New York Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke saw a decrease in production in his first season under defensive coordinator Shane Bowen. His role was entirely different than that of Bowen’s predecessor, Wink Martindale.
Adding injury to insult, Okereke missed the final five games of the season with a herniated disc.
But Okereke is back and healthy in 2025, and couldn’t be happier to play the game he loves.
“Great. Fantastic. I feel healthy,” he told reporters on Saturday. “I’m very fortunate for Ronnie (Barnes), Aaron (Wellman), Dabes taking care of me, and just working with the GPS-load management stuff, but I feel great, I feel blessed, I’m playing the game I love.”
Perhaps more importantly, Okereke is feeling more comfortable entering his second season in the same system. He’s also excited by several of the defensive additions, including rookie edge rusher Abdul Carter.
And his thoughts on Bowen? A “mastermind.”
“We got some movement. Obviously, we got some new, dynamic pieces up front that can create some havoc and create some knockback, but I feel like it’s just guys understanding the details of their position, the details of the job,” Okereke said.
“Shane is a schematic mastermind, so I feel like, as we’re going through these practices and we’re understanding his philosophical mind of how he wants guys to play defense and executing the techniques and fundamentals of each position, we’re only getting better.”
If Okereke and the front seven can find a way to stop the run this season, Bowen has seemingly limitless resources to draw up plays aimed at disrupting the pass, pressuring the quarterback, and filling up that turnover chest.
