Not everyone is going to understand the assignment. And that’s okay. I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but things are pretty crazy around the New York Giants right now. Firing head coach Brian Daboll will do that.
The avalanche of potential replacements came in hot and won’t stop until they land on a new guy. Not even interim HC and former offensive coordinator Mike Kafka can slow it down. But through all the bad coaching candidates they should absolutely not hire — Bill Belichick, Jon Gruden, Mike McCarthy — Carl Banks came flying in from the top rope with one of the wildest coaching suggestions of them all.
And we're not even talking about the head coach opening.
Related: 4 no-brainer head coaches Giants can’t ignore after firing Brian Daboll
Banks completely overlooked Big Blue’s HC vacancy and instead set his sights on the already-occupied — but should-be-vacant — defensive coordinator position currently filled by Shane Bowen. On his Bleav in Giants podcast, the legend endorsed Ohio State defensive coordinator and former Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia for the unopened DC role, and the explanation is... interesting:
Im Carl Banks and I endorse this Candidate👇🏾 pic.twitter.com/az0APPBT89
— Carl Banks (@CarlBanksGIII) November 11, 2025
Long story short, Banks believes Patricia can big-brain the Giants’ defense — specifically the pass rush — into the truly dominant unit it can be. It’s one of the wilder coaching suggestions for sure, but that’s just where we are.
Giants legend Carl Banks endorses Ohio State DC Matt Patricia for NY's DC position
There are a lot of things to work through here, but the first being that Bowen is still somehow, some way still employed. Joe Schoen — or whoever the general manager is — would have to fire the second-year DC and then drag Patricia out of possibly the best coordinator gig of the NCAA.
Secondly, naming a defensive coordinator before hiring a head coach sets the whole thing up to fail. Any candidate with a different vision for their staff is already working uphill if Patricia’s being quietly installed behind the scenes.
Lastly, and most importantly, it seems like the NFL has passed the 50-year-old by. Since his days as a defensive coordinator in New England, he failed as head coach of the Lions, struggled in his second stint with the Patriots, and flamed out as a senior defensive assistant with the Eagles in 2023 — ultimately not landing another job in the league, taking his talents to OSU in 2025.
Patricia has the Buckeyes' defense first among all 136 FBS teams in total yards and points allowed per game, but college football is very different from the pros. Is he a strong defensive mind? No doubt. Is he better than Bowen? I'd wager almost anyone is.
With all due respect to Banks, the Giants should probably focus on finding the right head coach before sorting out the assistants. This franchise hasn’t nailed that part since 2015. Maybe start there.