Tom Coughlin brought a lot to the New York Giants. His twelve seasons as the head coach of the G men resulted in two Lombardi Trophies, four seasons with double digit wins, and a lot of great Patriots-Giants moments. Couglin has an outside chance of even making the NFL Hall of Fame. However, Giants fans forget exactly what he wasn’t capable of.
The Giants only made the playoffs once in Couglin’s last seven seasons as a head coach – the 2011 Super Bowl season. And even that year, they were only 9-7 with a scoring differential of -6. During Coughlin’s final three years in New York, the Giants had a combined record of 19-29. In fact, Coughlin only had six winning seasons in twelve years in New York.
Why is No One Talking About Ben McAdoo
Now this article isn’t exactly meant to be overly critical of the Tom Coughlin era for 500 words. The point is to appreciate the job that Ben McAdoo has been able to do in his first season with the Giants. McAdoo has gotten a lot of slack from media and fans about the way he looks. Yes, the guy looks kinda silly with his funny goatee and sunglasses and isn’t what you picture an NFL head coach to look like. Sure, he fumbles around trying to reading his play card that resembles an oversized Chinese takeout menu. He’s also been known to wear very ill-fitting suits. But you know the one thing McAdoo has been able to do? He wins.
The Giants are currently sitting at 9-4 with games remaining against Detroit, Philadelphia, and Washington. Even if they lose out, the Giants will have the same record that Coughlin led them to the last time the Giants won the Super Bowl. One win in the next three will get McAdoo to ten wins, an impressive mark for a first-year head coach taking over a losing team.
Strengths and Weaknesses
McAdoo’s Giants surely aren’t perfect, but they’re right in the playoff hunt. Fivethirtyeight has them at a 75% chance of making the postseason. Football Outsiders has that number at 79.9%. The weakness of the team to this point has surely been the offense. Ranked 20th in team offensive DVOA, Eli Manning certainly deserves some of the blame. His quarterback rating, yards per game, and touchdown percentage are all down compared to the last two seasons. The interesting part about the offensive struggles is that McAdoo himself is an offensive minded coach. The team still sports potentially the least talented backfield in the NFL. An upgrade there could certainly take things to the next level.
The defense has been what has really carried this Giants team to where it is. Ranked fourth in defensive DVOA and giving up only 18.8 points per game, it is one of the best units in the NFL. Offseason additions of Olivier Vernon and Janoris Jenkins have turned out to be incredible signings. Additionally, Landon Collins made a huge leap between his rookie and sophomore campaign and has been a major difference maker on the defense.
McAdoo definitely deserves some credit for being able to incorporate so many new pieces in a contributing role. Outside of Vernon, Jenkins, and Collins, rookie wide receiver Sterling Shepard has been able to contribute from day one. Shepard has been on the field for nearly 95% of Giants offensive snaps, an impressive mark for a rookie drafted 40th overall.
What really matters?
There’s obviously a lot going on with the Giants right now. Many still don’t consider them reasonable contenders. However, they’re currently sitting with more wins than the Steelers, Broncos, and Seahawks. If those teams are contenders, why aren’t the Giants? Coaches can be measured by a lot of things. Aesthetics, red zone efficiency, offensive and defensive statistics all have their places. But the statistic that matters most is wins. And right now Ben McAdoo has taken a 6-10 team last year and has them sitting at 9-4 with a very realistic look at the playoffs. He deserves coach of the year consideration.
