New York Giants

New York Giants: Ben McAdoo Doesn't Deserve Coach of the Year

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:40 p.m. ET

Fansided, Zac Wassink/FanSided via NFL Spin Zone

New York Giants first-year head coach Ben McAdoo enjoyed quite the successful debut season, but he doesn’t deserve Coach of the Year honors.

Ben McAdoo became the unofficial future head coach of the New York Giants when the franchise named him Tom Coughlin’s offensive coordinator before the 2014 NFL regular season. While Coughlin never anointed McAdoo his successor, observers, journalists and fans realized it was only a matter of time—two losing seasons, to be exact—before the Giants gave McAdoo the keys to the kingdom.

The 39-year-old first-year head coach guided Big Blue to the club’s best regular season record since 2008, a campaign sunk when Plaxico Burress accidentally shot himself in the leg in the early stages of the holiday season. McAdoo’s Giants enjoyed a six-game winning streak during the fall, and New York ended the year with an 11-5 record and a postseason berth.

Per CBS New York, Giants running back Rashad Jennings recently told WFAN radio personality Mike Francesa he believes McAdoo should be a Coach of the Year candidate. Jennings explained McAdoo deserves praise for replacing Coughlin, who will be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame at some point down the road, and he also expressed his “love” for his coach.

New York’s disappointing loss to the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round of the playoffs aside, McAdoo’s successes overshadow any supposed failures from the past six months, and fans should have high expectations for the team’s immediate future.

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McAdoo was not flawless, however, and the problems that plagued the club can’t be ignored as it pertains to the Coach of the Year award. Most notably, New York’s offense was a liability far too often during the season. Odell Beckham Jr. saved the Giants no fewer than three times between the middle of October and on Dec. 18. New York’s rushing attack was one of the worst in the league. Left tackle Ereck Flowers became such a hindrance in his second season the Giants may have to move him to the right side of the offensive line to save his career.

What’s troubling about these issues is that the Giants acquired McAdoo years ago because of his offensive mind. McAdoo worked with Aaron Rodgers as quarterbacks coach of the Packers before signing with New York. Therefore, the hope was that he could get the most out of Eli Manning during the final years of Manning’s stellar career. 2016 was somewhat of a lost year for the New York offense, and McAdoo should shoulder some blame for that.

Remember, also, the Giants weren’t the best team in their own division let alone the NFC. Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett lost his starting quarterback in August, and he still led Dallas to the league’s best overall record. Granted, Garrett had plenty of help from exceptional rookies Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott, but somebody had to coach and mentor those rookies beginning last summer.

Let’s not forget about Atlanta head coach Dan Quinn. Under Quinn, Matt Ryan became a true MVP candidate and arguably the league’s top overall offensive player over a period of 18 games. While Coach of the Year and other awards are decided before the Super Bowl, Quinn left any doubts about his skills in the dust by leading the Falcons to the franchise’s first conference title in nearly two decades.

New England Patriots czar Bill Belichick would probably win Coach of the Year just about every season if voters didn’t get bored with typing his name in the ballot. Belichick and the Patriots won three of four games when Tom Brady was sidelined serving his Deflategate-related ban, and New England once again cruised to the top of the overall AFC standings and ultimately to Super Bowl LI.

Jack Del Rio may be a year away from winning Coach of the Year. Del Rio took the Oakland Raiders to a 12-4 record and a return to postseason glory, but the Raiders couldn’t overcome losing Derek Carr to a broken leg. The future nevertheless remains bright for Del Rio and Carr, and the Raiders should be favorites to win the division when such odds are released following the Super Bowl.

It’s not a knock to suggest McAdoo doesn’t deserve Coach of the Year heading into Super Bowl weekend. Saying so merely implies other candidates possess a better resume this time around. McAdoo may or may not win Coach of the Year for 2017, but he and others within the Giants should have eyes on a different trophy that will be up for grabs next February.