January 4, 2016
Peter Solari Follow @4PeteSakeNY
The New York Giants' season only ended a few hours ago, but according to Ed Valentine of Big Blue View, offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo has already emerged as a candidate to replace Chip Kelly as coach in Philadelphia. This news could throw a wrench into the Giants' offseason plans.
As this site has recently reported, McAdoo has done a fine job in his role with the Giants, and the team should do everything they can to keep him there. However, the fact still remains that McAdoo isn't ready to be a head coach in the NFL. He's only got two seasons of play-calling under his belt, and he was in charge of the same offense that committed countless late game blunders this past season. While McAdoo shows a ton of promise, and likely has a bright future, his time to be a head coach has yet to come.
For those reasons, the Giants themselves should avoid giving the job to McAdoo. Yes, he's done a tremendous job with the offense, but his inexperience only serves to hinder him in a larger role. Jason Garrett thrived as the offensive coordinator in Dallas, so they made him the head coach, where he's failed to live up to expectations. The Giants, and the Eagles for that matter, should look to avoid this scenario at all costs.
For New York, selling the farm to prevent their rival from stealing their offensive coordinator, doesn't make much sense. If McAdoo moves on, the Giants' offense will take a big hit. If Philadelphia wants McAdoo to be their coach, the only things the Giants could do to prevent it, would be naming him their coach instead. McAdoo isn't likely to pass up a head coaching position anywhere in the NFL, to remain an assistant in New York. Nobody can blame him for that. However, if McAdoo is the next Garrett, anyone who signs him, could very well be looking for another new coach in a couple of years. Is it really worth it for New York to throw future seasons down the drain, so the Eagles don't get your wet-behind-the-ears coordinator?
There's no doubt that losing McAdoo would be tough for the Giants' offense, but they're more likely to overcome losing an up-and-coming offensive coordinator, than they are hiring a coach who could potentially set the franchise back years.
It appears as if the Giants' front office has a lot of decisions that need to be made in the coming weeks, and this is a big one. It might come down to how far the organization is willing to go in order to retain McAdoo.
Nobody said the decisions would be easy, but they have the potential to shape the organization's future for years to come. Let's hope management thinks long and hard about that, before making any moves.
