The record is 0-4, and the message should be simple, play better. But Big Blue head coach Ben McAdoo apparently doesn’t want to go there.
Upon becoming a head coach, Ben McAdoo made a conscious decision. The “new” New York Giants leader decided to become the anti-Tom Coughlin. Although Coughlin had success, there were more than a few groans and grumbles during his tenure.
Even though the old ball coach did soften his approach, no one was ever confused about who was in charge. And before anyone says this is a different era, I ask you this: Are there players in New England or at the University of Alabama, who are confused about who really is in charge?
So please save “it’s a different era” speech, because in any era results matter. And right now the New York Giants sit at 0-4.
Adding fuel to the fire appears to be the conflicting messages that McAdoo continues to send out. After losing his fourth straight game to start the 2017 season, McAdoo had this to say according to the team’s official website:
"“I’m not surprised, I’m not shocked. You can’t carry things over from one year to the next; we talked about that in the offseason. We got to be hungry, we got to be willing to work, and we need to get back to work as a staff and to get back to work as a team and find a way to improve.”"
I had plenty of concerns during preseason: the offensive line, rushing attack and personnel groupings. Even with that skepticism in place, I am surprised that these guys are 0-4.
McAdoo’s comments don’t pass the smell test, but if it was a veiled message to the team, then fine, go for it.
The problem has become, McAdoo always backs off.
Good cop, or bad cop?
This week, the New York Post reported that McAdoo shut down music during practice, or part of practice, or whatever. If it was a wake-up message, no matter how small, then I’m still on board.
In the big scheme, however, these gnats are always the chatter of losing teams. The beat writers avoid casting aspirations on the coaches and general manager. Candidly, I don’t know nearly as much about his players than McAdoo does. If he is content with the results, then that’s on him. From an arm’s length, it seems he hasn’t figured out how to manage the troops though, because shielding them from criticism has not worked.
From afar, McAdoo seems like he wants to be loved and not respected. News Flash to Ben, you have not built up enough street cred to depend on these players laying it all on the line for you. For example, Kansas City Chiefs’ Andy Reid, Seattle Seahawks’ Pete Carroll and Arizona Cardinals Bruce Arians, all have built-up capital. It does not come overnight, and it relies on results.
SEATTLE, WA – AUGUST 25: Head coach Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks is congratulated by head coach Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs at CenturyLink Field on August 25, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. The Seahawks defeated the Chiefs 26-13 (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
Have we heard one time from the players this season about how they have let down the coaches and fans?
Maybe McAdoo removed the music because he knows that he will ultimately have to face the music if things get any worse.
"“During periods where there are fundamental emphasis and team emphasis as far as the scheme and getting the details right, we cut the music so our focus and concentration can go up,’’ said McAdoo, who added the music is not gone for good."
Does that mean you’ll give back the music if they win a game? Really?
Just say it’s gone until further notice. It isn’t that hard.
Competency in question
Anyone who has played sports past daddy-ball knows that questions always surround the competency of the head coach or manager. Up until about age-12, young players mostly do what they are told. As these athletes head into high school, they begin to pick up an acumen for the game they play. At least the good ones do.
New York Giants
The “coaching” questions come into play about personnel usage, scheme, play-calling and program organization. No matter what level from high school to college into the professional ranks, these remain the constants. The coaches who elevate themselves have mastered the art of managing these elements.
Not every coach has mastered this art. He could just be the guy selected by the owner and front office. Listen, this happened before with Ray Handley. The rest of the NFL has seen its fair share of really bad coaches too.
My son once had a high school basketball coach who tried to run the triangle offense. No joke. This clown learned it through Xbox. Now, the bigger moron was the former athletic director who took the path of least resistance and hired this guy. He was a teacher in the building. Seamless. Easy for the A.D. to monitor.
You could count on one hand how many victories this guy had in two seasons. He coached two separate games when the team didn’t score a basket in the first half. He kept the starters in both quarters, both times. The team actually won a game when he wasn’t there! No, it wasn’t a state title contender, but .500 was definitely an achievable goal.
While the stakes at the NFL level are obviously higher, the dynamics are actually the same.
The moral of the story is that even the most incompetent coach gets two seasons minimum. Those two seasons just happened to be my son’s junior and senior years.
Let’s just hope that these aren’t Odell Beckham’s junior and senior years in New York.