"“When we’re not disciplined and poised, that’s a reflection on me. I need to make sure that doesn’t happen,” said Ben McAdoo according to the New York Post on Sep. 26, 2016."
The loss to the Redskins felt all too similar to the year of 2015. Much will be said about the look of dominance in the first half capped off by a momentum-crushing Shane Vereen fumble. The game-changing penalties. Not just once, but 11 times. The sideline tantrums from the star wide receiver. Opting to select Shane Vereen as the pass catcher for what-would-be the final two plays of the drive. All of this after the Giants wide receivers continuously torched the Redskins defensive backs.
Perhaps the most alarming similarity, however, is the lack of discipline displayed by the now 2-1 New York Giants.
"“Lack of discipline was at the core of the Giants problems last season under Tom Coughlin, and this game was eerily reminiscent of 2015. Head coach Ben McAdoo needs to get the troops in order and quickly.”"
Impact of Loss on McAdoo
Do the players respect Ben McAdoo?
This feels a lot like last year’s Norman versus Beckham when Tom Coughlin could get neither the situation, nor his wide receiver, under control. Rather than taking him out of the game, or a series or two, Coughlin left his fuming second-year wide receiver on the field to self-destruct.
Tempers began to boil over in the second half yesterday. Quickly. A Giants’ offensive drive that dissected the Redskins’ defense, play after play, ended in a Weston Richburg ejection, a much longer field, and an Eli Manning interception.
What ensued on the sidelines afterwards gave media trolls a field day. Beckham proceeded to pace up and down the sideline, rant, rave, cry and cause a disruption to a team that was still very much in position to win the game.
Quarterback Eli Manning and McAdoo talked the third-year wide receiver off the ledge, according to ESPN. Both spent part of this past Sunday tending to Beckham on the sideline. That time could have perhaps been better utilized looking at pictures, discussing past and future plays or anything game-related aside from cooling down their top offensive weapon.
The Giants provided fans with deja-vu after the large first half lead took a gradual turn for the worse.
One silver-lining in the loss: if the Giants play clean, they win.
The better team lost.