N.Y. Giants: Coach McAdoo Masterminding His Own Dilemma

From the desk of:  DO IT FOR THE DUKE

Head Coach Ben McAdoo 

Joins Opposition In Assault Against Eli Manning

New York Football Giants: Delusional Head Coach Implements Flawed Offensive System, Then Blames Eli Manning For Poor Results.

Ereck Flowers played terribly this past Monday night.  We know.  Although I find myself disagreeing with Coach McAdoo more and more, the head coach is right about one thing - the problems facing the offensive line affect the entire unit, not just one person.

First on the docket, pass protection.  After allowing three sacks and four QB hits during Week One against the Cowboys, the Giants offensive line allowed the Detroit Lions five sacks, and another eight QB hits.  Do the math, and that's eight sacks, and twelve QB hits through their first two hours of football.

Second, the running game remains inept.  The Giants backfield rushed just ten times for thirty yards against the Lions.  Add that to their Week One totals, and the Giants have thus far rushed 26 times through two games for a mere 85 yards.

Now ...

Lack of skill/talent aside, herein lies the real problem with the Giants offense.  Coach McAdoo thinks he's running a West Coast style offense (or variant thereof).  I watched Coach Bill Walsh and Joe Montana both invent and perfect the West Coast offense during their run together with the San Francisco 49ers.  Therefore I say with great confidence that Coach McAdoo could not be getting this more wrong.

In very simple, loose terms, the West Coast style is predicated on three-step drops, slants, timing patterns, and above all, quickness.  It's a system which dares opposing defenses to blitz, creating a "damned if you do/damned if you don't" situation.  Yet, it's patient enough to take what is given.  Just look at the Patriots ... the modern day masters of West Coast.  Tom Brady is a statue in the pocket, but no one gets to him because he gets the play off too quickly.  It's the speed with which a QB makes his read, executes, and/or dumps off to the backfield (or throws it away) that is most key in keeping the quarterback clean and minimizing pressure on the offensive line.

Coach McAdoo has certainly changed the offensive philosophy around here over his three-plus years with the Giants.  Eli's completion rate under McAdoo is up, but his yards attempted per pass are way down.  While that's an affect of the West Coast system, Coach McAdoo's version looks much like the same Kevin Gilbride set at the line of scrimmage, replete with five to six step drops (even from the shotgun, and he's still getting sacked).

There's a common link among the offensive braintrust; a bridge between Gilbride and McAdoo; and his name Mike Sullivan.

But I'm not going there ...

The system also requires balance, meaning, the ability to run the ball.

It's Jerry Reese's fault the line is so dreadfully bad.  And it's Jerry's fault that a franchise which once prided itself for playing smash mouth football has all but abandoned the run.  There's no getting around it - poor offensive line play is killing this team, and just might get Eli hurt.  West Coast demands a far more intricate brand of play from the offensive line than the Giants are presently staffed to execute.

But it's the increasingly delusional head coach's faulty implementation of his West Coast hybrid presently putting Eli in harms way.  It's this delusional head coach who also continues minimizing the offensive line deficiencies, and instead seems hell bent on destroying his quarterback's moral.

See?  Damned if you do ... damned of you don't.

Just saying.