To the delight of most New York Giants fans, the team fired head coach Ben McAdoo and general manager Jerry Reese on Monday.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport was the first to report the news surrounding McAdoo:
#Giants have informed coach Ben McAdoo that he’s been relieved of his duties as coach. Less than a year after making the playoffs. Unreal
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 4, 2017
His colleague, Aditi Kinkhabwala, was first on the Jerry Reese news:
Jerry Reese has been relieved of his duties as well, I was just told by someone w/ knowledge of #Giants moves.
— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) December 4, 2017
Weeks ago, Giants ownership said that they would determine McAdoo’s future at the end of the season. Sunday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen reported that McAdoo could be fired within 24 hours. Turns out they were right.
Giants could fire HC Ben McAdoo in 24 hours after Sunday's game vs. Raiders, sources tell @mortreport and me.https://t.co/ivLQ0uLNyA
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 3, 2017
The Giants promoted McAdoo to head coach days after parting ways with Tom Coughlin following the 2015 season, thinking that he was the next great offensive mind.
But the offense struggled mightily once he became the head coach. The Giants never scored 30 points in a game under McAdoo, and this season have scored less than 20 points on seven different occasions.
His playcalling became predictable, he didn’t mesh well with the players and lost control of the locker room. Just look at the one-game suspensions he handed out to cornerbacks Janoris Jenkins and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie this season for proof of that.
But what ultimately was McAdoo’s undoing was the way he handled the benching of Eli Manning.
When the announcement was made last Tuesday that Geno Smith would start in place of Manning, there was a ton of backlash from fans, media, and former players.
McAdoo told Manning he could start against the Raiders but that he was going to take him out in the second half, instead of saying he’ll take him out in the second half if the game is out of hand.
You knew McAdoo’s time with the Giants was going to be short-lived after the way he treated the best quarterback in the history of the franchise.
McAdoo finishes his career as the coach of the Giants with a 13-16 record (including playoffs). He becomes only the second coach in team history to be fired during the regular season.
So, Ben McAdoo becomes the first Giants head coach to get fired during the season since 1976, when Bill Arnsparger was dismissed after an 0-7 start.
— Paul Schwartz (@NYPost_Schwartz) December 4, 2017
Update: Per Schefter, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will serve as the team’s interim head coach for the rest of the season.
Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is the Giants’ interim HC.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 4, 2017
