Giants DC Shane Bowen reveals what really happened in the fourth quarter collapse vs. the Denver Broncos

New York Giants fans are highly fed up with defensive coordinator Shane Bowen. Following the Giants' Week 7 collapse against the Denver Broncos, they've demanded explanations for the defensive failure.

As they're turning the page to the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday, Bowen spoke to the media on Thursday. He addressed all of the questions that have bubbled up throughout the week. One of them is the speculation of the strained relationship with Brian Burns and other defensive leaders.

"We got a good relationship. We talk," Bowen told reporters, "I think with all these guys, I got a good relationship with all these guys where I hope they're able to voice their opinions to me, good, bad, indifferent as it goes."

Shane Bowen addresses the Giants' recent issues

While there are multiple areas of concern for the Giants' defense, one narrative that has surged recently is that his players don't respect his decision-making and play-calling. After Burns was caught on camera yelling about a specific play, and he and Dexter Lawrence had concerning post-game interactions with the media, it seemed as though the defense was fracturing. Bowen spoke on how that isn't the case.

"We talk through everything as a group, as a coaching staff, and then along with these players as well, making sure we're on the same page," Bowen stated, "I think the more we can communicate, they can understand my perspective, I can understand their perspective on things. It allows us to kind of come together and understand where each guy's coming from and how we want to play the game."

The other discussion point for fans after the loss was the defensive play-calling on the Broncos' final series. The Giants ran a similar coverage with eight men deep as when they blew a lead to the Dallas Cowboys. That coverage ultimately created an opening in the middle of the field for Denver, which led to the game-winning field goal. Bowen was asked to explain what his thought process was for the call.

"It's all about how you want to delegate your resources. " The situations —they're always changing," Bowen told the media. "They're always evolving. They're all a little bit different. Them not having any timeouts. I think they were in seven-man protection. They had those guys in there. So, it's a cat-and-mouse game, understanding how they're going to attack you. I had an idea of what was coming. It felt like we were in a good call. Obviously, it didn't work out, and it wasn't what we wanted it to be."

Lastly, there's obviously been a tremendous amount of pressure on Bowen to fix the defense. Many fans and media members called for his firing on Monday after the atrocious performance, including me. He shared how he's going about handling the pressure.

"Yeah, look, it's the NFL, it's a week-to-week, you have to perform each week ... Alluding back to your last question, constant communication about where we're at and where we need to go."

Ultimately, Bowen's responses are at least candid. Some NFL and college football coaches deflect blame or attack the media when they're criticized. His overall message was that he needs to do better.

With that being said, it's way too late for him to do better. The defense has cratered despite a talented core, and they're not prepared to handle situations effectively. It feels as though Brian Daboll has committed to the whole group going down with the ship at the end of the season.