INDIANAPOLIS — Ben McAdoo was under no illusion during the NFL’s Scouting Combine that he was going to get into a room with a college prospect, use something akin to a Jedi mind trick and uncover the truth about the player, inside and out.
In his two years as an offensive coordinator and his few weeks as the Giants coach, McAdoo seems to be a cerebral guy, but he is not overplaying his mental hand. He views the evaluation system as somewhat rigged when it comes to the combine interviews.
“You have to give the agents credit,’’ McAdoo said. “They do a great job as far as coaching these guys up. They’re well-coached when they come in here, they have a pretty good idea of what’s gonna be asked of them. Most of them, I would say 90 percent plus, really do a good job and they show well.
“So it’s hard to find the cracks in guys from an interview standpoint anymore.
“For 15 minutes, most guys can act the right way and say the right things.”
So he tries to level the playing field. Instead of seeking answers to “character-type’’ questions the prospect already has anticipated, rehearsed and is ready with a prepared response, McAdoo prefers to sprinkle in a hefty dose of X’s and O’s to see what the incoming rookie has upstairs.
“You like to throw in some football when you get into the interviews with them and see if they can talk ball and how they can communicate, how they can take criticism and how they take praise and do they change and are they willing to learn, listen and grow,’’ McAdoo said.
This is not the first time McAdoo has been in a room trying to gauge the worthiness of a potential draft pick, but this past week represented the first time for McAdoo in the drivers’ seat as an NFL head coach. Before this, he always was an offensive assistant, concentrating on players on his side of the ball.
Nowadays, McAdoo does not have one side of the ball. He is in charge of everything. He does evaluate defensive players every week during the season, studying to find weakness to exploit. But his history is with the offense, and he knows it.
“Well, you are what you are, right?’’ McAdoo said. “I mean, I’m not going to hide that. But at the end of the day, you want to see how well you can find guys who fit into what you’re trying to do.
“You especially don’t want to turn away from a guy that’s a difference maker. So, if a guy can be a difference maker, you have to find something for them to do and have that built into your system where they can take advantage of it.’’
The scouts have been assessing these players for months, on the road, at the schools, in the stadiums and they remain the point men when it comes time to put together the draft board. What the coaching staff thinks, though, also counts, and now McAdoo is the head of the staff.
“You have a chance to meet them and shake their hand, and look ’em in the eye and talk to them, and kind of get a feel of what they’re about,’’ McAdoo said. “They’re not just a guy on tape. They’re not just a guy on a piece of paper. But they’re a human being, and what they’re all about, and what they stand for, and where they came from — those are important parts for me. I think it’s good to get out and see them move around on the field, bend their knees a little bit, and get their hands on some footballs, and see how they look there. You have a chance to put a name with a face and just take ’em off the sheet of paper and off the film, and know who they are.’’
And, in turn, determine if they will be deemed worthy of becoming Giants.