Despite Production, NY Giants Defensive Coordinator Fewell Needs to Be Replaced

In the five seasons that New York Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell has been in his position, he has proven himself a nice man who is cordial to the media and whose players seem to love and respect him.

Fewell has even contributed to a Super Bowl championship, that coming in 2011, when his defense, ranked 22nd overall, placed in the top 10 league-wide in sacks (48, tied for third place) and interceptions (20, tied for sixth place). 

He has even put his players in a position to where they have generated 22 of their 41 season sacks in their last three games (more on that in just a bit). 

Season	Overall Ranking	Run	Pass	Scoring
2010	7th	8th	9th	17th
2011	22nd	19th	24th	20th
2012	31st	24th	28th	10th
2013	10th	13th	10th	17th
2014	23rd	30th	12th	22nd

When the curtain closes on the Giants’ miserable 2014 season, Fewell, whose Giants defenses have finished in the top 10 league-wide overall in just two seasons is more than likely going to be one of the first assistant coaches sent packing, despite the resiliency shown by the defense in fighting its way out from rock bottom in Week 10. 

Complexity of the Defense

At the end of the day, football is all about winning one-on-one battles. It is about who blocks better, who tackles better and who makes the simple plays like running the ball, catching the ball, etc.

The NFL is a little more complex thanks to its exotic schemes, blitz packages and terminology.

Like his fellow defensive coordinators, Fewell is no different in that he had a vision of what he wanted his defense to be when he was hired him in the 2010 season.

That vision included a turnover machine that could get after the opposing quarterback and play physical, fundamentally sound football.

Somewhere along the line, Fewell, in his attempt to gain the competitive edge over the opponent, came up short in leading his unit to achieve consistency.

How many instances were there of players being out of position, of 10 guys doing what they were supposed to do while that lone wolf ended up doing what he thought was expected of him?

How often have we seen after a big play the players yelling at each other? What about instances of players trying to do more than their job calls for in order to make up for a teammate who was lost on the play?

The answer is too many times, and that leads to the question about the complexity of the defense. If the players are having ongoing issues resulting in missed assignments due to a lack of understanding, part of that is on the coaching staff for failing to reinforce the ideas and concepts.

Given the injuries that have hit the defense, Fewell has admitted in the past to having simplified things a bit in order to help bring the new players brought in up to speed.

When things are simple to where players don’t have to spend as much time thinking, they can play faster. When they play faster, they make plays. When they make plays, they win.

Is the complexity of the defense the reason why young players like defensive end Damontre Moore, defensive tackle Jay Bromley and safety Nat Berhe haven’t seen as much time by now? 

Has the defense's complexity been part of the reason why defensive end Robert Ayers, prior to his season-ending injury, couldn’t surpass Mathias Kiwanuka in the starting lineup?

Playing defense for the New York Giants doesn’t have to be difficult. Yet given the constant breakdowns we see every week where they give up a big play to the opponent, something isn’t getting across to the players. 

What’s interesting is the Giants offense had a similar issue under former coordinator Kevin Gilbride. The passing game in particular was more complex for the receivers, many of whom were young veterans who perhaps hadn’t seen as many different looks as the passing-game scenarios called for.  

When Ben McAdoo was hired to replace Gilbride, he brought with him a simpler offense. The result is that the passing game, which last year finished 18th, is currently ranked 13th.

Sometimes simpler is better, especially in a game where it's all about beating the man in front of you.

The Read-Option

Go on and say that subhead aloud three times.

Chances are that Fewell, whose defenses have struggled defending the read-option more often than not since the concept took root in the NFL, will shiver every time “read option” is uttered by a Giants fan.

How bad has it been for the Giants?

Mel Evans/Associated Press

The lowlight came against the Seattle Seahawks, who toasted the Giants to the tune of 510 yards, 350 of which came on the ground.

Jordan Raanan of NJ.com did a breakdown of the Giants defense’s troubles against Seattle, which included giving up contain on the edges. The biggest issue, as Raanan pointed out, is that Fewell’s scheme called for the linebackers and safeties instead of their defensive ends to protect the edge.

If a defensive coordinator is supposed to put his players in position to make plays, that one instance—and there have been others—is a classic example of the coach coming up way short of the goal.

The Pass Rush

As noted before, the Giants’ pass rush has finally picked up steam in these last three games, this despite missing Ayers, linebackers Jacquian Williams and Jon Beason, Amukamara and cornerback Walter Thurmond.

However, the sacks have come against lesser opponents whose offensive lines probably won’t be mistaken for All-Pro units anytime soon.

Where was this production when Fewell had a fully healthy unit—a unit that supposedly had better talent—that was going against better competition earlier this year? 

	No. Sacks by NYG
Teams w/ Winning Records	14
Teams w/ Losing Records	27

The players have taken the blame for the failure of the blitzes, noting that when it is called, it’s up to them to bring it home.

In his weekly radio spot with WFAN, safety Antrel Rolle had this to say in Fewell’s defense after the team came up short in its second meeting against Dallas this season (h/t Paul Schwartz, New York Post):

"

In Perry Fewell’s defense, when certain things go wrong throughout the course of a game, as a defensive coordinator and as a play-caller, it then makes you hesitant to call certain things. He had a couple of blitzes called during the earlier part of the game, and those blitzes were bust.

I think we played a good defense for the most part, but there were a lot of times the defense has some mental relapses. As a coordinator it just kind of puts you on your heels a little bit, because you’re kinda damned if you do, damned if you don’t. I think the play-calling was fine. I think we could have been in position to make plays; we just didn’t make the plays.

"

While Rolle is correct that players need to execute, what also needs to be considered is the design of the blitzes, which can affect the success or lack thereof.

The Bottom Line

Fewell is not completely at fault for the Giants' defensive failures this season. However, in going back to the unit rankings, there is a history of the defense underachieving that is going to be hard to ignore when the front office commences its evaluations of the coaching staff.

Part of the problem has been the injuries and the underperformance by some of the players. Part has been the schemes and the teaching that takes place in the classroom.

Unfortunately for Fewell, it is going to be a lot easier for the Giants to replace one man than to replace the players, even if both share the blame for the disastrous 2014 season.  

Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. All quotes and information obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced. Follow me on Twitter @Patricia_Traina.