Ben McAdoo - Pro Football Rumors

Latest On Giants’ Head Coaching Search

January 6th, 2016 at 8:12am CST by Luke Adams

With the Giants having formally said goodbye to head coach Tom Coughlin at a Tuesday press conference, the team is now moving on to identifying his replacement. Let’s round up the known candidates so far for Big Blue, including the latest updates on each of them….

Ben McAdoo / Steve Spagnuolo (Giants):

The two Giants’ coordinators were the first two candidates confirmed to have interviews scheduled for the team’s newly-opened head coaching position, and according to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com, McAdoo’s interview took place on Tuesday, the same day as Coughlin’s farewell presser. While the offensive coordinator has already sat down with the Giants, the defensive coordinator has not done so yet — Raanan says Spagnuolo’s interview will take place later this week.

Sean McDermott (Panthers):

The Carolina defensive coordinator is free to interview for head coaching jobs during the Panthers’ bye week, and it seems he’ll do so. A report on Tuesday night indicated that the Giants intend to meet with him, though Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer tweets that, as of about 10 hours ago, nothing had been formally set up yet. The two sides will have until Sunday to have their meeting, since McDermott won’t be eligible to interview next week.

Doug Marrone (Jaguars):

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported on Tuesday that the Giants had requested an interview with the Jaguars’ offensive line coach, and he tweets today that permission has been granted — according to Rapoport (Twitter link), Marrone will meet with the Giants on Saturday, a day after he interviews with the Dolphins and two days after his sit-down with the Browns.

Hue Jackson (Bengals):

The Cincinnati offensive coordinator isn’t eligible to interview with teams this week, but he has received multiple requests for next week. According to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News, Jackson is believed to be among the Giants’ targets, though as of Tuesday night, New York wasn’t among the teams to request a meeting.

Sean Payton (Saints):

A report on Monday indicated that the New Orleans head coach would be monitoring the Giants’ situation closely, and John Mara suggested on Tuesday that he wouldn’t rule out the idea of New York trading a draft pick for a coach. A source tells Vacchiano that the Giants would “absolutely” be interested in Payton as a candidate, but according to that source, the team also believes the price to land him may be too high.

Adam Gase (Bears):

The Giants requested an interview with Gase and it appears to be in the plans, but there doesn’t appear to be a date set yet. It’s a busy week for the Bears’ offensive coordinator, who met with Philadelphia yesterday and also has meetings lined up with the Browns and Dolphins before Friday.

Giants Notes: Gase, Reese, Coughlin, McAdoo

January 5th, 2016 at 1:14pm CST by Luke Adams

After confirming today that they’ll interview their coordinators, Ben McAdoo and Steve Spagnuolo, for their head coaching opening, the Giants have requested permission to speak to their first outside candidate, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).

Rapoport reports that New York has asked to interview Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase, one of the week’s most popular targets. Before he meets with the Giants, Gase has a few other interviews lined up. He’ll reportedly meet with the Eagles today, the Browns on Wednesday, and the Dolphins on Thursday.

As the Giants eye candidates to become their new head coach, the team said goodbye to its old head coach during a press conference earlier today. Here are a few highlights from that session, which included co-owner John Mara and former head coach Tom Coughlin:

