The NY Giants have moved on from defensive coordinator Perry Fewell and now that he has been fired, names like Steve Spagnuolo, Vic Fangio, Mike Smith, Jim Schwartz, Mike Nolan, Dennis Allen or Pepper Johnson could be options for Tom Coughlin and this comes as players like Jason Pierre-Paul, Antrel Rolle and Walter Thurmond are hitting free agency.
The Giants opted to make a change at defensive coordinator after the team finished near the bottom of the league in yards allowed per game this year. According to ESPN.com, the Giants are going to look at a number of candidates and Dan Graziano writes that Vic Fangio, Dennis Allen, Mike Smith, Jim Schwartz, Mike Nolan and Pepper Johnson could be potential interviews for the team. The Giants defense played better down the stretch of the season, but clearly it wasn't enough to save Fewell's job.
The Giants also have some significant names hitting the free agent market, with JPP, Rolle and Thurmond coming off of the books and all three could be targets to return. The Giants want to keep Pierre-Paul and Rolle, while Thurmond never got a chance to prove himself after getting injured and said he wants to return. JPP had a bounce back season this year after putting up 12.5 sacks and that came after two down years while dealing with injuries.
Pierre-Paul had just 8.5 sacks over the last two seasons and the Giants are hoping that if they re-sign him, he has a year like he did in 2011 when he had 16.5 sacks and helped the team win the Super Bowl. John Mara said after the season that the team wants to sign back JPP and that they would consider using the franchise tag if they felt it was appropriate. Rolle is considered the heart of the defense and he is a free agent after signing a five year contract with the Giants. Rolle said he wants to return, but ESPN.com reports it's likely that he will have to take a pay cut to come back.
The Giants are looking to bounce back next season and they need to improve on defense after allowing the fourth most yards per game in the league this season. Spagnuolo was with the team when they won the Super Bowl over the Patriots and he could come in and replace Fewell, who won the Super Bowl with the team in 2012. The Giants were last in yards allowed per rush and they were 29th in yards per game allowed and 30th in rushing yards allowed.
Mike Smith is available after getting cut loose by the Atlanta Falcons, while Vic Fangio could be on the move after Jim Harbaugh left San Francisco. Schwartz could be a target for other teams as well, but Buffalo has him under contract and they could keep him from taking another job. Schwartz remains an option as head coach for the Bills and another name the Giants may look at is Dennis Allen. While Allen was terrible in Oakland, but he did some good things when he was a defensive coordinator and that could be a new direction for the team to go with over Fewell.
