New Giants coordinator won't change winning formula

[tjw61]

New Giants coordinator won't change winning formula

Albert Breer

Monday, Jul. 6, 2009 - 11:17 a.m. ET

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — When defensive tackle Rocky Bernard was considering suitors at the start of the free-agency period, a couple of images lingered in his head:

The picture of how the Giants play defense — and the vision of playing in a scheme that breeds the energy of a bunny on amphetamines.

"I'd looked at them on film and said, 'If there was one defensive line I'd want to go play with, it'd be those guys,' " said the pocket-pushing Bernard, who left Seattle after seven seasons to sign a four-year, $16 million in New York. "Just across the board, a lot of talent. Just relentless. Guys getting after the quarterback from every position …both ends, tackles. Guys played hard, and I really liked that."

Signing with the Giants, though, took a bit of a leap of faith on Bernard's part. That's because Steve Spagnuolo, who had built a menacing, attacking unit in two years as coordinator, had left to become head coach of the Rams.

But no worries.

In his place is Bill Sheridan, who was promoted from linebackers coach and who, it's fair to say, wants to keep the Giants' defense the "place to be" for Bernard and other free agents. Which is why he was smart not to implement much change.

"We're gonna use the same terminology, we're gonna run the defense Steve brought from Philadelphia," Sheridan told Sporting News at last month's minicamp.

"We probably will have a dozen or so subtle differences that people in the stands won't even notice. The players would notice, but it's very subtle—just little wrinkles, adjustments, maybe a couple of pressure ideas.

"(But) from a schematic standpoint, I bought in and have been sold on what Steve brought, and that's what we're gonna do."

Sheridan arrived in 2005 to coach under then-coordinator Tim Lewis. He came from the University of Michigan, where he worked as linebackers coach under coordinator Jim Herrmann, who now happens to be Sheridan's linebackers coach with the Giants. Sheridan also worked on Bob Davie's staff at Notre Dame and Nick Saban's staff at Michigan State, but he had never been a coordinator before.

So Sheridan doesn't have a system that's, naturally, "his system." Subsequently, in a way, he has become a disciple of a man he never worked with.

"It's Steve's package that he brought from the Philadelphia Eagles," Sheridan says. "That is a proven successful program. What (coordinator) Jim Johnson has done in Philadelphia the last 10 years is incredible."

Here are some other ways the Giants and Sheridan have tried to ensure the success of Spagnuolo will, indeed, trickle down from one man's whistle to the next:

Getting the players. Last year, a rash of injuries finally caught up to the New York defense in December. Pro Bowler Osi Umenyiora was lost in preseason, and end Justin Tuck and tackles Barry Cofield and Fred Robbins had to fight through health issues.

The answer, for G.M. Jerry Reese, was simply to get deeper at already deep spots—which is why Bernard and former Cowboy Chris Canty were added up front. Now, the club can be confident that its biggest strength will continue to be one, even if the injury bug bites. For that, Sheridan is grateful.

"You don't look at our roster and think, 'Oh, my gosh, they don't have personnel,' " Sheridan said. "We have good players. We have players at every position. Some are better than others. Some are the tops at their position in the NFC. I never go out on the practice field or sit and look at our roster and think, 'Geez, we really don't have a good player at this position or that position.' "

Focusing on fundamentals. As much as Sheridan will inherit tactics incorporated by Spagnuolo, he espouses principles absorbed from 28 years of coaching. And he's going to make sure his players are grounded in those fundamentals.

"It's basic principles of play in regards to forcing across the line of scrimmage, or having vision on the quarterback when you're in zone coverage to break on the ball," he said. "They're technical core beliefs."

Building on the foundation. After two years of observing the Spagnuolo scheme, opponents have an idea how it works with the Giants' personnel. So the challenge for the Giants is keeping offenses on their toes, and Sheridan says he and his coaches are working to do that.

"Tom Coughlin does a great job of insisting the coaches do what we call 'research projects,' " Sheridan said.

"We study other defenses in the league and, inevitably, you'll come up with a bunch of other ideas. You can't incorporate them all. There's not enough snaps in a game to run them all. But you do get ideas."

The overarching one in New York is simply to keep a good thing going.