Monday morning brought the axe.
It didn’t matter that the New York Giants looked competent for three quarters against a powerhouse Detroit Lions team. It didn’t matter that they nearly scraped out a win that would have defied the oddsmakers. When the defense collapsed late, interim head coach Mike Kafka didn’t wait for the film session to make a statement. He fired defensive coordinator Shane Bowen before lunch.
This is a bold move. Kafka is handing the keys to outside linebackers coach Charlie Bullen—a guy he and GM Joe Schoen hand-picked—to run the defense for the remainder of the year. It shows decisiveness. It shows that Kafka isn’t just keeping the seat warm; he is trying to actually lead. Ownership has to be impressed by the backbone he is showing during a lost season.
But let’s be honest with each other.
Kafka is likely just a bridge. He is the caretaker trying to land the plane safely without crashing into the Hudson. If the Giants want to actually rebuild the airport, they need to look elsewhere this offseason. They need to look West.
The McVay Disciple Changing the Math
If you want to see the future of defensive football, watch the Los Angeles Rams.
Chris Shula is the name that should be circled in red ink on Joe Schoen’s notepad. He is currently the defensive coordinator for the Rams, but that title doesn’t really do justice to what he is pulling off. He has spent the last eight years incubating under Sean McVay. That isn’t just work experience. That is a PhD in modern football operations.
Shula isn’t just running a playbook; he is evolving it.
Look at what his unit did on Sunday night. They took a solid Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense and put it in a vice grip, allowing just seven points. It was a masterclass in discipline and scheme. But the score is the least impressive part of the equation. The context of how he did it is what matters for a talent-starved team like the New York Giants.
Doing More With Less
The Rams are not a defense built on premium assets. They are a defense built on coaching. Shula is operating with a roster that would make most coordinators break out in hives.
- He has four undrafted free agents in his starting lineup.
- He has only one first-round pick allocated to the entire defensive unit.
- He is getting elite production out of guys other teams didn’t even want to draft.
This is exactly what New York needs. The Giants have holes everywhere. They cannot fix this roster overnight with high draft picks alone. They need a coach who can take a Day 3 pick or a practice squad guy and turn him into a legitimate starter. Shula is proving he can do that on a weekly basis.
The Bloodline and the Question Mark
It helps that he comes from football royalty. As the grandson of Don Shula, the game is quite literally in his DNA. But he isn’t coasting on a famous last name. He has survived and thrived in the most demanding coaching environment in the NFL under McVay.
The only real question is the translation.
We know the system works. We know he can develop talent. The interview process needs to determine if he can lead a locker room when the cameras are off. Can he command the respect of a 53-man roster as the head honcho? Can he handle the New York media shark tank?
Mike Kafka is doing a noble job trying to survive the winter, but Chris Shula represents the actual spring. He is young, he is innovative, and he is doing more with scraps than most coaches do with feasts. If the Giants want to stop chasing the league and start leading it, Shula is the gamble worth taking.