New York Giants Should Consider Running 3-4 Defense In 2015

The New York Giants‘ defense is in dire need of improvement after a woeful 2014 campaign. With two games remaining, defensive players are doing what they can to prove they can help right the ship in 2015. Coaches and fans alike are learning a lot about the Giants’ strengths and weaknesses on defense as they close out the regular season.

One thing is abundantly clear: For the first time in a long while, the Giants have depth at linebacker. Rookie Devon Kennard and newcomer Jameel McClain have compensated for injured captain Jon Beason quite nicely. And after years of being doubted and questioned by fans, Mark Herzlich has established himself as more than just a special teams player. If Beason is able to return to the form that he was for the Giants in 2013, the Giants have four good linebackers. That’s something that hasn’t been true since Bill Parcells ran a 3-4 in the 1980s and early 90s.

In order for the Giants to consider running a 3-4, it is vital that they get superb results at the nose tackle position. If there is any player who is capable of doing this for the Giants, it is the 320-pound Johnathan Hankins. The Ohio State alumnus has improved rapidly over his two years with the Giants. As a Buckeye he was well known for playing nose as part of a five-man defensive line. Would he be up to the challenge of playing a 3-4?

If Hankins continues to improve at the rate he has there’s a real possibility the Giants consider a 3-4 front. Especially if the Giants lose defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul to free agency, only adding to their lack of prowess at the defensive line. The Giants have witnessed more promise in defensive ends Damontre Moore and Robert Ayers than they have in Pierre-Paul and Mathias Kiwanuka. Injury has sidelined Kiwanuka for the remainder of 2014, but his contract with the Giants has him returning in 2015. If the Giants do run a hypothetical 3-4, they would be wise to put Kiwanuka back at the linebacker position, where he’s played in the past for them.

Lastly, the Giants need a defensive coordinator with experience in the 3-4. Recent sources have claimed that head coach Tom Coughlin and offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo will more than likely return in 2015. It’s all but certain the Giants allow current defensive coordinator Perry Fewell to interview with other teams and eventually part ways. Who the Giants sign remains a mystery, but Romeo Crennel‘s Houston Texans, Todd Bowles‘ Arizona Cardinals and Matt Patricia‘s New England Patriots have all run respectable 3-4 defenses in 2014.

These defensive coordinators may choose to interview elsewhere or remain where they are, but if anything is certain, the tradition of the big blue defense needs to be revitalized. If the Giants expect to contend with the speed of the Philadelphia Eagles and the athleticism of the Dallas Cowboys, then the defense without question has to improve. Some of the problems this season have been scheme, but some of it’s also been personnel. The Giants will have their work cut out for them in the upcoming offseason.

This fanbase is hungry for a playoff appearance. Quarterback Eli Manning deserves another shot to see what he can do in the playoffs. And while that’s certain, one thing has always been constant in the ever longing tradition of professional football: Defense wins Super Bowls. It all starts with the Big Blue D.