General manager Jerry Reese kept his job this week, and Mara expressed some confidence in his GM today, but he also made it clear he expects improvement from Reese. As Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets, Mara said there are many holes to fill on the roster, particularly on defense. The Giants co-owner also acknowledged that poor draft classes have had a role in the team’s slump, and suggested changes could be made on the personnel side (Twitter link via Albert Breer of the NFL Network).
Asked if he has coached his last NFL game, Coughlin confirmed what has been reported since his ouster: “I’m not necessarily done with coaching,” he told the media, including Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).
Mara said today that he asked Coughlin to consider staying with the organization in some non-coaching capacity, and the 69-year-old said he’d consider it (Twitter link via La Canfora). I imagine that might become a more realistic possibility if Coughlin doesn’t find a head coaching job he likes.
Mara and Reese will conduct the initial interviews for the Giants’ head coaching search, and will the recommend finalists for expanded interviews, tweets La Canfora. Mara also admitted that he can’t completely rule out the idea of trading a pick for a coach, which means someone like Saints head coach Sean Payton could be in play (Twitter link via Jordan Raanan of NJ.com).
The Giants would prefer not to lose McAdoo, but Mara conceded he can only make “recommendations” to a new head coach — he won’t force the new coach to keep the current offensive coordinator on board (Twitter link via Raanan). Of course, McAdoo himself is also a candidate for the head coaching position.

Giants To Interview McAdoo, Spagnuolo

January 5th, 2016 at 9:19am CST by Luke Adams

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.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

East Notes: Giants, Bills, J. Collins, Cooper

January 5th, 2016 at 8:17am CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of Tom Coughlin‘s departure, a report indicated that the Giants could consider their in-house assistants for the head coaching job, but offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo looks like a much more viable possibility than defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. As Paul Schwartz of the New York Post writes, Spagnuolo is more likely to be one-and-done during his second stint as the Giants’ DC.

McAdoo, on the other hand, is viewed as a future head coach by Giants co-owner John Mara, who “sees a lot of Tom Coughlin in him,” an NFL source tells Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. One league source who spoke to Vacchiano suggests McAdoo will likely be a head coach somewhere within the next two or three years, meaning the Giants could have to decide this winter how much they like him. As the source puts it: “Do you want him coaching for you, or against you?”

While the Giants ponder that question and consider other possibilities for their head coaching job, let’s round up several more items from out of the NFL’s East divisions….

Bills general manager Doug Whaley recognizes that his future in Buffalo is tied to quarterback Tyrod Taylor at this point, so it makes sense that the GM would exercise patience in addressing Taylor’s contract, writes Tyler Dunne of The Buffalo News. As Dunne observes, it’s better for the Bills to make Taylor show he deserves a lucrative contract in 2016 than it would be for the team to extend him now and risk having another QB extension backfire.
As of this week, teams are permitted to finalize contract extensions with players selected in the 2013 draft who are still on their rookie deals, prompting Mike Reiss of ESPN.com to explore the possibility of a new pact for New England linebacker Jamie Collins. Reiss writes that the Patriots have had a Collins extension on their radar for a while, and speculates that it might take Bobby Wagner money (four years, $43MM) to lock up the former second-round pick.
Riley Cooper‘s time with the Eagles will likely come to an end this winter, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who suggests that the wideout may end up being remembered in Philadelphia as “the poster boy for Chip Kelly‘s failed culture war.”
After spending big in free agency during his first year with the Jets, general manager Mike Maccagnan will face a different challenge this time around, as he focuses on roster depth and sustainability over short-term fixes, says Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.

Coach Rumors: Payton, Giants, Fins, Marrone

January 4th, 2016 at 10:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Coaching-related news and rumors have dominated Pro Football Rumors on the first Monday of the offseason (for 20 teams, at least), and they show no signs of letting up just yet. Here’s the latest from around the NFL on teams with coaching vacancies and candidates to fill those jobs:

The Browns have requested and received permission to interview Patriots‘ defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, a league source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
The Lions have asked for and received permission to interview Patriots director of pro scouting Bob Quinn for their GM job, league sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin is scheduled to interview with the Browns for their head coaching vacancy on Wednesday, a source tells Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer (on Twitter).

