EAST RUTHERFORD - To what lengths will Charlie Bullen go in taking over as interim defensive coordinator of the New York Giants for the remainder of this season?
Well, it was not uncommon to see the 41-year-old Bullen in shoulder pads during Friday practices working fundamental details with Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Abdul Carter in his capacity as outside linebackers coach. Three of the most talented players on the roster would work the bags, going through their paces and Bullen would engage, making sure his teaching points got home.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Giants will be counting on Bullen to have a hands-on impact on an underachieving defense for the final five games of the 2025 season, beginning Monday night in Foxborough, Mass., against the 10-2 New England Patriots and emerging NFL MVP candidate Drake Maye.
Interim Giants head coach Mike Kafka fired defensive coordinator Shane Bowen the morning after his team's 34-27 overtime loss to the Lions, the fifth game in which Big Blue failed to protect a double-digit lead this season, including three in the fourth quarter.
Kafka tabbed Bullen as Bowen's replacement with the Giants seeking to end a six-game losing streak, also hoping to stop a franchise-worst 12-game road losing streak in prime time at Gillette Stadium.
"We're going to give Charlie the reins to go and make the corrections that he sees fit for the defense, whether it's personnel, whether it's scheme, whether it's communication, calls," Kafka said. "And so, he's going to have to work hand in hand with the with the whole defensive unit to make sure that it's his vision on how he sees it. And obviously, I'll have my fingerprint on there as well and be there and try to be an asset for the group."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementCharlie Bullen: Journey to the NFL
Bullen has experience working with every position on the defense, which includes being a graduate assistant defensive backs coach at his alma mater at the University of Iowa. He was a volunteer coach at Iowa City High School before joining Kirk Ferentz's staff at Iowa, where he worked for five seasons with the defensive backs and quarterbacks.
Eat Rutherford, NJ -- May 9, 2025 -- Outside linebackers coach Charlie Bullen with first round draft pick Abdul Carter during practice at Giants Rookie Minicamp.Once Bullen made the leap to the NFL, he was with the Miami Dolphins, where his path crossed with Giants GM Joe Schoen, before heading to the Arizona Cardinals.
Chandler Jones set a franchise record for sacks (19) and forced fumbles (8) under Bullen's guidance in 2019. The Cardinals got the best out of Haason Reddick with Bullen as his position coach, moving him from inside to edge where he finished with 12.5 sacks. Jones, Reddick and former Giant Markus Golden all had double-digit sack seasons while working with Bullen in Arizona.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThis season, Burns is second in the NFL with a career-best 13 sacks.
East Rutherford, NJ -- August 1, 2024 -- Linebacker Brian Burns with outside linebacker coach Charlie Bullen practicing today at training camp for the New York Giants.Thibodeaux has praised Bullen for focusing on details that go beyond X's and O's, things like figuring out his best playing weight and what side of the ball he prefers to rush from, and then honing in.
"Charlie Bullen has been a great asset to me and the rest of the guys in the room and continuing to kind of grow – not just my ability on the field," Thibodeaux said this summer. "I think it’s the consistency of greatness. It’s understanding that, ‘Yeah, you know it, but let’s just go over it three more times.’"
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementCharlie Bullen can take these steps to improve the defense
Under Bowen, the Giants had the worst total defense (362.2 yards per game) and the 31st ranked run defense (134.9 yards per game). They are also 27th in scoring defense (25.82 points per game).
This was a defense that was far below standard on multiple levels under Bowen's watch and a change was a long time coming. The most damning part was that, despite following a similar script every week and the coaches acknowledging the failures, nothing changed.
The Giants are 2-10, and there are certainly habits that will be difficult to eradicate from the defense. That should not stop Bullen from reshuffling the deck and giving the players ownership in what has been transpiring. Because under Bowen, there's no question that, no matter what was being said collectively during the week in practice, very little was translating to game day.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWith Bowen, it wasn't just about the need to be more aggressive, which was absolutely a factor.
Very rarely have the Giants changed the picture for the opposing quarterback post-snap. In today's NFL, it's difficult to play straight-up and beat offenses without some level of disguise and creative rush packages. Personnel plays a big role in that, of course, but the Giants have enough to clear the slate Etch A Sketch wise and give it a shot.
Remember back at the start of the season when Burns and Carter, and then Thibodeaux, would be moving chess pieces rather than locked into spots where they pray and hope to win their matchups?
Get back to shifting the pieces around. Also, bringing pressure from different places can be far more effective than rushing traditionally. It's not just about relying on talent; give the opposing offensive line something to think about.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementCould the Giants do something differently in trying to stop the run? If not, TreVeyon Henderson and the Patriots are going to Jahmyr Gibbs this defense, embarrassing them in front of a national audience.
Yes, there are personnel limitations, some due to injury. Thibodeaux (shoulder) has missed two straight games. Cornerback Paulson Adebo (knee) has not played since the Denver collapse Oct. 19. But don't be afraid to shake things up and give other players chances based on effort and execution - look at how Cor'Dale Flott thrived while traveling with Lions star WR Jameson Williams (zero catches) on Sunday?
Perhaps the greatest impact Bullen can have: his voice. Sometimes a team with the same struggles week after week can tune out the coach in front of the room.
Shake things up. Let Bullen bring his personality to the forefront. Kafka does not believe in this defense's ability to make a stop, and how could he - give the head coach reason to alter his late-game confidence.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThis is a team that says it is desperate to win - it's time to play and coach like it on both sides of the ball. "This is all pretty fresh right now. We're getting on the same page," Kafka said Monday morning. "He's still meeting with the staff. Guys are still reviewing the tape as our offense, defense, special teams units. But we have a great plan. We had a great vision and a great conversation about what that would look like. Again, that's something that we're going to build in-house, and build with the players together as a group and as a team."
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Who is Charlie Bullen and the tweaks NY Giants interim DC can make
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