Giants quarterback Eli Manning wanted coach Tom Coughlin to stay. Eli didn’t get his way.
Eli now wants offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo to be promoted into the job. Eli could still get his way.
According to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com, the Giants interviewed McAdoo on Tuesday for the vacancy. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, a former head coach of the Rams, also will be interviewed.
On the surface, the interest in both coordinators seems odd, since they both had a pretty clear hand in the failures that led to the forced resignation of Coughlin. It’s hard not to wonder whether the Giants are granting perfunctory interviews with Coughlin’s coordinators in order to do damage control within the locker room.
Ultimately, if the Giants bring in a coach from the outside, it makes sense to at least be a little concerned about the reaction of Eli Manning. He saw what his brother, Peyton, went through in 2015, after the Broncos hired a coach who installed an offense not suited to Peyton’s skills.
Twelve years ago, Eli didn’t want to play for the Chargers, and he found a way to stiff arm San Diego. If Eli decides that the team in New York has changed so fundamentally that he no longer wants to be part of it, would they force him to stay?
Sure, he’s under contract for three more years. But if your starting quarterback isn’t fully engaged, it’s impossible for the team to thrive. The Giants need Eli to buy in. If he doesn’t, they need to trade him.
Maybe to the team that hires Tom Coughlin to be its next coach.