New York Giants Head Coach: Ben McAdoo
By Marco Imperati
A new era is upon us. The New York Giants have a new coach. John Mara, Steve Tisch, and Jerry Reese have promoted offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo as the 17th coach in the history of the New York Giants. McAdoo, 38 years old, will lead the team following Tom Coughlin resigning after 12 years as head coach. Hiring McAdoo assures that quarterback Eli Manning will stay in a west coast style offense in which he has thrived in over the last two years.
McAdoo met with the media in his introductory press conference and I was impressed with what he had to say. Most opinions should not be formed until the team actually plays meaningful games this fall, however there were a few parts I took from his 23-minute press conference that hit home.
For starters, McAdoo is a no-nonsense type of guy. I don’t think he is as meticulous as Coughlin was about time, however don’t mistake for a guy who is not prepared. I got the sense that he will very much be a players coach behind the scenes, but it will be very difficult for the media to get that personality to show in front of the camera.
He keeps his opinions, ideas, football philosophies very close to the vest. Offensively, we have an idea what to expect. I’ll be interested to see how the tight end situation evolves and especially the running back situation. One would have to think that having four running backs split carries is not ideal.
Of course, anytime an offensive coach gets promoted in the way McAdoo has, it’s easy to be sceptical about his understanding of coaching defense. All signs are pointing towards Steve Spagnuolo staying on as head coach. Long time safeties coach, Dave Merritt, will also return. I like the continuity those two coaches bring to the Giants. With a somewhat aggressive free agency expected for the Giants, and a high draft pick, the right direction may not be far away.
Going forward, I think the way the coaching staff shapes around McAdoo will be very important. The Giants hired BM to be the coach and with that, comes trust. However, surrounding himself with veteran positional coaches is an important step for a first-year head coach.
Fans who have grown accustomed and appreciate the way Tom Coughlin handled his role as head coach, in all aspects, (my hand is raised), should keep an open mind on how Ben McAdoo will conduct business. My gut says that he will be very similar to TC on the outside looking in, but will shake things up from a technical and strategic perspective on the inside.
“Obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated. We will be dedicated in our football ”
-Ben McAdoo