The New York Giants didn’t have to search far for their new head coach. The team is hiring Giants offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo reports NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport.
The #Giants are hiring Ben McAdoo as their head coach, source said
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 14, 2016
The decision to hire the 38-year-old isn’t surprising. McAdoo, the Giants offensive coordinator since 2014, was considered a front runner following Tom Coughlin’s resignation. New York had the sixth highest scoring offense in the NFL under McAdoo in 2015, averaging 26.3 points per game, as the Giants finished eigth with 372.2 yards per game. In 2014 the Giants also ranked tenth in yards per game.
McAdoo joined the NFL as offensive quality control coordinator for the 2004 New Orleans Saints, and has since coached in San Francisco (2005) and Green Bay (2006-2013). His hiring as offensive coordinator in 2014 was the first time he held the position at the NFL level. McAdoo has drawn comparisons around the league as “a young Andy Reid.”
The Giants ending up interviewing a handful of candidates including Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, former Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase (now with Miami), former Buffalo Bills head coach Doug Marrone and former Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith. New York also had an interview scheduled with Hue Jackson, who was widely seen as the other top candidate, but he ended up signing with the Cleveland Browns beforehand, which elevated McAdoo’s candidacy further.
Reports were hot that McAdoo was the top candidate in Philadelphia, so the Giants moved quickly to secure their coach before losing him to a division rival. New reports indicate Philadelphia is re-focused on McAdoo’s old boss in Coughlin.
McAdoo’s got big shoes to fill in New York. Coughlin’s last few seasons with the Giants were underwhelming, but he led the team to two Super Bowl titles during his tenure and was the heart and soul of the franchise, through better or worse. Now it’s McAdoo’s time to cement his own legacy with Eli Manning and co.
[NFL.com]
