Ben McAdoo Era Must End After Gutless Effort Against Rams

RAMS 51 - GIANTS 17 

The Giants played like a team that didn't care. If that isn't an indictment of head coach Ben McAdoo, I don't know what is. The Giants were totally outplayed, outclassed and out-everything as the Rams blew away the Giants 51-17, in one of the most lopsided losses in Giants history.

Think of it this way, it was the worst loss by the Giants at home since 1964 when they got blown out by the Cleveland Browns 52-21 at Yankee Stadium. The lasts time Big Blue gave up 50 points in a game, you'd have to go back to 1999 when the Giants got blown away by Brad Johnson and the Washington Redskins 50-21.

That is how epically and historically bad Sunday's effort was.

Perhaps the biggest microcosm of the day came with the Rams facing a third and 33 from their own 48 yard-line. Rams quarterback Jared Goff dumped off a pass to Robert Woods in the flat on a simple bubble screen, and the wide out did the rest breezing by defenders like a hot knife through butter on his way to the end zone to give the Rams a 17-7 lead with 9:26 to go in the second quarter. That's right, a team not only converted on a third and 33, they scored a touchdown on the same play.

Like I said the Giants played like they didn't care. Before anyone could blink it was 34-10 after Goff led a seven play, 75-yard drive to get Los Angeles into the end zone again to start the third quarter. Blink again and it was 48-10.

There is plenty of blame to go around. The defense showed absolutely no effort against one of the top offenses in the NFL. Eli Manning was dreadful, overthrowing receivers and turning the ball over on multiple possessions. But, the one man who deserves all the blame for 51-17 is head coach Ben McAdoo. The same Ben McAdoo who said that the Giants had a great week of practice leading up to this game.

Most coaches are supposed to have the pulse of their team. McAdoo doesn't know what a pulse is if it hit him in the face and laughed. The Giants had a bye week before this game, more than two weeks to correct the ills of a 1-6 start and get the second half of the season on the right foot. Instead the Giants looked unprepared and unmotivated. What's more this was a week with another distraction as McAdoo suspended cornerback Janoris Jenkins for conduct detrimental to the team. That's right a suspension coming out of a bye week! Jenkins is the second cornerback to be suspended by McAdoo this year, earlier in the season Dominique Rodgers Cromartie was suspended for Week 6.

Yet, McAdoo thinks he's leading great practices.

When asked about what he said to the team at halftime of Sunday's meltdown, McAdoo was speechless. So much for being the fearless leader of the New York Giants.

Later in his post-game presser, McAdoo threw the entire team under the bus, suggesting that he would begin evaluating all the players to see which young players can contribute. When asked if Eli Manning was included in that evaluation, McAdoo emphasized "everybody." When asked about his coaches comments, Manning said he wanted to play. Yes, even Manning has had his issues with McAdoo this season. Sunday was the second time that the head coach and quarterback have publicly gone at it.

While Manning isn't blameless for the Giants 1-7 start to the season, it isn't all his fault. He has a skeleton of a football team around him, starting with a horrendous offensive line and ground attack. I am sure Manning wishes he was in a time machine to 2011 when he had Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw in his backfield. That was only six years ago, but it feels like a century ago with the way this 2017 version has played this season.

If the writing isn't on the wall now for owners John Mara and Steve Tish, it has to be soon. While a lot of fans wouldn't mind seeing the team tank the rest of the season to get a high draft pick, the goal of the franchise should be to win as many games as possible to avoid being in the conversation with the Browns and 49ers as one of the worst teams in football. If the Giants have any humility in them, they would fire McAdoo now, tonight, immediately. He should not be allowed to coach another practice or another game for that matter.

The Giants need to move on from McAdoo, they might as well get a head start on the coaching search before someone else does.