to be successful and get the most out of them. I hope that. ”
Bowen did just that at Tennessee.
During his three seasons as coordinator, the Titans allowed the fewest rushing yards in the NFL (89.7 per game) and allowed a league-low 3.70 yards per carry. They also allowed just 106 touchdowns from scrimmage, seventh-fewest in the NFL.
The Giants will try to replicate that success and more with Bowen at the helm. But will it be the same as what he did at Tennessee under former coach Mike Vrabel?
“I think we’re just working on that as a staff right now,” Bowen said. “This is the way we want it to be. We have an idea. I think what we've done over the years at Tennessee is something we feel strongly about in general, and then their players.” Just really sensing how they're feeling. Think about my comfort level, what they can handle, and how much load we put on them. The last thing I want to do is plan too much and lose focus on our style of play, technique and style. By getting the fundamentals right and numbing ourselves before the snap, when the center puts his hands on the ball, we're cleated to the ground and ready to roll, attack, and play the ball. I would like to confirm that it is done. We don't overthink it. ”
Bowen added, “If you look back at my time at Tennessee, there was a lot of pressure from the front. Like a front four, working together with the rushing lanes and finding ways to impact the quarterback. So you don't have to delegate parts up front and you can have it multiple times on the back end. But we've got four zone pressures, overloads, everything. .”
No matter how many players they throw into a particular play, the Giants intend to remain consistent with their style.
“I think we have the potential to be a very physical, very violent, very fast defense,” Okereke said. ”[Brian] It's blazing from the front, Kayvon. [Thibodeaux] Looking forward to a great second year, Dexter. [Lawrence] He's a beast and me, Micah McFadden, is coming into his own in his third year and is a very talented front. Just compete, work hard, grow each other and continue to develop relationships within the unit. And I think that would be a great result for us.”
