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New York Giants' Dane Belton is being the 'pirate' that Shane Bowen is looking for
New York Giants' Dane Belton is being the 'pirate' that Shane Bowen is looking for

Yahoo

timea day ago

  • Sport
  • Yahoo

New York Giants' Dane Belton is being the 'pirate' that Shane Bowen is looking for

The New York Giants have focused on improving their secondary over the past few seasons through both the draft and free agency. They've brought in Deonte Banks, Tyler Nubin, and Dru Phillips in the draft and this offseason, signed Paulson Adebo and Jevon Holland. Advertisement While the team is high on all of those players, it has been one on their roster for years that has been balling out at organized team activities (OTAs). Safety Dane Belton, a fourth-round pick out of Iowa back in 2022, has been standing out in workouts this spring. He is entering the fourth and final season of his rookie contract and appears intent on forcing the Giants to extend him. "Dane has been really good for us here early. Like he's had a really good spring," defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said this week. "Finding ways to get him on the field, what he can do for us to help us." Belton had another interception in practice on Thursday, his third this spring. That had to please Bowen, who earlier in the day outlined his defensive philosophy for the upcoming season. Advertisement "The main thing is emphasizing takeaways. We got to get better at takeaways," Bowen said of his unit, which was 28th overall in the NFL in that category last season. "Somehow got the idea of piracy, violent, attacking to steal possessions or goods, right? You'll hear our guys say it. I say it ad nauseum: 'Be a damn pirate.' We've got to find ways to get the ball. And, again, you get what you emphasize. We're making it a priority this year to make sure we find ways to get the ball." Belton is doing that. The only issue is that he won't be a starter no matter how many picks he has this summer. The second-year Nubin and Holland have sealed those jobs up. But that doesn't mean he will be relegated to the bench. There's always room for playmakers. Last year, Belton felt he should have been given a shot at starting, but was aced out by Nubin and Jason Pinnock, who is no longer with the Giants, replaced by Holland. Belton did get to start six games but only when there was injury to the starters. He made 15 total tackles in the Giants' Week 15 loss to Baltimore and had an interception against Indianapolis in Week 17. This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants' Dane Belton is being the 'pirate' Shane Bowen is looking for

Analyst Predicts Major Secondary Changes for Eagles
Analyst Predicts Major Secondary Changes for Eagles

Yahoo

time3 days ago

  • Sport
  • Yahoo

Analyst Predicts Major Secondary Changes for Eagles

Analyst Predicts Major Secondary Changes for Eagles originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Last season, the Philadelphia Eagles had one of the best secondaries in the league. Veteran leaders like Darius Slay and C.J. Gardner-Johnson mixed perfectly with young stars like Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell. Advertisement But Gardner-Johnson and Slay are gone this season. Replacing both will be no easy task for Philadelphia's defense. While nothing will be final during off-season workouts, the Eagles have tried different combinations during practices to see what could work for them during the 2025 campaign. And their testing has left The Athletic's Brooks Kubena with a "key observation" about the Eagles' defense. "Cooper DeJean and Drew Mukuba may both have flexible roles in a secondary undergoing yet another significant turnover in personnel," Kubena said. "Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is still deploying DeJean at nickel but moving him to outside cornerback opposite Quinyon Mitchell in base packages. Advertisement "Mukuba, the No. 64 pick, has been taking first-team snaps at safety — noteworthy in his battle with Sydney Brown — but he's also playing slot with DeJean in dime packages." DeJean was the top-ranked slot cornerback in the league last season. To move him to the outside is a tremendous gamble for any coaching staff. But there's a good reason for it. Philadelphia rarely played in base personnel on defense (two cornerbacks and three linebackers). In the modern NFL, most teams prefer to have three receivers on the field at all times anyway, and that forces teams to run in nickel coverage (three cornerbacks and two linebackers). Advertisement DeJean is seen as a Swiss Army Knife on the Eagles' defense. He can cover inside extremely well and has the range to be an excellent safety. That allows a defensive coach like Vic Fangio to deploy the Iowa product differently. It makes sense to keep him on the field as much as possible. It also means Mukuba could be seen as a potential backup should something happen to the second-year corner. It's not the first time an Eagles safety has gotten work in the slot. Malcolm Jenkins, a hero on Philadelphia's first title team in 2017, was a Pro Bowl player for six seasons while playing at safety and the slot. While it is too early to say Mukuba will be the next Jenkins, it is clear that the Eagles want to test any combination in their secondary to maintain their standing as an elite defensive group in 2025. Advertisement Early returns show that they believe both DeJean and Mukuba will be essential parts of that happening. Related: 'Overlooked' Rookie Poised As Next Late-Round Gem in Eagles Roster Pipeline Related: Eagles All-Pro Sounds Off On 'Evolution' of Nick Sirianni This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 30, 2025, where it first appeared.

Notre Dame Lands Elite Cornerback Khary Adams: Breaking It Down
Notre Dame Lands Elite Cornerback Khary Adams: Breaking It Down

Yahoo

time24-06-2025

  • Sport
  • Yahoo

Notre Dame Lands Elite Cornerback Khary Adams: Breaking It Down

Notre Dame Lands Elite Cornerback Khary Adams: Breaking It Down originally appeared on Athlon Sports. On Friday, Notre Dame landed a pair of talented defensive backs and the first to commit was Towson (Md.) Loyola Blakefield cornerback Khary Adams. It was a massive recruiting win for Notre Dame as the Irish staff looks to once again land one of the nation's best secondary classes. Advertisement Right after Adams committed the Irish Breakdown team broke down what it means. Here's the entire video of the Adams breakdown segment. Here is a rundown of the Adams commitment video: *** To kick the show off the IB team discusses how important this commitment is for Notre Dame. That is followed by a dive into the back story of how this commitment came to be. Notre Dame worked on landing Adams for over a year, and secondary coach Mike Mickens did a great job of establishing a great relationship with Adams. After his April visit to Notre Dame the Irish made up a lot of ground, and they were in a great spot going into the official visit period. It was the final visit, however, that helped Notre Dame seal the deal. Advertisement *** Next up in the show is the Class Impact, where the IB team breaks down how this commitment impacts the Notre Dame 2026 recruiting class and the Irish secondary. Notre Dame was looking for impact over numbers in the 2026 cornerback class, and Adams certainly gives them that kind of talent. *** After the Class Impact the team dives into the film room to break down what makes Adams such an impactful football player. Like many of Mickens' top defensive backs in recent seasons, Adams is an impact player on both sides of the ball. *** The final portion of the show looks at what's next for Notre Dame when it comes to secondary recruiting. Be sure to check out the Irish Breakdown message board, the Champions Lounge Advertisement Irish Breakdown Content 2025 Scholarship Chart 2025 Football Schedule Notre Dame 2026 Commits Notre Dame 2026 Scholarship Offers 2025 Commit Rankings - Offense 2025 Commit Rankings - Defense 2024 Recruiting Class 2023 Recruiting Class 2022 Recruiting Class ——————— Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and our premium message board! Click on the link below for more. BECOME A MEMBER Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time! Join the Irish Breakdown community! Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown YouTube channel Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunes Follow me on Twitter: @CoachD178 Like and follow Irish Breakdown on Facebook Sign up for the FREE Irish Breakdown daily newsletter This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 23, 2025, where it first appeared.

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