James Bettcher officially named Giants defensive coordinator
James Bettcher of the Cardinals looks on during a preseason game against the Chiefs at the University of Phoenix Stadium on Aug. 15, 2015, in Glendale, Ariz. Credit: Getty Images / Christian Petersen
Pat Shurmur will take care of the offense. He’s charging James Bettcher with handling the defense.
The Giants made it official on Friday, naming Bettcher the Giants’ defensive coordinator. Bettcher, 39, held that title with the Cardinals for the past three seasons, all of which saw the team finish with a top-10 unit.
“I’ve known James for a while, and I think he’s a rising star in the profession,” Shurmur said on Friday. “They’ve played outstanding defense in Arizona for a very long time. He’s a little bit multiple in his scheme, which I think is good. Everybody I’ve talked to [says] he inspires the players and has a great presence. We’re really, really fortunate to have him be with us.”
Shurmur hasn’t had much of a relationship with Bettcher other than competing against him.
“[They were] very hard to score against,” he said of the Cardinals under Bettcher. “They find a way to put pressure on the quarterback. They do a good job in their coverage schemes and they’ve been good at stopping the run.”
Bettcher represents a huge change for the Giants scheme-wise. They have run a 4-3 scheme for the past two decades. Bettcher, though, ran a 3-4 scheme with the Cardinals.
Shurmur said that will be integrated into the Giants’ new defense, but it won’t necessarily be how it is defined.
“I think that’s talked about often,” Shurmur said. “Three-man front, five on the line, four-man front. I think all defenses play a version of that throughout the game. Even teams that play five on the line, they’re nickel 60 percent of the time, so it’s a four-man front. The ability to be multiple, in my opinion, as long as you can still remain fundamental, is something that’s hard on the offense and I’ve faced that throughout the years.”
Now he’ll be employing it as well.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
