The New York Giants are on the lookout for a new head coach, and many of the top candidates are NFL coordinators, with several being on the defensive side of the ball.
One such candidate is Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, who was previously the DC for the national championship-winning Michigan Wolverines. Since following Harbaugh to Los Angeles, Minter has helped turn the Bolts into one of the league’s top defenses.
Chargers Forced Five Turnovers From Jalen Hurts
You read that right. The Chargers forced five turnovers against Philadelphia last night, intercepting Jalen Hurts four times and forcing a fumble as well. Before this game, Hurts had only four interceptions, so he doubled his season total in just one disastrous outing.
In addition to the turnovers, which included Hurts throwing an interception and fumbling his recovery on the same wild play, Minter’s defensive unit held the Eagles to just a 30.8% third-down conversion rate (4 for 13).
The last interception was the most impressive, with Chargers’ cornerback Cam Hart tipping Hurts’ pass to the end zone mid-air with one hand before safety Tony Jefferson came down with it to seal the game. It showed how well-coached and talented the secondary is to make a play like that happen, even when the throw by Hurts was well-timed (not always the case yesterday).
But yesterday’s game was not just a standalone performance. The Chargers have one of the league’s best pass defenses, allowing just 173.2 passing yards per game, which is good for the fifth-lowest mark in the NFL. They are also forcing interceptions on 3.86% of plays, which is the second-highest rate in the league, and sacking opposing quarterbacks on 8.25% of plays, which also ranks fifth in the NFL.
The overall defense is allowing 282.2 yards per game, which ranks fourth, and is allowing an eighth-best 20.8 points per game. This follows Minter’s 2024 season, in which the Chargers allowed a league-low 17.7 points per game and a seventh-best 206.9 yards per game.
Before Minter was hired, Los Angeles ranked 24th out of 32 teams in points allowed in the NFL, showcasing the impact he has had on this Chargers defense. He was responsible for the top defensive unit in college football in 2023, as Michigan allowed just 247 yards per game en route to the national championship.
Minter Could Help Turn Giants’ Defense Around
There is no shortage of talent on the Giants, especially on the defensive side of the football. Although Brian Burns has a career-high 13 sacks this season, fellow defensive linemen Dexter Lawrence, Abdul Carter, and Kayvon Thibodeaux have all vastly underperformed.
Behind them, the back seven and especially the secondary, have deeply struggled with coverage. The run defense has been atrocious, allowing 5.8 yards per rush, and New York has allowed 28.2 points per game, including multiple fourth-quarter comebacks. The Giants rank near or at the bottom of the league in just about every defensive statistic out there.
However, Shane Bowen’s scheme put his players in precarious positions, eventually leading to his ousting as defensive coordinator. Jesse Minter, on the other hand, would put his players in the best position to execute and execute well.
Minter’s coaching style emphasizes the fundamentals, discipline, and adaptability, which is evidenced by the versatility of Derwin James, who is listed as a safety but lines up all over the defense. Their front four is among the top in the league in generating pressure, which is where the Giants should be as well, yet they are nowhere close.
Despite Minter not having any head coaching experience, he should be one of the top names on the Giants’ list this offseason. His units at Michigan and with the Chargers have maximized the players’ talent through a complex and aggressive scheme, in direct contrast to Bowen, whose run-heavy, non-aggressive defense failed to stop either the run or the pass.
Seeing the Chargers rattle Jalen Hurts into five turnovers and four interceptions yesterday should be all the more reasons why Giants fans should want Minter in dark blue next season. With Rams‘ DC Chris Shula being another tantalizing option, New York might want to look at the West Coast and poach a top young defensive mind from Los Angeles for its open head coaching position.
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