Ben McAdoo to Be Named Giants Head Coach

It appears the Giants’ grand search for a new head coach will end with a simple in-house promotion. Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News reports the Giants are closing in on a deal to promote offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo to head coach.

Since Tom Coughlin resigned from his position on January 4, McAdoo has always been viewed as a favorite to take over.

McAdoo beats out other candidates defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, former Bills coach Doug Marrone, ex-Falcons coach Mike Smith and Lions defensive coordinator Daryl Austin for the job.

Offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo will be the Giants’ next head coach (Photo: AP).

The Giants also interviewed former Bears OC Adam Gase and were set to interview former Bengals OC Hue Jackson before they took jobs with the Dolphins and Browns, respectively.

In fact, Jackson’s decision to go to Cleveland likely spurred the Giants’ decision to promote McAdoo.

While McAdoo has long been a favorite, the Giants reportedly had serious interest in Jackson, and were scheduled to interview him on Thursday. However, the Browns made an aggressive push to bring the former Raiders coach aboard, and named him their new head coach on Wednesday.

It has also been reported that the Eagles have had strong interest in McAdoo, and as recently as Wednesday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter said he considered McAdoo the frontrunner for the Eagles job.

The combination of Jackson spurning the Giants for Cleveland and the Eagles making a push for McAdoo likely pushed the Giants to get a deal done with McAdoo before New York would be without its top two candidates.

McAdoo has spent the past two seasons as the Giants’ offensive coordinator. Thanks to McAdoo’s West Coast offense and the addition of Odell Beckham Jr., the Giants’ offense saw immediate improvement during the coach’s first season with Big Blue.

Eli Manning and Ben McAdoo (Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports)

In 2013, the Giants ranked 28th in the NFL in total offense. In 2014, McAdoo’s first year on the job, the Giants finished as the 10th ranked team in the league in total offense. They improved even more in 2015, finishing 8th in the league despite a shaky running game and no Victor Cruz.

Quarterback Eli Manning voiced his confidence in McAdoo, saying how it might be difficult to implement a new offense and how he thinks McAdoo is ready for a head coaching job.

Prior to joining the Giants, McAdoo spent eight seasons with the Green Bay Packers, serving as tight ends coach from 2006-2011 and quarterbacks coach from 2012-2013. There, he learned the West Coast offense that he implemented when he joined the Giants. He also spent brief stints as an assistant for the Saints in 2004 and the 49ers in 2005.

Some have been skeptical of McAdoo because of his youth, lack of head coaching experience and his relatively short time as a coordinator. At 38, McAdoo will become the second youngest coach in the NFL, behind just new Dolphins coach Adam Gase.

It is unclear what the rest of McAdoo’s staff will look like. Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports reports defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will keep his position. The Giants ranked dead last in the NFL in total defense in 2015, though a lack of talent and injuries to DE Jason Pierre-Paul and LB Jon Beason didn’t help matters.

The New York Daily News reported on Thursday that former Dolphins coach Joe Philbin is expected to join the Giants’ staff, likely replacing McAdoo as offensive coordinator. McAdoo worked as an assistant under offensive coordinator Philbin during their days in Green Bay.

We should have a clearer picture of what McAdoo’s staff will look like in the coming days and weeks.