After a report yesterday indicated that the Giants were “fully expected” to include their offensive and defensive coordinators in their search for a new head coach, word has surfaced that the team does in fact plan to interview those assistants. Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports tweets that DC Steve Spagnuolo will get an interview this week, while Jordan Raanan of NJ.com reports (via Twitter) that OC Ben McAdoo will sit down with the club this week as well.
The Giants’ ownership group is believed to be fond of both McAdoo and Spagnuolo, with multiple reports suggesting that McAdoo had been viewed as a potential long-term replacement for former head coach Tom Coughlin. The Giants’ offensive coordinator perhaps has the stronger case for the job than Spagnuolo after a 2015 season in which New York finished in the top eight in the NFL in terms of both yards per game (372.3) and points per game (26.3).
On the other side of the ball, Spagnuolo’s unit struggled, allowing a league-worst 420.3 yards per contest, including nearly 300 yards per game through the air, which also ranked dead last in the NFL. Some of that can be attributed to injuries and a dearth of talent on defense, particularly in terms of the pass rush. Still, it wasn’t exactly a banner year for Spagnuolo, so if the Giants promote one of their coordinators, I’d bet on McAdoo.
McAdoo and Spagnuolo are the first two candidates for the Giants’ job confirmed to have interviews lined up, though the team has also been linked to others, including Saints head coach Sean Payton. If New York were to hire an outside candidate, it’s not clear if that new coach would keep both current coordinators on board. With Eli Manning having expressed a desire for McAdoo to remain with the organization, I’d once again probably give the offensive coordinator a better chance of sticking around than the defensive coordinator.
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