Don't Just Blame McAdoo

The universally bitter response from fans and the media over Eli Manning’s benching was more a statement on who they want off the field than who they want on it. Giants head coach Ben McAdoo was going to have a heck of a time winning any popularity contests these days. He had no chance winning one against the squeaky-clean franchise quarterback with two Super Bowl rings in his jewelry drawer.

- Kevin Gleason

And so Manning became a backup and McAdoo almost definitely will become a free agent later this month.

Will McAdoo have earned the pink slip? Yes. He lost the team this season, and once you do that in this league, no matter where the bulk of the blame lies, you lose your job and usually a chunk of your reputation. His communication issues came into play when the losing began. McAdoo essentially wrote his termination letter when players stopped believing in him while unable to drag the Giants through the muddy waters of adversity.

All that said, the Giants’ failures this season are far from the orchestration of a one-man band. McAdoo has had to make do with an inadequate offensive line for the second straight season thanks to general manager Jerry Reese’s ineptitude. McAdoo has had to draw up plays without perhaps the best receiver in the game, Odell Beckham Jr., and fellow wideouts out for significant periods. McAdoo has had to compensate for a brutal defense in which coordinator Steve Spagnuolo hasn’t gotten nearly the same criticism as the head coach.