Its official: the New York Giants have named Ben McAdoo the 17th head coach in franchise history, replacing the recently departed Tom Coughlin, under whom McAdoo coached for the past two seasons.
"Ben is an outstanding young coach who has great experience and has done a good job as our offensive coordinator these past two years," Giants team president John Mara said in a statement announcing the move. "Jerry and I interviewed six impressive candidates, and when we were through with that process, we had another conversation with Ben, as did Steve and Jon Tisch. We were all impressed with his energy, his enthusiasm, his vision and his desire. Ben has been preparing for this opportunity since he started coaching, and he has earned his stripes every step of the way. Some have suggested he may not be ready, and as I said last week, we want a coach who feels like he has something to prove."
The 38-year-old McAdoo oversaw a period of phenomenal growth for the Giants offense and more specifically for quarterback Eli Manning. Under McAdoo's tutelage, Manning cut down on turnovers - he threw 14 touchdowns each of the past two years - and upped his efficiency, managing 63.1 and 62.6 completion percentages and 92.1 and 93.6 quarterback ratings, respectively, between 2014 and 2015.
Prior to joining the Giants under Coughlin, McAdoo had been the with the Green Bay Packers for eight seasons, six as the tight ends coach and two as a quarterbacks coach.
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, preparing for a second-round playoff game this weekend, told Bob Glauber of Newsday that he believes McAdoo, who he worked closely with in Green Bay, is ready for a head coaching opportunity.
"He's a grinder," Rodgers said of McAdoo, per Glauber. "I've been around some grinders in my life. Mike McCarthy's a grinder. [Former California coach] Jeff Tedford was a grinder. [McAdoo] puts in the work and he cares about it. We had a great time working together, him in kind of a new role as a quarterbacks coach, and we learned a lot from each other."
For his part, McAdoo said that he was excited and appreciate of those who have helped him along the way as he gets set to take over a franchise that finished third in the NFC East in 2015.
"I have been preparing for this moment my entire professional life, and without the guidance and support of many people, I would not be here right now," McAdoo said.
