Getty Former New York Giants head coach Ben McAdoo
Past or present, the Dallas Cowboys are now carrying four NFL head coaches on their payroll.
According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Cowboys on Wednesday hired ex-New York Giants head man Ben McAdoo to work as a “consultant” under HC Mike McCarthy, whom he knows from their time together in Green Bay.
McAdoo, as mentioned, joins a star-studded staff in Dallas that includes former Atlanta Falcons HC Dan Quinn (defensive coordinator) and former Miami Dolphins HC Joe Philbin (offensive line coach), as well as highly-touted offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who’s likely to receive a head-coaching job in 2022.
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Background on McAdoo
The Super Bowl XLV champion rose up the coaching ranks from the bottom rung of the NFL ladder, cutting his teeth as an offensive quality control coordinator for the New Orleans Saints in 2004. The next year, he was employed as OL coach for the San Francisco 49ers. In 2006, McCarthy hired McAdoo as the Packers’ new tight ends coach, a position he held for six seasons.
In 2012, McAdoo was promoted to quarterbacks coach, working with future Hall-of-Fame field general Aaron Rodgers and alongside McCarthy, the team’s primary play-caller. Although his focus was narrowed to QBs, McAdoo’s influence was felt throughout the offense.
“Ben is extremely smart,” former Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson said in 2016. “I think that’s something a lot of people understood if you really got to know him and watched the way he prepared. You could see the knowledge being there.”
McAdoo spun his success in Cheesehead Land into his big-seat gig with the Giants — first as the OC (2014-15), then as the HC (2016-17). He led New York to an 11-5 record and playoff berth during his first year as Tom Coughlin’s successor. McAdoo’s tenure, however, ended stunningly early; he was fired in December 2017 with the Giants holding a 2-10 record. His dismissal was covered extensively in the media and came after numerous player controversies, no bigger than McAdoo’s ill-fated decision to bench Eli Manning (he of the 210-consecutive-starts streak) for Geno Smith.
“I can’t say enough about him as a man, as a husband and a father and a friend,” McCarthy said the day of McAdoo’s firing. “That’s where my focus is. I just focus on his well-being.”
McAdoo, 43, spent the 2020 campaign on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ staff, serving as the QBs coach. He was relieved of his duties after the Jaguars hired new HC Urban Meyer in January.
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Cowboys Confirm Hire
The team later announced McAdoo’s addition via its official website, with in-house reporter David Helman touching on McCarthy’s preference to surround himself with accomplished minds.
From the time he was hired, McCarthy’s has sought out NFL experience in his hires. Dan Quinn, John Fassel, Joe Philbin, Joe Whitt Jr. and George Edwards have all worked for other teams at either the head coach or coordinator level. With McAdoo on board, add one more experienced name to the list.
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL