Five games is certainly not a big enough sample size to judge any NFL head coach, and there will be many more tests before a definitive evaluation of Ben McAdoo can be reliably offered. But after a three-game losing streak highlighted by poor offense and a lack of discipline, McAdoo is confronting some very real issues that eventually will have a bearing on whether he is up to the job for the long term.
McAdoo was hired in large part because he was the best alternative to provide continuity for franchise quarterback Eli Manning, who enjoyed two of his best statistical seasons with McAdoo as Tom Coughlin's offensive coordinator in 2014 and '15. But Manning's recent struggles, combined with poor play from the offensive line and a slew of drive-killing penalties, have been discouraging for a team with what appeared to be legitimate aspirations of winning the NFC East.
Add in Odell Beckham Jr.'s temper issues in Week 3 and 4 and now a shoving incident involving another former first-round pick, left tackle Ereck Flowers, and McAdoo has to bear some responsibility for them all. Flowers shoved ESPN reporter Jordan Ranaan after he asked him to walk away from his locker during a postgame interview with two other reporters.
Flowers has expressed disdain for the media in his brief time with the Giants, although none of his interactions previously included physical contact. It was a poor way of handling the situation, regardless of his feelings about Ranaan. Flowers apologized to Ranaan on Monday, and the team may fine him.
It's one more brushfire for McAdoo to put out. This after he appeared to finally reach Beckham in a positive way to deal with the talented wide receiver's emotions. Beckham was in full control of himself through Sunday night's 23-16 loss to the Packers, and even poked fun at himself after scoring his first touchdown of the season. Beckham went over to the kicking net and gave it a hug, a humorous way of getting past the time two weeks earlier in a 29-27 loss to Washington, when he angrily flung his helmet into the net and caused it to carom back and hit him in the face.
One of an NFL coach's primary functions is to maintain order and structure with his team, and recent events indicate the young coach has plenty of room to grow. Penalties and behavior are a direct reflection of coaching, and the Giants can use work on both fronts.
McAdoo did a commendable job in dealing with many players' struggles to understand the meaning of recent protests of the national anthem. Colin Kaepernick's objections spawned a national debate about the anthem. And that shouldn't be overlooked, because it was a complicated situation filled with meaningful repercussions.
The football-related issues now present a separate challenge and will offer a window into how McAdoo deals with them. His offense is the biggest problem. The Giants have been a major disappointment in that area, and there were some subtle, yet unmistakable hints offered in the locker room after Sunday's loss to raise a major caution flag.
Beckham called the offense "one-dimensional." Manning suggested that the Giants needed to be able to properly adjust to the more conservative style that the Packers were using because of the injury-related absences of their two starting cornerbacks. And wide receiver Victor Cruz, when asked why the Giants kept failing to connect on certain plays, suggested it was up to the coach to answer such questions.
Then there was Flowers, who had a woeful game and was victimized on several pass rushes by the Packers, who often got to Manning using only a four-man rush and not sending extra blitzers. Granted, players can be understandably upset after a loss, particularly when they don't play well, but shoving a reporter is an unacceptable way of reflecting that anger.
Despite the problems, it is an overstatement to suggest there is a locker room insurrection brewing. This is still a tight-knit group that has been used to dealing with losing situations in the recent past, especially the back-to-back 6-10 seasons in Coughlin's final two years. But McAdoo needs to do his own damage control now that the locker room is his, and he needs to show his players he's up to the job.
Again, it is very early in the process, and many coaches struggle at the outset. Joe Gibbs lost his first five games with Washington and thought he'd be fired before his first season ended. Bill Walsh was 2-14 in his first season with the 49ers. Tony Dungy lost eight of his first nine games in Year 1 with Tampa Bay. Bill Parcells went 3-12-1 as a Giants rookie coach in 1983 and feared he'd be fired after only one season.
They are all in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
That's not to suggest McAdoo is on the same path; it's simply too early to know. But every coach, regardless of how well he does over the course of his career, faces unique and difficult challenges, and McAdoo is faced with a crisis point of sorts.
How he navigates his way through the issues will give us a better idea of what kind of coach he'll ultimately turn out to be.
