There was a time when Perry Fewell appeared destined to become a head coach in the NFL. He even wore an interim tag during the final seven games of the Bills’ 2009 season, when they went 3-4.
When Fewell was appointed as the Giants defensive coordinator in 2010, it looked like a stepping stone to a head-coaching job, especially after the 2011 postseason, when the Giants defense was dominant en route to a Super Bowl win over the Patriots.
But as the 2013 season begins, Fewell is on the hot seat, not just to keep his job as Giants defensive coordinator, but also to remain a viable head-coaching candidate. Another season such as 2012, when the Giants defense ranked 31st in the 32-team league, and Fewell might need to rework his resume.
Fewell admitted Thursday the Giants’ ranking last year haunted him throughout the offseason and serves as motivation heading into Sunday night’s season opener against the Cowboys in Dallas. “It never goes out of my mind,” Fewell said. “You never want to be ranked last or near last at anything you compete at. As a professional, you want to improve each and every year. We’re very motivated to erase that number and be a top defense in the league.”
That’s easier said than done. The Giants’ 2012 defense was an embarrassment to the proud tradition of the franchise. It allowed 383.4 yards per game. Only New Orleans was worse at 440.1 yards per game.
Stopping the run was a season-long problem. Opponents rushed for 129 yards per game, helping them stay out of long-yardage situations and nullifying the Giants pass rush. A poor season by cornerback Corey Webster and an inexperienced Prince Amukamara left the secondary vulnerable. The ranking was well-deserved.
“Last year, we weren’t too good,” said defensive back Terrell Thomas, who returns after missing the last two seasons with a knee injury. “We were 31st and I think we’ve been speaking about that all year. It’s about being accountable and everyone knowing their job and communicating and being physical.”
In an effort to improve the run defense, the Giants added 305-pound Cullen Jenkins to team with 350-pound Shaun Rogers and 323-pound Linval Joseph, giving the Giants “bigger butts,” as Fewell put it, at the point of attack. Mathias Kiwanuka has been moved from linebacker to defensive end, and Fewell is hopeful his linebacker corps of Spencer Paysinger, Keith Rivers, Dan Connor and Mark Herzlich can make big plays.
“We just want to be aggressive,” Fewell said. “We want to take the fight to our opponent and we’ll use all the weapons we can possibly use to be an aggressive defense.”
Stopping the run will be a priority Sunday night against the Cowboys and their vulnerable offensive line.
“You don’t get a chance to rush the quarterback if they’re going to be able to run the ball,” Kiwanuka said, “so we’ve got to be able to trust our guys up front, me included, to be in the right position and the right gaps to shut the run down. After that, we know what kind of talent we have here in terms of rushing the passer. We just have to be able to get there.”
The Giants defense has been chatty this week, vowing not to let tight end Jason Witten have a big day, and wanting to set a positive tone for the rest of the season.
“We want to get the bitter taste out of our mouths from last year and how we finished off,” said safety Antrel Rolle, who was named the defensive captain. “We want to go out there and play consistent ball. We know that we’re a great team. We just have to prove we can be a great team consistently. It’s something we’ve done off and on, but never on a consistent basis.”
The Giants won’t win a Super Bowl if they don’t solve their defensive problems of a year ago, and Fewell might lose his best chance to become a head coach.