Giants coach Ben McAdoo was already on the hot seat when he decided to bench franchise quarterback Eli Manning before Sunday’s game against the Oakland Raiders
Less than a year after reaching the playoffs with an 11-5 record and only one week after benching franchise quarterback Eli Manning, Giants head coach Ben McAdoo was fired on Monday along with general manager Jerry Reese amidst a disastrous 2-10 campaign.
McAdoo and Reese were fired Monday, a day after the Giants were beaten in Oakland and dropped to 2-10, according to the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team had not made an official announcement.
This marks the first time since 1976 that the Giants have ever fired a coach in the middle of the season, but it’s certainly not a surprise given the team’s record and the public scorn after Manning’s streak of 210 consecutive starts was ended in Sunday’s loss to the Oakland Raiders.
Even Giants co-owner John Mara acknowledged that the decision to bench Manning and evaluate backup quarterbacks Geno Smith and Davis Webb could have been handled better
It was reported on Monday that the New York Giants fired head coach Ben McAdoo (right) and general manager Jerry Reese in the midst of a 2-10 season. McAdoo recently benched longtime starting quarterback Eli Manning (left). General manager Jerry Reese was also fired
Manning was given the option of starting the Giants’ remaining games and extending his streak – the most among active quarterbacks – but on Tuesday, a tearful Manning said it would be too difficult to start a game in which he knew he’d be removed. Also, he explained, such a scenario ‘tarnishes the streak.’
Mara agreed on Wednesday.
‘I think if he’s playing well in the first half, we’re winning the game, it looks like we’ve got a chance, the offense is clicking, I would argue then keep him in the game,’ Mara said. ‘But having him definitively come out at the end of the first half, I can understand why he would object to that.
‘It was presented the way Ben thought it ought to be presented,’ Mara continued. ‘And could we have done it differently? I guess you argue that we could’ve, yes.’
Mara was asked about Reese and McAdoo last week, but did not want to comment.
‘I’m not going to address their job status,’ he said. ‘We obviously have some decisions to make in the offseason.’
Obviously Mara did not wait until the off-season, and instead named defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo the team’s interim coach while the team searches for Reese and McAdoo’s replacements.
Fan reaction to Manning’s benching was immediate, with many calling for Reese and McAdoo to be fired – something that happened less than a week later. The Giants were already been eliminated from playoff contention and currently have 19 players on injured reserve.
Was Mara surprised by the outpouring of support for Manning, who many felt deserved better treatment?
‘Yes and no,’ Mara said Wednesday. ‘I expected there was going to be an emotional reaction from fans. I would say it’s been a little in excess of maybe what I had expected, but given what he has meant to our franchise and to so many people for so long, it’s understandable.’
McAdoo posted a 13-16 record since being promoted to head coach from offensive coordinator in 2016. His firing is the first mid-season head coaching move by the Giants since Bill Arnsparger was replaced seven games into the 1976 season by John McVay.
Giants general manager Jerry Reese (left) was fired with the Giants at just 2-10 on the year
Team co-owner and CEO John Mara (left) and the New York Giants might be looking at a future without Eli Manning (right) for the first time since before they acquired him in 2004