Ben McAdoo thinks Giants will win NFC East; takes shots at Solder and Flowers

At first, former New York Giants head coach Ben McAdoo sounded as if he was filled with remorse.

McAdoo expressed regret over the way he handled star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. in his first public comments since he and former general manager Jerry Reese were fired with four games remaining.

In an interview with the New York Post, McAdoo offered no explanation for the Giants’ 2017 season which ended with a franchise record 13 losses. He also no words for the benching of quarterback Eli Manning that led to his firing.

He did give the team props for much of what they did in the offseason.

“I think they’ve made a lot of the moves I wanted to make,” McAdoo said.

He also offered a prediction on the Giants’ 2018 season.

“I think they’re gonna win the division,” he said. “I think Philly, how much success has Philly had? I think they’re gonna have a hard time handling success. Dallas, I like their offensive line, but how long have we been saying that? Their defense, they got a bunch of young guys playing DB, Sean Lee is banged up, and their d-line, they’ve got a bunch of guys getting in trouble all the time. And Washington is Washington, right?”

McAdoo supported the team letting offensive linemen D.J. Fluker, Justin Pugh, and Weston Richburg walk in free agency saying that “they let the right guys leave”. He also liked the selection of Will Hernandez in the 2018 NFL Draft. However, he is not a fan of free agent left tackle Nate Solder.

The Giants made Solder the NFL’s highest-paid offensive lineman with a four-year, $62 million deal. He spent the first seven seasons of his career with the New England Patriots. The Patriots made at least the AFC Championship Game every year Solder was on the roster with four Super Bowl appearances and two Lombardi Trophies.

“I don’t think he’s a very good player,” he said. “But I think it will help them in a lot of ways where they needed help in that room in the past and they haven’t had anyone to do that.”

McAdoo famously stuck by Ereck Flowers as he struggled at the left tackle spot. Flowers is getting the opportunity to jump start his career at right tackle, the position he was drafted to play. But McAdoo doesn’t think Flowers will be any better with a position change.

“He can’t bend, you got to be able to bend,” he said. “You can run around him on that (right) side just like you can on the other side. Eli just gets to see it, which may help Eli. It’s not on the blind side. It’s in his vision, so if he is comfortable with what’s going on over on the left side, it can help him move in the pocket a little bit better.”

McAdoo’s criticism of the offensive line didn’t stop with Solder and Flowers. Jon Halapio started six games last season and was one of the bright spots in an otherwise dismal season.

“I think Brett Jones is probably going to be the center. I have a hard time seeing the other guy (Halapio) doing it,” he said.

Although McAdoo benched Manning for Geno Smith in a Week 13 loss to the Oakland Raiders, he supports the team’s decision not to draft a quarterback and take running back Saquon Barkley instead.

“With the guys that came out this year, I’m not surprised they went the route they went by not drafting a guy,” he said. “I wouldn’t have stood on the table to draft any quarterback No. 2 either.”

McAdoo also said he understands the team had reluctance in taking a running back with the No. 2 overall pick but believes the Giants made “a solid move” by selecting Barkley.

“I know this: if you can turn around and hand the ball to a player and he’s a helluva player and he’s a threat to take it to the house each time, that really helps,” he said.

McAdoo interviewed with the Cleveland Browns for their vacant offensive coordinator position. The Browns decided to go with Todd Haley, who spent the past six seasons as Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator.

McAdoo’s record as head coach was 13-15 (0-1 posteseason). Although it appears he won’t be on an NFL coaching staff in 2018, he will continue to be paid by the Giants.

– Curtis Rawls is a Managing Editor for Full Press Coverage and covers the NFL, the New York Giants, and the NBA. Please like and follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Twitter. Curtis can be followed on Twitter @CuRawls203.