Giants DC Calls Out 'Traitors' Who Don't Give Enough Effort on Defense After Loss to Saints

Whenever an NFL defensive coordinator drops the word "traitors" when talking about the effort level of his unit, it's going to draw attention.

And that is exactly what happened Thursday with the New York Giants.

"I wasn't happy with our effort running to the ball," Giants DC Dennard Wilson told reporters when discussing the loss to the New Orleans Saints and describing those who don't run to the ball as "traitors."

He then said he plans to "confront everything" when asked how New York will deal with the situation.

"When you have behavior that's unacceptable, we're not gonna accept it," Wilson continued. "And if you don't change the behaviors, we have to change the players."

New York's defense struggled in the 34-27 loss to the Saints, giving up three touchdown passes to zero interceptions from Tyler Shough and allowing the visitors to run for 175 yards and a touchdown.

The Giants built a double-digit lead in the second quarter but found themselves behind by as many as 24 points before J.J. McCarthy closed the gap with an impressive late performance after he entered the game for Jameis Winston.

Following the loss, New York is 19th in the league in points allowed per game. That defense was also unable to protect a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter of the previous game against the Washington Commanders, which ended in a 27-27 tie.

With Wilson calling out the effort level in such a head-turning manner, the defense will be firmly under the spotlight Sunday when it faces the Houston Texans. Another poor performance could lead to personnel changes, especially since the DC said the plan is to "confront everything."