The New York Giants didn’t get the most out of linebacker Isaiah Simmons after trading a seventh-round draft selection for the former top-10 pick last offseason.
Yet, things could be about to change for the better, based on an exciting new position the Giants are plotting to help unleash Simmons’ hybrid talents on third downs.
It’s a blueprint mapped out by new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen. A clip of the play-caller explaining his plan for Simmons aired during the Giants 100 celebration on Thursday, June 20.
This clip will be part of the HBO “Hard Knocks” series focusing on the Giants’ offseason and broadcasting in July. The footage was relayed by Talkin’ Giants, showing an interaction when Bowen explained, “In our minds, (he/Simmons will) be a first- and second-down nickel and then playing ‘money’ on third-down.”
That clip, along with Bowen’s quote, was also reported by ESPN’s Jordan Raanan.
Bowen assigning nickel duties to Simmons on early downs isn’t a surprise, but the reference to a “money” role is more intriguing. It could speak to a position made popular during the 2010s with Simmons’ former team the Arizona Cardinals.
The new, old or new again position could be the best way for the Giants to make full use of Simmons athleticism in both phases of a defense set to be very different in style to the schemes favored by Bowen’s predecessor Don ‘Wink’ Martindale.
‘Money’ Role Perfect for Isaiah Simmons
The Cards made Simmons the eighth player taken in the 2020 NFL draft after he’d played safety and linebacker for Clemson. Simmons has since translated his versatility to the pros with mixed success, but he has shown the flexibility to play inside and outside ‘backer, safety and even slot cornerback.
All of those spots are useful in nickel sets, but Chris Pflum of SB Nation’s Big Blue View went into detail about what playing the “money” role might look like: “The ‘Money’ or ‘Moneybacker’ position is a safety/linebacker hybrid that was created by former Giants’ DC James Bettcher when he was with the Arizona Cardinals. The quick and dirty on it, is that the moneybacker position was created when the Cardinals’ were forced to move safety Deone Buccanon into the second level to account for a depleted linebacker corps.”
A look at what Deone Bucannon did for both the Cardinals and Giants shows how Simmons might be used in a new role. Bucannon was a safety playing linebacker whose greater speed and agility meant he was able to wreck plays from multiple sources.
This play highlighted by Bobby Skinner of Talkin’ Giants showed the benefit of having a linebacker with defensive back-level lateral quickness.
Skinner also showed the blitz skills dual-threat Bucannon added to Arizona’s pressure schemes.
This last play isn’t too different from what Simmons did under Martindale last season. Simmons blitzed 54 times in the second-most pressure-crazed defense in the NFL, per Pro Football Reference.
While Simmons will likely still be useful blitzing out of third-down sub-packages, the 25-year-old should expect extra coverage assignments in Bowen’s more reactionary schemes.
Shane Bowen Plotting Different Style of Defense for Giants
Bowen has been heavily influenced by a New England Patriots coaching tree grown upon Bill Belichick’s brand of opponent-specific defense. It’s a system based on finding the right equalizer for different challenging matchups each week.
This is where Simmons’ flexibility can be an asset for Bowen. Using Simmons as a trailing coverage matchup able to spy a multipurpose running back, jam a “move” tight end or even stay with a slot receiver will help the Giants take away the X factor from many other teams.
Simmons’ ability to handle a roving coverage brief was obvious during his days with the Cardinals, per Justin Penik of Talkin’ Giants.
Bowen putting Simmons in similar positions to keep opponents guessing about his post-snap responsibilities will add a layer of unpredictability without the Giants having to blitz as often as the last two years.
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