When the New York Giants fired Shane Bowen midseason, it was one of the best days of a nightmare season, as the move was long overdue after his ineptitude. However, the alternative has been just as bad, as Charlie Bullen has fared just as poorly after Mike Kafka appointed him Bowen's replacement.
The silver lining of Bullen's seemingly short-lived promotion is the fact that Abdul Carter is finally breaking out under his tutelage, but it never should've reached that point to begin with. And when asked if he's proven he can operate as an NFL defensive coordinator, Bullen wasn't overly hopeful.
""I'm really not that concerned about that. It's just been a great honor and privilege to even be in this position""Charlie Bullen
I am no genius, but it's clear those are the words of a coach who knows his days are numbered. Bullen has actually done a solid job with the defense, especially relative to the dismal situation he inherited, but both he and Kafka haven't done enough to warrant a removal of their interim coaching tags.
Charlie Bullen knows he won't be the Giants' full-time defensive coordinator
The Giants' defense shut down the Raiders last week, but that isn't anything to phone home about. Geno Smith has been awful this season, and the Raiders were all but confirmed to have been trying to lose after successfully winning a tank bowl that could help them land Indiana's Fernando Mendoza.
Since Bowen was fired after the collapse against the Lions, the Big Blue defense has been much improved. They have only surrendered 23 points across their last two games, but that should be taken with a grain of salt since slowing down J.J. McCarthy and Geno hasn't been overly difficult.
With that said, Bullen has still been an improvement over his predecessor, but not enough. Marcus Mariota and the Washington offense nearly dropped 30 points against this defense, while Drake Maye made them look like the pee-wee unit they've been all year on primetime a few weeks ago.
When he was promoted, fans were excited about his pedigree of working with some of the league's top coordinators, but the 41-year-old always had the odds stacked against him. The secondary has been unable to stop a nosebleed all season long, and the run defense has been pathetic all year.
You can't help but feel for the guy, especially as a first-time DC, but Kafka also chose him over more experienced options like Andre Patterson and Marquand Manuel. Luckily, the G-Men are extensively looking at defensive-minded head coaches amid their coaching search.