Ben McAdoo Introductory Press Conference: Best Moments & Reactions

Almost two full days after reports leaked that Ben McAdoo would be the 17th New York Giants head coach in franchise history, the Giants finally held their press conference to introduce McAdoo. The full video is below. After watching “The Young Andy Reid” speak to the media and field questions, it seems like the Giants got the right guy. I’m still very weary about the running game and the defense, but McAdoo’s personality and demeanor indicate he’s a hard worker who won’t lose control or lets things lapse.

Right off the bat, he got a heavy dose of backlash and criticism for the suit. He caught some flak for it.

2:07 – Thanking the in-laws, Dave and Renee. Serious brownie points.

You don’t see many people, much less professional football coaches, thank their in-laws. This dude knows the ropes and knows what buttons to push. His wife, sister, and brother probably need to undo their collective belt because they’re so full from eating that up.

2:15 – Asking His Wife, “Toni”, To Stand Up

I laughed. Not sure why, but it just seemed like something you’d see at a high school banquet. I like that he ended that mini-embarrassment with “I wouldn’t be here without her”. Very Coughlin-esque.

4:19 – That’s “TC Time“

Tom said don’t touch the clocks on his first day and he hasn’t. McAdoo sounds a little bit like Coughlin. In a way, it feels like we’re watching that new TV show “Second Chance“:

"“The series follows the life of Jimmy Pritchard, a 75-year-old former King County, Washington sheriff who was morally corrupt and later disgraced and forced to retire. After he is killed in a robbery at his son’s home, Pritchard is brought back to life in the improved body of a younger man by billionaire tech-genius twins Mary and Otto Goodwin. However, despite having a new life and a chance to relive his life and find a new purpose, the temptations that led to his career being tarnished continue to haunt him.”"

Sixty-nine year old Tom Coughlin was forced to retire. He was virtually killed. And now, he’s been brought back to life as 38-year-old Ben McAdoo. McAdoo firmly believes he’s not in Coughlin’s shadow, because he IS Coughlin reincarnate.

4:59 – “We’re gonna set our jaw and get to work”

All I can picture is Bill Cowher sticking out his massive jaw. Ironic considering Cowher is always thrown out there as a potential candidate for the Giants head coach position.

5:20 – Four elements to 5th Vince Lombardi trophy…

1. Strong leadership – hint: Eli needs to step up, if he can’t, who will?

2. Surround leadership with talent who have integrity – being whole and undivided. being a true team. but, this is also a little dig at Reese. McAdoo is saying, “Get me talent that isn’t me me me and puts the team above all else.” Which could be construed as a dig on Beckham.

3. Positive working environment – New York is full of negativity. I’m negative. This could be the biggest challenge, especially when the fans rain down boos… and possibly booze.

4. Comprehensive structure and function – McAdoo also mentioned discipline and poise early on in his speech. While some will cry out that Tom Coughlin provided those qualities, those people are missing the point. Tom Coughlin was close 40-50 years older than his players. He was a grandpa, despite everyone saying he was a father figure. He was becoming out of touch. McAdoo is close to being a peer. He’s more in touch with what’s going on and better suited to address the wants, needs, demands, and despairs of the 20-something football player. The next few weeks and months will be crucial to McAdoo’s achieving those goals of discipline and poise, structure and function. How does he improve the workflow and communication process so no stone is left unturned? It starts with the coaching staff. If he can assemble the coaching staff he envisions and is comfortable with, we’ll see the cracks get sealed and the foundation re-fortified.

With the First Pick

6:00 – Three Values

1. Respect
2. Humility – *cough* Beckham
3. Dedication – “‘Obsessed’ is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated” – Ooooooooo, boy. Someone’s definitely called McAdoo ‘obsessed’.

8:23 – Evolution, Not Revolution

This is the one quote everyone’s latching onto. It could very well end up on towels, t-shirts, hats, tank tops, and tote bags. It’ll be on the program / media guide for the first home game.

11:45 – “We’ll take that rear view mirror, rip it off, throw it in the back seat and look out the windshield.”

What kind of car do you picture McAdoo driving? I don’t see a car. I see an 18-wheel monster truck straight out of Mad Max: Fury Road.

12:25 – “We’re not looking to rebuild, we’re looking to reload.”

“Okay, I’m reloaded!” That’s what I thought when McAdoo said that. Straight from Scarface (or Carlito’s Way?), reproduced in a skit for a Jay-Z song.

16:34 “Does it feel like a quick rise?” “No, it feels like it took too long”

As many pointed out on Reddit and Facebook, Ben McAdoo IS the PC Principal from South Park.

"View post on imgur.com"

18:20 “The best players are always the smartest players”

There might be more clever quotes from this press conference, but this one is my favorite. If the Steelers-Bengals Wild Card game proved anything, it’s that playing dumb will cost you wins. Remember my article about Leonard Marshall’s letter to his younger self? Marshall was able to make a HUGE stop on a crucial down in a 1984 playoff game because he watched film. He prepared. He played smart. I don’t know that I can say that about last season’s defense. But, as McAdoo noted, he’s going to work with Jerry Reese to get better personnel (that’s respectful, humble, disciplined, poised, and smart) and the current personnel will have another year in the system, so they should be better as well.

20:59 “It’s about what your film looks like”

Let’s hope McAdoo’s Giants can build on 2015’s Razzie and win 2016’s Oscar.