Ben McAdoo doesn’t yet know which players he will have at his disposal as he goes about putting together a playbook, but the Giants’ new offensive coordinator knows he’s not starting from scratch.
“The offensive system here with the Giants has been in place for a long time,’’ McAdoo, a former Packers assistant coach, said Thursday. “The offensive system that I’m coming from I’ve been in for 10 years. With those two systems being in place as we merge them together and build towards the future, we’ll be multiple enough to use any type of personnel.’’
On the job for six weeks, McAdoo, 36, has never before been an offensive coordinator at any level and this is the first time he ever had been instructed to design an offense and, eventually, to call the plays. When asked what his system will look like, McAdoo quickly shot back, “First things first, it’s not my system, it’s our system here and we’re building it right now.’’
McAdoo has said, “Every offensive system is its own living, breathing organism,’’ but until he knows which living, breathing players he has on his roster, there’s no way to tell for sure what the 2014 Giants will look like on offense. He has promised an attack that adapts to the personnel on hand after Kevin Gilbride — who ran the show the past seven years — was criticized for trying to squeeze the personnel into his system.
The challenge to jump-start the league’s 28th-ranked offense is enormous. The offensive line is in the process of getting rebuilt and newcomers will be coming aboard at receiver, running back and tight end. For now, Eli Manning is one of the only constants.
McAdoo, the Packers quarterbacks coach for the past two seasons, was able to bask in the glow of Aaron Rodgers’ ascension. As this is the offseason, even if McAdoo had a partially completed playbook, he could not distribute it to his players. The offseason workout program for the Giants does not begin until April 21, so Manning must wait to see what he’s in for.
“Talking to him on the phone and getting the chance to sit down with him and just talk to him without going into too much detail I’m very fond of him, obviously, watching him play,’’ McAdoo said of Manning, who threw a career-high 27 interceptions in 2013. “There’s been some high-profile games between the Packers and the Giants over the years and he played very well in those games.’’
Without getting into any specifics, McAdoo said of the offense: “First and foremost we hang our hat on fundamentals and that’s going to be the focal point, that’s the first thing we’re going to address. The second thing is we want to take care of the football. At the same point and time, everyone on the offensive side of the ball needs to play better and with that being said everyone comes in with a clean slate.’’
In what will surely be met with cheers from disgruntled Giants fans, McAdoo said he’ll work to cure what has been an anemic screen pass operation.
“It’s something that will be a focal point in each install,’’ he said.
That’s a good thing, considering the Giants gained a paltry 99 yards last season on screens.
McAdoo said he realizes the offensive line is a work in progress.
“There are going to be plenty of guys lined up at the door to get into some open spots if there are any,’’ he said.
Despite never calling plays or serving as an offensive coordinator, McAdoo is confident he will succeed.
“I’ve been groomed for this position,’’ he said. “I’m excited for the opportunity. Play-calling isn’t just about one guy pulling plays out of the hat, it’s a process you go through during the week. A lot of it has to do with game-planning and has to do with ranking the plays. Everyone’s involved with it.’’