New York Giants Land New Head Coach: Hire Offensive Coordinator Ben McAdoo To Lead Team In 2016

The coaching dominoes are beginning to fall in the NFL.

Moments after the San Francisco 49ers announced the hiring of their new head coach, the New York Giants announced that they have hired offensive coordinator, Ben McAdoo, as their new head coach.

The head coaching search is over for the New York @Giants (via @RapSheet): https://t.co/244WtQQd5t pic.twitter.com/3ZQXG1y0hZ

— NFL (@NFL) January 14, 2016

The team made the announcement Thursday and will introduce McAdoo at a news conference Friday morning, according to NFL Insider Ian Rapoport.

McAdoo served as offensive coordinator under Giants’ former head coach, Tom Couglin, the past two seasons and has never held a head coaching position in the past.

“I am honored,” McAdoo said in a statement. “… I have been very fortunate to have a lot of great coaches, administrators and players take an interest in me and my career. It has been a privilege to work and learn under Coach Coughlin.

“I have been preparing for this moment my entire professional life, and without the guidance and support of many people, I would not be here right now.”

The move supports the notion that those inside the Giants organization, specifically players, supported the idea of hiring internally and not having to bring in a new system to a team that is lead by a 35-year-old quarterback in Eli Manning.

In the two seasons that McAdoo served as offensive coordinator, Eli Manning threw for 65 touchdowns and 8,846 yards.

“I’m excited,” Eli Manning said in a statement. “I’m excited for the Giants organization and for the team. I think Coach McAdoo is a great coach, a great teacher, and will be a great leader of this team. I’m excited to continue to work with him and grow within this offense, and get this organization back where it needs to be.”

While being the offensive coordinator for the Giants the past two season, McAdoo has earned the trust and respect from those within the organziation.

“Ben is an outstanding young coach who has great experience and has done a good job as our offensive coordinator these past two years,” team president John Mara said in a statement. “Jerry [Reese] and I interviewed six impressive candidates, and when we were through with that process, we had another conversation with Ben, as did Steve and Jon Tisch.

“We were all impressed with his energy, his enthusiasm, his vision and his desire. Ben has been preparing for this opportunity since he started coaching, and he has earned his stripes every step of the way. Some have suggested he may not be ready, and as I said last week, we want a coach who feels like he has something to prove.”

According to NFL’s Ian Rapoport, the Giants are expected to retain Steve Spagnuolo as their defensive coordinator despite having one of the worst defenses in the league this past season.

The Giants had also planned on interviewing ex-Bengals coordinator Hue Jackson, who ended up signing a head coaching deal with the Browns earlier this week. Jacksons’ decision along with the Philadelphia Eagles’ growing interest in McAdoo might have played a role in New York’s decision to roll with their offensive coordinator.

With McAdoo as head coach, the Giants establish a sense of stability to an offensive that ranked in the top 10 in all major offensive categories in 2015 and now look to improve on what they established while McAdoo served as coordinator.

The decision allows them to stay within the same offensive scheme and provide a familiar and respected voice in the locker room and on the sidelines, which should benefit the growth of star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and allow two-time Super Bowl champ Eli Manning to continue to build on the chemistry he created with his offense in 2015.

However, despite fielding a formidable offense, their attention should be concentrated on finding support to a Spagnuolo lead defense that ranked dead last in total defense in 2015.

Should the Giants fill their needs on the defensive end of the ball this off-season, there should be no reason why McAdoo and his Big Blue aren’t contending for the top spot in a weak NFC East division come next fall.

(AP Photo/Julio Cortez)