Getty Ex-Giants head coach Ben McAdoo.
Ben McAdoo is once again climbing the coaching ranks of the NFC East — albeit this time, it appears to be on an interim basis.
The former New York Giants head coach will be assisting from the booth for the Dallas Cowboys in their Week 13 matchup against the New Orleans Saints. McAdoo, who has been operating in a consultant role, has been thrust into active coaching duties following a recent COVID-19 outbreak among Cowboys staff.
“Due to the Covid-19 cases on the Cowboys staff, former Giants HC Ben McAdoo will temporarily assume a coaching role and be in the coaches booth for Thursday vs. the Saints. McAdoo has been a consultant to the coaches,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweeted on December 1.
McAdoo’s Rocky Giants Tenure
McAdoo first made his way to East Rutherford in 2014, landing the offensive coordinator gig after a two-year run as Aaron Rodgers’ position coach in Green Bay. In his first season as OC with the Giants, McAdoo helped transform a bottom-five offense from the year prior into the 10th-ranked total offense (367.2 yards per game) in all football. The following season the unit was even more prolific, ranking eighth in total offense (372.3 yards per game) and sixth in points per game (26.3).
Riding high on his success as a coordinator, the Giants opted to hand McAdoo the head coaching reigns in 2016. During his first season as Tom Coughlin’s successor, McAdoo led the Giants to an 11-5 record and a playoff berth — which to this day, still remains the franchise’s lone postseason appearance since their 2011 Super Bowl victory. Unfortunately for McAdoo, that marked the height of his coaching tenure in New York.
Things quickly came crashing down for McAdoo and the Giants from that point on, as the coach looked to be well in over his head. Highlighted by questions of his standing within the locker room, multiple player suspensions — and the ultimate nail in the coffin — benching Eli Manning (ending his 210-consecutive games start streak) in favor of Geno Smith, McAdoo was fired in December 2017 with the Giants sitting at 2-10 on the season.
After a two-year hiatus, McAdoo returned to coaching, serving as the Jacksonville Jaguars’ quarterback coach in 2020. He was ultimately let go following the conclusion of the season, leading to his move to Dallas.
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Dan Quinn to Serve as Interim Head Coach
When the Cowboys take the field in the Caesars Superdome on Thursday night, they’ll be without six coaches, including head coach Mike McCarthy, who entered the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols on Monday, November 29th after testing positive for the virus. Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn will seize interim head coaching duties in McCarthy’s absence. Quinn previously served as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons for six seasons from 2015-2020. Over that span, he accumulated a record of 43-42 while leading the Falcons to an appearance in Super Bowl LI.
After getting out to a red hot start this season, the Cowboys have lost three of their last four games. They currently hold a two-game lead over Washington for the division lead, while the Giants and Eagles currently sit 2.5 games out of first.