Earlier Updates:

Saints head coach Sean Payton is monitoring the Giants‘ situation “very closely,” tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. It’s not clear whether Payton would be a top choice for the Giants, or whether the team would be willing to give up a draft pick to land him, but it sounds like the New York job would be at or near the top of Payton’s wish list if he leaves New Orleans.
Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com also weighs in on the Giants‘ job, tweeting that the club is “fully expected” to include its coordinators in its search. That means OC Ben McAdoo and DC Steve Spagnuolo could both get interviews.
As we speculated earlier today, the Dolphins are meeting with former Falcons head coach Mike Smith to discuss their head coaching opening, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. Smith’s interview with the club is happening today.
Doug Marrone‘s interview for the Browns‘ head coaching vacancy will take place on Thursday, not Tuesday, a league source tells Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Matt Lombardo of 97.5 The Fanatic passes along a report from ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, who says Marrone will also interview with the Eagles (Twitter link).
A report earlier today suggested that Panthers offensive coordinator Mike Shula didn’t want to interview for any head coaching jobs while Carolina remains alive in the playoffs. However, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter), Shula said this afternoon that he’ll make that decision if and when he receives an invitation to interview for a head coaching position.

Coach Rumors: Coughlin, Shula, Shaw, McCoy

January 4th, 2016 at 10:21am CST by Luke Adams

The Giants have yet to announce a decision one way or the other on head coach Tom Coughlin, but it sounds like we’ll find out shortly whether the club will be in the market for a new coach. According to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (Twitter link), Coughlin is scheduled to meet with Giants ownership at 1:00 pm eastern time, and it appears a decision has been made.

As we wait to find out Coughlin’s fate, let’s check in on a few other coaching-related notes and rumors….

Panthers offensive coordinator Mike Shula figures to draw interest from teams searching for a head coach, but he doesn’t plan to interview while Carolina remains alive in the postseason, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Since the Panthers aren’t scheduled to play until the divisional round, that would mean any potential suitors for Shula would have to wait until at least January 17th, and possibly later, to interview him, which could reduce interest.
Rapoport also provides an update on David Shaw, tweeting that the Stanford coach plans to remain in his current role, despite the possibility of garnering interest from the 49ers and/or Colts.
Chargers head coach Mike McCoy is scheduled to address the media later today, and as Ben Higgins of 10News in San Diego tweets, that looks like a positive sign for McCoy, since teams don’t typically schedule presser for coaches that are being fired.
The Browns‘ unusual approach to their coaching and GM searches could complicate the process for the team, writes Tom Pelissero of USA Today. Since executive VP of football operations Sashi Brown will have final say on the 53-man roster, rival teams will have the option of blocking their own executives from interviewing for Cleveland’s GM job. The Browns also plan to hire a head coach before landing a GM, so while it may be appealing for a head coaching candidate to have the opportunity to bring in his own personnel guy, that guy would have to be unemployed, or employed by a team willing to let him go.
Giants offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo is among the candidates the Eagles are expected to consider for their head coaching job, per Alex Marvez of FOX Sports.

East Notes: Dolphins, Giants, Eagles, Cowboys

January 2nd, 2016 at 8:54pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Dolphins interim head coach Dan Campbell, whose short stint is almost sure to end Sunday, spoke about his tenure to Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald.

On what he’ll do differently if given another opportunity in the future, Campbell said, “I would do a better job of holding everyone more accountable, from staff to players.”

Going forward, Campbell believes the Dolphins need more leadership from quarterback Ryan Tannehill and defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh.

“Certainly, those are two guys that you’d love to see grow more into that area, and it would help,” he stated.

Campbell also used the word “frustration” to describe the Dolphins’ 5-10 season (and 4-7 mark under his reign). He’ll try to go out with a win Sunday as the Dolphins host AFC East rival New England.

