Shane Bowen explains Giants defense's mantra for 2025: 'Be a damn pirate'
New York Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen introduced a new turnover celebration during the team's OTAs for 2025.
Any time a defender forces a turnover, the ball is deposited into a treasure chest the team keeps on the sidelines.
The second-year Giants defensive coordinator explained the origins of the turnover chest after practice Thursday. It came to him while watching his son play tee-ball for the Pirates, which got him thinking about "the idea of piracy, violent, attacking to steal possessions or goods."
That led Bowen to adopt a new mantra for the 2025 NFL season.
"You'll hear our guys say it. I say it ad nauseum: 'Be a damn pirate,'" Bowen told reporters. "We got to find ways to get the ball. And, again, you get what you emphasize. We're making it a priority this year to make sure we find ways to get the ball."
The Giants produced just 15 total takeaways during the 2024 NFL season, good for the fifth-fewest in the NFL. Their turnover differential of negative-8 ranked seventh-worst in the league.
Bowen believes improving in that area could be key in helping New York improve significantly after a 3-14 season.
"Twelve of the 14 playoff teams were in the top half of the league taking the ball away," Bowen explained. "We got to do a better job of that, making sure we don't miss opportunities to catch them when they're there, don't miss opportunities to try to attack the ball when they're there, matching the hand, whatever that might be."
Bowen also made it clear he's trying not to focus too much on the pressure the Giants coaching staff is facing in 2025, even after owner John Mara admitted he had "just about run out of patience" with his team and was critical of New York's defense.
"I'm driven by the guys," Bowen said. "My job is to get these guys ready to go out there to execute at the highest level, to maximize their potential, and to perform and ultimately win."
If playing like pirates helps Bowen to achieve that goal, few will complain about the coordinator's unorthodox approach to getting the most out of his players.