Ben McAdoo Shreds Giants O-Line in 1st Public Comments

The New York Giants have always exercised patience with their head coaches in the past but Ben McAdoo proved to be a rare exception.

Despite making the playoffs his first year, he was gone after a disastrous second season. That sends a clear signal that something was going on behind the scenes. There were rumors that McAdoo had lost the locker room and players were getting tired of him. No details on that ever really came out but the smoke was definitely thick enough to suggest there was plenty of fire.

Further evidence has begun to emerge supporting such a disconnect. For the first time since his dismissal, McAdoo spoke about his current situation and what he thinks of the Giants following his exit. He’s not planning to coach in 2018, hoping to get a fresh start next year while getting his family settled in Florida. That certainly didn’t stop him from throwing out his opinion on his former team.

Suffice to say, he didn’t hold back and it was one part of the team in particular that drew his most inflammatory remarks.

McAdoo had plenty to say about Giants offensive linemen

Being an offensive guy by nature, it’s no surprise that McAdoo had lots to say about the moves made on that side of the ball. He really likes the additions of Nate Solder at left tackle and Will Hernandez at guard. What came as a shock was how ice cold he was when speaking on former blockers he coached last year.

"“They made the moves to get better in the offensive line, they let the right guys leave, they had to do that with Weston [Richburg] and [Justin] Pugh — I think that was smart.’’"

It’s not hard to see the meaning behind that comment. Clearly, he felt neither Richburg nor Pugh were worth keeping. Perhaps a hint at how bad he had it in 2017. He wasn’t done though, saving his most scathing comments for former left tackle Eric Flowers.

"“He can’t bend, you got to be able to bend,” McAdoo said. “You can run around him on that side just like you can on the other side, Eli just gets to see it, which may help Eli. It’s not the blind side, it’s in his vision, so if he’s comfortable with what’s going on over on the left side, it can help him move in the pocket a little bit better.”"

While the comments themselves bring plenty of entertainment value, they also reveal a lot about the man himself. Those rumors regarding McAdoo may have been correct. If he’s so willing to denounce players in a public forum like this, it’s not hard to imagine him lacking an ability to connect with them as a head coach in the locker room either.

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It might seem innocent enough. Just a man being honest with his opinion. The problem is comments like that tend to creep up again when a man is searching for a job. It might be a little harder for McAdoo to find work in the NFL than he thinks moving forward.