The NFL rumors are swirling around the New York Giants, with reports that coach Ben McAdoo could be on the hot seat after the team’s disastrous start and an apparently dysfunctional locker room.
The Giants came into the season as the favorite of many pundits to win the NFC East, but instead have stumbled to an 0-5 start, which could already have them out of the playoff picture in the conference. The 2017 Giants squad was seen as an older team primed to win now rather than building toward the future, so the winless start has crushed the optimism that came at the start of the season.
Things got even worse this week when Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie left the team’s practice on Wednesday and was subsequently suspended. McAdoo said the cornerback had conversations with the team on Tuesday and Wednesday, the New York Post reported.
“He came in today, decided to leave,” McAdoo said.
But safety Landon Collins said that Rodgers-Cromartie did not leave on his own, but rather got into a spat with McAdoo and was suspended before leaving the team facility.
The bad blood between McAdoo and Rodgers-Cromartie traced back to Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, when Rodgers-Cromartie reportedly took off his pads and halftime and said he was done playing. That led to a fight with McAdoo, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported.
The Giants have suspended CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.
Details: https://t.co/EgVjgZstkF
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 11, 2017
Ironically, the incident comes just days after Rapoport reported that the New York Giants were not considering firing Ben McAdoo after the poor start. Despite growing rumors that McAdoo could lose his job, Rapoport said that the Giants coach appeared to be safe.
“Ben McAdoo is not in trouble,” Rapoport reported on NFL GameDay Morning . “The Giants believe he is still a future very successful coach. He actually went to the playoffs last year. This is expected to be just a blip on the radar for the Giants.”
But that tone appears to be changing. A number of other NFL reporters noted rumors that Ben McAdoo could actually be in trouble of being fired after apparently losing control of his locker room. Yahoo Sports reporter Jason Schultz inferred that McAdoo never had control of his locker room.
To infer Ben McAdoo has lost his team would infer he once had control of his team. #giants
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) October 11, 2017
It’s becoming very difficult for me to see Ben McAdoo back as head coach next year. #NYG
— Dave Rothenberg (@RothenbergESPN) October 11, 2017
But while the rumors around the NFL indicate that the Giants could fire Ben McAdoo, there are still no reports from anyone connected to the team that they are seriously considering cutting him loose. And with 11 games to play, McAdoo could still have time to turn things around and save the season — and his job.
[Featured Image by Steven Ryan/Getty Images]