More on the Dolphins and three NFC East teams:

With the Giants’ Tom Coughlin era seemingly on the verge of ending, the New York Daily News’ Ralph Vacchiano wrote Friday that the team should pursue the Saints’ Sean Payton and Alabama’s Nick Saban as possible successors. In addition to Payton and Saban, Vacchiano listed more potential candidates Saturday. Featured prominently: New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, current Giants O-coordinator Ben McAdoo – though Vacchiano argues that he’d be tough to sell to their fan base – as well as college head coaches Brian Kelly (Notre Dame) and David Shaw (Stanford). There’s also Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, a pair of Carolina assistants in OC Mike Shula and D-coordinator Sean McDermott, two more O-coordinators (Pittsburgh’s Todd Haley and Cincinnati’s Hue Jackson), and Jacksonville assistant Doug Marrone. Haley, Jackson and Marrone were all mixed bags in their prior head coaching stops, while Spagnuolo and McDaniels flamed out in epic fashion in St. Louis and Denver, respectively.
The Dolphins’ Olivier Vernon, who leads the team in sacks (seven), could be playing his last game with the team Sunday, ESPN’s James Walker writes. Vernon, 25, stands to cash in as a pending free agent. Thus, he might not fit within the Dolphins’ budget. Vernon does want to stay in Miami, though. “I’d like to be here,” Vernon told Walker. “But at the end of the day, business is business. So if this is my last game and I enter free agency, then I’m going to see how that goes.”
As we learned Saturday afternoon, the Eagles interviewed running backs coach Duce Staley for their vacant head coaching job. Whether they’re truly serious about him remains to be seen, but the interview means they’ve already fulfilled the Rooney Rule because Staley is a minority candidate. That means they could hire Chicago offensive coordinator Adam Gase, whom they’re interested in, as early as Monday. However, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that won’t happen. Gase will bide his time and explore all options, per Florio.
Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee will lose out on $2MM extra if he doesn’t play Sunday against Washington, Brandon George of SportsDay writes. Lee, whose status is up in the air because of a hamstring injury, has incentives in his contract that will kick his 2015-16 salary from $3MM to $5MM if he plays 80 percent of snaps on the season. He’s currently at 82.1.

Tom Coughlin Unlikely To Remain With Giants

December 30th, 2015 at 8:38am CST by Luke Adams

While one NFC East team parted ways with its head coach on Tuesday, it doesn’t appear the Giants will emulate the head Eagles and announce a decision on their own coach until next week. However, according to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com, the odds of Tom Coughlin remaining with New York for the 2016 season are “slim, at best.”

The thinking within the Giants’ organization, per Raanan, is that the club could have won a few more games this year if Coughlin had been at the top of his game. In laying out the potential scenarios for coaching and/or front office changes, Raanan suggests that replacing Coughlin and keeping GM Jerry Reese is the most likely outcome in New York, since the team simply doesn’t fire general managers.

If Coughlin departs, whether that means the Giants firing him or the veteran head coach announcing his retirement, the team will have to address what to do with offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo. When McAdoo assumed his current role two years ago, he was viewed as a possible long-term replacement for Coughlin, and he has done some good work with Eli Manning. However, the club may not think he’s ready for a head coaching job quite yet, and a new head coach may want to bring in his own offensive coordinator.

Whatever the Giants decide, it seems inevitable that change will be coming to the team within the next week or so. Raanan writes that standing pat is the least likely scenario for the Giants, adding that it’s “close to incomprehensible at this point.”

East Notes: Giants, Harrison, Eagles

December 27th, 2015 at 11:16am CST by Rory Parks

The Giants were officially eliminated from playoff contention last night by virtue of Washington’s victory over the Eagles, which has led ESPN’s Dan Graziano to wonder where Big Blue goes from here. He lays out the three biggest questions facing the team this offseason, including, of course, the fates of head coach Tom Coughlin and former first-round draft picks Prince Amukamara and Jason Pierre-Paul. Although it has been widely reported that Coughlin would be fired if his team failed to reach the playoffs this season, Graziano writes that a decision on Coughlin’s future has not yet been made.

