After years of NFC East battles, former New York Giants head coach Ben McAdoo will be assisting the Dallas Cowboys by coaching from the booth in the team’s Week 13 matchup against the New Orleans Saints. McAdoo had been working in an analyst role, but the recent COVID outbreak in Dallas means the ex-Giants coach will have an elevated role for Week 13.
“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,” Rapoport tweeted on December 1.
McAdoo served as the Giants head coach for two seasons (2016-2017) and led the team to an 11-5 record in 2016. According to The Dallas Morning News’ Michael Gehlken, McCarthy and McAdoo have been “close friends” throughout their coaching careers.
“McCarthy, 57, and McAdoo, 43, are close friends and fellow Pennsylvania natives,” Gehlken detailed when McAdoo was hired in May 2021. “In 2004, they began to overlap professionally when McAdoo took his first NFL job as the New Orleans Saints’ offensive quality control coordinator. McCarthy, the Saints’ offensive coordinator at the time, vouched for him.
“As the story goes, McAdoo reached out to McCarthy a year or two earlier about a position on the Saints’ staff. McCarthy correctly believed that job soon would be filled. Still, McAdoo drove overnight from Connecticut to Indianapolis through a snowstorm, meeting McCarthy in a hotel lobby at the NFL combine.
“While McAdoo wasn’t hired until 2004, a pattern began. Where McCarthy went, McAdoo followed.”
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Quinn Will Serve as Head Coach in McCarthy’s Absence
The Cowboys are expected to be without the following four coaches against the Saints: head coach Mike McCarthy, offensive line coach Joe Philbin, assistant offensive line coach Jeff Blasko and assistant offensive coach Scott Tolzien. Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn will handle the game day responsibilities of head coach during the team’s Thursday Night Football matchup in McCarthy’s absence. Dallas will also be without strength and conditioning coaches Harold Nash and Kendall Smith.
“The most noticeable change will be Dan Quinn moving down to the sideline to replace McCarthy’s game-day duties,” the Cowboys detailed on the team’s website. “Also, offensive line coach Joe Philbin and assistant Jeff Blasko are both out for the game, forcing tight ends coach Lunda Wells to slide down and coach the offensive line.
“Assistant offensive coach Scott Tolzien is also expected to miss the game. The Cowboys will use Ben McAdoo, an advisor to the coaching staff, to help out on game day with the offense in different capacities.”
McCarthy on Moore Remaining the O.C.: ‘Kellen Just Needs to Focus on the Offense’
Quinn was the logical temporary replacement candidate given he has the most head coaching experience on the staff from his tenure with the Falcons. McCarthy explained why he wanted to keep offensive coordinator Kellen Moore in his same role while elevating Quinn for the Saints game.
“I think understandably with Dan’s experience, the challenge flag, the timeouts, the referee’s meeting, there’s just a lot of little things that go into it,” McCarthy said, per ESPN’s Todd Archer. “You could have someone do it on a weekly basis but we’ll spread that around. Kellen just needs to focus on the offense and calling the game and staying with that. John is also involved in some game management like most special teams coaches are. We have the network up top so that’s something that won’t change. So the biggest change is having Dan down on the field and just make sure he’s getting the information he needs to make sound decisions.”
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Former Rival Lands New Cowboys Coaching Role vs. Saints