January 13, 2016
Peter Solari Follow @4PeteSakeNY
According to The Wall Street Journal, New York Giants ownership is seeking to conclude their search for a new coach, by week's end. The team was scheduled to interview Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson on Thursday, but that doesn't seem likely now.
A few days ago, it seemed like the San Francisco 49ers might hire Jackson to their coaching vacancy, before the Giants ever met with him. In the end, however, it was the Cleveland Browns who stood in New York's way.
Both ESPN's Adam Schefter and CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora are reporting that Jackson and the Browns are finalizing a deal for him to become the team's next head coach.
In other coaching news, Schefter told a Philadelphia radio station that he believes Giants offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo, is the front-runner to land the Eagles coaching job. Most are speculating that Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson is the favorite.
This is an interesting development. The Eagles are looking for a coach who can lead them for the next decade, and their top candidates are 70-year old ex-Giants coach Tom Coughlin, and two coordinators that no other teams are interested in. Doesn't that seem odd?
I've written it before, and while I think it's an outrageous theory, the Eagles keep doing things that make it seem plausible. Philadelphia isn't nearly as interested in finding the right coach, as they are in sticking it to the Giants.
When McAdoo was hired as offensive coordinator, the Giants fully intended on making him the head coach one day, but even they question his readiness at this point. For some reason, that doesn't concern the Eagles, which is weird, to say the least. McAdoo isn't exactly the hottest name on the market, either. Outside of Philadelphia, nobody is knocking down his door.
This is exactly why the Giants should pull the trigger on McAdoo now. Sure, they'll be some growing pains, but most agree that McAdoo has a bright future. If McAdoo needs a season-or-two adjustment period, then goes on to be great coach, wouldn't that be worth it for the Giants? Not to mention, if New York takes McAdoo off the table, Philadelphia will be left with a pretty unimpressive list of candidates to choose from.
With Jackson now off the table, the Giants have nothing to lose by hiring McAdoo. There isn't another bona fide all-star coach available. It just makes sense. Ownership always envisioned him as coach, the offense can continue to roll in his system, and he'll likely retain defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. The Giants couldn't ask for a more seamless transition than this. Plus they'd be leaving their rival Eagles in a tough predicament. It's a win-win.
