Joe Schoen using old Bill Parcells philosophy to build Giants roster

The New York Giants will head into the 2024 season with new leadership on defense after hiring former Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Shane Bowen to replace the departed Wink Martindale.

Martindale’s scheme was all about the blitz and applying pressure, which did not work out as well as planned. Under Bowen, the Giants will look a bit different on defense going forward.

“We’re probably not going to blitz as much as we did in the past,” general manager Joe Schoen said Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.

“But we’re going to be very sound, it’s going to be very similar to what they did in Tennessee. I think the up-field pass rush is going to be more of a premium versus the read and react. Maybe a little bit less man coverage, but we are going to be physical, fast and we’re going to be sound in our assignments.”

Schoen, however, is not getting locked into added players that will fit Bowen’s scheme. He learned that lesson from his mentor, a man Giant fans hold in high regard.

“Bill Parcells told me a long time ago, coaches come and go, so you better not pick (players) scheme specific, Schoen said during a fan Q&A. “Because if we had scheme-specific guys, now they are no good to this new scheme. So, as we picked players, or signed them in free agency, the versatility is very important to these players. The ability to play in multiple schemes is always in the back of our minds when we pick these guys. So, it shouldn’t really affect the current roster.”

Schoen worked for Parcells early in his career with the Miami Dolphins when he was a scout and Parcells ran the team’s football operations.