Sunday’s Giants-49ers game is shaping up as a referendum on the future of Ben McAdoo. Reports of dissension in the locker room and players quitting on the team have dominated the headlines, all of course, denied by the coaches and on the record players. Right now, even Duncan thinks the Jets are more entertaining on the gridiron.
If the G-men lose to the winless San Franciscans, the cry for McAdoo’s ouster will rise to a deafening crescendo. But given the history of the franchise, don’t expect John Mara to do anything drastic until the season ends.
What a difference a year makes. 11-5 last season, I was among those who felt the Giants would get better and contend for the Super
Bowl. Even though McAdoo doesn’t radiate charisma, he seemed a looser and more contemporary figure than his predecessor, one that today’s players could more easily relate to. Maybe he loosened the reins too much in allowing OBJ and others to get away with their antics, resulting in a too-late over-reactive crackdown. Maybe his stubbornness at relinquishing play calling hurt, although the offense hasn’t improved much if at all since he gave it up.
Jerry Reese is the architect of this team and will likely pay the price for its failure. Will McAdoo go with him? It’s generally not wise to impose a coach on a new GM. Ask Rex and Idzik how that worked out. Sadly, many Giants fans will be rooting against their team Sunday and the rest of the season, hoping that will convince ownership to clean house. Regardless, we need to see Davis Webb play meaningful snaps, since the Giants will likely be in position to draft a highly rated college QB. Maybe Eli has some tread left on his tires, but he’s not the future and they need to start planning for it NOW.
