Giants new defense is 'most complex' that linebacker Jon Beason has ever seen

Giants linebacker Jon Beason is on the fifth defensive coordinator in eight professional seasons. Clearly, the cerebral middle linebacker has seen plenty of schemes and defensive approaches.

Still, he's admittedly never seen anything quite like what new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is bringing to the table.

Spagnuolo, the Giants coordinator when they won Super Bowl XLII, is known for his sophisticated, attacking style. He sends pressure from every position on the field. It's in no way simple. If anything, it's complicated.

"It's the most complex system I've been in," Beason said during an interview on Sirius XM's Opening Drive with former NFL offensive linemen David Diehl and Ross Tucker. "It's my fifth defensive coordinator and it's more complex because we will not sit back and be dictated to by anybody."

On the heels of the past few seasons filled with too frequent breakdowns on the backend, it's an interesting comment. The common complaint was that former defensive coordinator Perry Fewell's system was too complicated. Every year it would Inevitably have to be simplified (see this 2013 example) so they were more about execution than causing chaos.

It may have compromised the unit's success.The Giants finished 29th in total defense last season, and were even forced midstream to modify their teaching methods.

Therein lies a potential key to the Giants 2015 season. How they teach Spagnuolo's defense and whether it sinks in to avoid similar breakdowns will be vital.

The Giants seem to have a lot of players with their hands all over the defense already. It will be imperative they are all on the same page.

"[The defense is ] is very different," Beason said. "Offense creates problems by formations, moving people around, shifts, motions. It's all built into every call where we can make a change. Obviously there is a lot more pressure on the [middle] linebacker, but [Spagnuolo] puts the onus on the [strongside] linebacker, the [weakside linebacker], the safeties, everybody has a call. Even the defensive linemen are expected to know a lot more as opposed to relying on the check of a [middle linebacker]."

It's not exactly what Spagnuolo was doing the first time around with the Giants. He's made some changes after stops as the head coach for the Rams, defensive coordinator for the Saints and as an assistant with the Ravens.

This Giants defense will be unique, but not completely overhauled.

"We've got some tweaks," Spagnuolo said several weeks back. "We're not going to venture too far personnel-wise because of what we have and try to change things too much, but the good thing about being in a lot of different places, whether it was St. Louis, New Orleans or Baltimore, is you can pick from other places. Nobody in this league is sharing information. So when you try to get little tidbits from other coaches, nobody is giving that info, but if you're able over the course of whatever it was, five or six years, to come up with some different things, we'll add those in and hopefully we'll come up with something really good."

So far it's being well received. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie thinks it plays into the skillset of the cornerbacks, who will play physical at the line of scrimmage. The defensive linemen are excited about the possibilities of moving around and attacking the quarterback from different angles and positions.

Most of all, they're enthused by the new approach.

"It's a great system because we're going to be aggressive and we're going to be ready for whatever an offense does," Beason said. "So I'm looking forward to it."


(nj.com)