No one can accuse the Giants of cleaning house. Critics might say all they’ve done is rearranged the furniture, other than removing from the room the old reliable centerpiece.
Parting ways with a head coach usually ushers in drastic change, but not for the Giants. They will announce on Thursday the hiring of Ben McAdoo, their offensive coordinator, as the replacement for Tom Coughlin. McAdoo is expected to keep Steve Spagnuolo, the defensive coordinator who worked for the Giants in 2007 and 2008 and again this past season.
Coming off a 6-10 season, the Giants will promote one coordinator and retain another, essentially heading into 2016 with the same offensive and defensive systems. The one glaring missing ingredient will be Coughlin, who brought the franchise two Super Bowl victories but also three consecutive losing seasons.
McAdoo is expected to bring in Joe Philbin, the former Dolphins head coach, to run the Giants’ offense. It will be McAdoo’s system, but Philbin might call the plays. Before he was a failed head coach in Miami — he went 24-28 and was fired this season after losing three of his first four games — Philbin was a well-regarded offensive coordinator in Green Bay from 2007-11. McAdoo was an offensive assistant with the Packers during those years.
Both co-owner John Mara and general manager Jerry Reese admitted following the season that the talent level on defense was suspect. Still, Spagnuolo’s defense was the worst-rated unit in the NFL. He fared much better in his first tenure with the Giants and remains well-respected by ownership. Mara said he believed Spagnuolo “did the best he could with what he had.’’
It remains to be seen how much change there is to the rest of Coughlin’s staff. Linebackers coach Jim Herrmann was hired to fill that same role with the Colts and receivers coach Sean Ryan will interview with the Texans, according to reports.