One of the changes Mike Kafka made after taking over as interim coach of the New York Giants was shifting the weekly schedule to give players every Monday off, so Brian Burns was home when Jevon Holland delivered the news that defensive coordinator Shane Bowen had been fired.
After blowing a fifth double-digit lead this season to fall to 2-10, the move did not exactly come out of the blue.
“Once you have that first firing, things start to kind of happen
from there and I’ve seen it before, so it’s not like a crazy shocker,” Burns said Tuesday. “It’s the nature of the business."
Bowen is gone, following Brian Daboll out the door two weeks after he was fired as coach, and now the Giants are trying to move on with interim defensive coordinator Charlie Bullen. Kafka promoted Bullen from outside linebackers coach instead of opting for another assistant who had run a defense before, and veteran players seem to approve of that choice.
"Excited for him to get the opportunity," left tackle Andrew Thomas said. “Since he’s been here, he’s done a good job of talking to us about ball: just like how we approach different guys, our sets, our hands, timing, things like that. We ask him questions, as well, about rushers that we might be facing, what his opinion may be."
Bullen, 41, has more than a decade of experience on NFL sidelines. He worked in various roles for multiple coaches with Miami from 2012-18, then under Kliff Kingsbury in Arizona for four seasons before spending a year in the college ranks at Illinois and joining New York in '24.
Even amid the team struggles, Bullen has made a strong impression as a position coach. Only Cleveland's Myles Garrett has more sacks than Burns, who set a career high with 13 and counting and attributes some of his success to working closely with Bullen.
“I’ve been playing the best ball of my career from a rushing standpoint, from a dropping standpoint, really just understanding the entire defense,” Burns said. “I really feel like he’s getting the best out of us.”
The Giants' loss at Detroit made them the earliest team to get eliminated from playoff contention since the Jets in 2020. A search for a new coach is coming, and Bullen has five games to show either this front office or another what he can do as a first-time defensive coordinator.
Secondary coach Marquand Manuel and defensive line coach Andre Patterson had done the job before, and Burns said he “wouldn’t have been mad with any of the choices” but is grateful Bullen was the pick, based on his knowledge and demeanor.
“Charlie is a guy that he’s going to shoot it straight to you,” Burns said. “You’re not really going to sugarcoat much, and he’s going to demand your best because he’s going to give you his.”
Next up is a visit Monday night to the 10-2 New England Patriots, who have the league's eighth-ranked offense and have scored more than 26 points a game. The Giants having the third-worst defense and allowing nearly 28 cost Bowen his job, and now it's up to Bullen to make some much-needed adjustments.
“I do see maybe some small things changing just because it’s a new guy calling the plays,” Burns said. “You’ll just have to wait to see.”
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