New DC James Bettcher and his impact on the New York Giants defense

Ex-Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator James Bettcher will take over the same position with the New York Giants. How will he impact Big Blue’s defense?

After the Arizona Cardinals hired defensive-minded Steve Wilks as their head coach, they parted ways with their defensive coordinator James Bettcher. Bettcher was in charge of Arizona’s defense from 2015-2017.

Bettcher was no without a job for too long as he was named the New York Giants defensive coordinator late Tuesday night, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Rapoport also said that Bettcher picked the Giants job over the Tennessee Titans DC gig. It’s certainly nice for fans to hear that their team took preference over another after Matt Patricia chose to become head coach of the Detroit Lions over Big Blue.

Bettcher had a very successful tenure as defensive coordinator in the desert after taking over for Todd Bowles when he became head coach of the New York Jets in 2015.

In Bettcher’s first season as Cardinals DC, the team finished in the top-8 for all five major defensive categories. Arizona was fifth in the league in yards per game (321.7), eighth in passing yards (230.4), sixth in rushing yards (91.3), tied for seventh in points (19.6), and second in takeaways (1.9).

In 2016, Arizona’s defense was just as dominant. They finished second in the league in yards per game (305.2), fourth in passing yards (210.3), ninth in rushing yards (94.9), 14th in points (22.6), and fourth in takeaways (1.8).

This past season, which would turn out to be Bettcher’s final year in the desert, the Cardinals defense didn’t rank as highly in the league but the numbers are still impressive, especially when compared to the Giants. Arizona ranked sixth in the league in yards per game (310.9), 14th in passing yards (221.3), sixth in rushing yards (89.6), 19th in points (22.6), and 16th in takeaways (1.3).

James Bettcher will be bringing a great defensive mind to the New York Giants but he’ll also likely be bringing along his 3-4 defensive scheme. For those who don’t know, the Giants have been running a 4-3 base since 1994.

Switching schemes will likely bring some roster turnover, as the players currently on New York’s roster were brought in to play in a 4-3 defense. There are, however, plenty of players who should be able to adjust and a few who may be better suited for a 3-4 defense.

So what will the New York Giants defense look like in James Bettcher’s 3-4 defense in 2018?