Let’s take a look at a few more links from the league’s east divisions, beginning with more out of New York:

Ralph Vacchiano of The New York Daily News suggests that there will be pressure from within the Giants‘ organization to make a coaching change, but Vacchiano says it would be unwise to underestimate how much team president John Mara likes Coughlin, and if Mara wants to stick with the coach that has delivered two Super Bowl titles to his club, Vacchiano lays out five reasons that would justify such a decision.
If the Giants do decide to part ways with Coughlin, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports says offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo is highly thought of within the organization and would become a strong candidate to become the team’s next head coach.
If he stays with the Jets, Ryan Fitzpatrick could land a contract that will pay him between $10-12MM annually, according to Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (citing a prominent NFL agent).
Damon Harrison, one of the unsung heroes of the Jets defensive line, will be a free agent at year’s end, and during a recent Q&A with Steve Serby of The New York Post, Harrison expressed his desire to remain with the Jets for the foreseeable future.
Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald looks back at the disastrous 2013 offseason that saw the Dolphins make enormous mistakes in both the draft and free agency, mistakes that will continue to haunt the team in 2016 and beyond.
After the Eagles‘ loss to Washington last night, quarterback Sam Bradford said he would like to remain in Philadelphia going forward, per Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk. Although Bradford has had an up-and-down season in his first year with the club, Bob Brookover of The Philadelphia Inquirer believes the impending free agent did enough last night to prove to the Eagles that he is worthy of a new contract.
As Les Bowen of The Philadelphia Daily News notes, the question of who will make the decision on Bradford’s future with the Eagles is still very much up in the air. Although Bowen still believes owner Jeffrey Lurie is “in too deep” with Chip Kelly to pull the plug on his embattled head coach so soon after handing him control of the team’s personnel decisions, the Eagles loss last night and the manner in which they lost may force Lurie’s hand.

NFC East Notes: Coughlin, Bradford

December 26th, 2015 at 6:46pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Here’s the latest from the NFC East, whose 2015 champion could be crowned tonight:

As the end of the season draws nearer, Giants owner John Mara gets closer to having to make a decision on the future of two-time Super Bowl-winning head coach Tom Coughlin. Although the Coughlin-led Giants are on the verge of missing the playoffs for the fourth straight year, their best move might be to give him another shot with a better roster, opines Newsday’s Bob Glauber – who doesn’t believe there are obvious signs that the 69-year-old is past his prime. Glauber doesn’t see any loss of passion from Coughlin or effort issues from his players, a sign they haven’t tuned him out. If the Giants disagree and do elect to fire Coughlin, anyone they hire to replace him wouldn’t be free of warts. They’d either be choosing a first-time head coach – which could work, Glauber concedes, but it’s a risky proposition – or someone who has failed at another stop.
In his own piece centering on Coughlin, the New York Daily News’ Ralph Vacchiano offers five reasons why the Giants won’t fire their head coach. Among those reasons: The Giants might not want to force 35-year-old Eli Manning to learn a third new offense in a four-year span, especially given the fact that he was played so well under current coordinator Ben McAdoo. Speaking of which, Mara’s ideal scenario – a source told Vacchiano – is for McAdoo to get further seasoning as an assistant and then have Coughlin pass him the head coaching reins after a more successful season.
Eagles quarterback and free agent-to-be Sam Bradford will have a chance over the next two weeks to show he can be a big-game player, Zach Berman of Philly.com writes. Bradford will play his first meaningful late-season game since 2010 tonight when the 6-8 Eagles take on NFC East-leading Washington (7-7). If the Eagles lose, they’re eliminated from playoff contention and Washington clinches the division. That’s likely to happen if Bradford turns in a similar performance to the last time he was in a must-win game at the end of a season. In Bradford’s rookie year, the former No. 1 overall pick and ex-Ram completed just 19 of 36 passes for a paltry 155 yards and an interception in a 16-6 loss to the Seahawks. That Week 17 defeat put the Seahawks in the playoffs and sent Bradford and the Rams home for a long offseason. Bradford is excited about the chance to atone for that showing. “It’s been a long time coming. This is why you play,” he said.