In the corner of the football coffin where Ben McAdoo has been resting this season shined an unexpected beam of light, a flickering ray of hope for his survival.
The team New York had expected all damn year finally rose from the grave, finally showed up with heart and fight and pride and passion and played like Giants.
Not McAdead yet.
McAdoo, a stunning 12-9 overtime victor, coached as if his hair was on fire: A fake punt fourth-and-1 from his 41 on the first possession. An ill-advised halfback option with the 25-mph wind swirling, with Shane Vereen getting intercepted by Daniel Sorensen at the 1-yard line six plays later. Asking Eli Manning for a TD pass instead of running on third-and-6 at the Chiefs’ 8 and leaving the Chiefs with their last timeout with 1:38 remaining in regulation following the Aldrick Rosas field goal that gave the Giants a 9-6 lead.
Maybe it started during the week when he finally called guys out in the film room. Maybe it ignited at the Saturday night team meeting when he said: “Make the guy across from you quit.” Maybe Evan Engram lit a fire with a locker-room speech of his own.
And maybe it means nothing more than a 1-8 team becoming a 2-8 team and winning its first game at home, even if too many Giants fans for John Mara’s liking stayed at their homes.
But if isn’t a fait accompli, if Mara is looking for any excuse not to fire McAdoo, this would be Exhibit A. McAdoo still needs Exhibits B, C, D and E.
“We ain’t giving up. … We ain’t quitting. … We’re the New York Giants,” D.J. Fluker said. “We’re Giants for a reason. If you don’t play with passion for this coach in here, something’s wrong. You shouldn’t be here.”
More than a few of them, of course, have already proven they shouldn’t be here.
Janoris Jenkins, fresh off his Roberto Duran “No Mas” imitation against San Francisco, had one interception and another negated on a suspect pass interference call. Manning, unlike Alex Smith (2 INTs), played error-free. Orleans Darkwa (90 total yards) led a heavy-handed attack. The defense played with defiance and togetherness. Olivier Vernon repeatedly hobbled off the field and back on. Rookie right tackle Chad Wheeler held the fort in his first start.
After play-caller Mike Sullivan went for the jugular in overtime with Manning’s 34-yard, fourth-and-5 pass against the blitz to Roger Lewis to the K.C. 2, after Rosas booted the 23-yard game-winner, McAdoo marched across the field to shake hands with Andy Reid and was hugged by Jonathan Casillas.
“I just said, ‘Good game,’ ” Casillas said. “ ‘It’s about time.’ ”
McAdoo was asked how good this one felt.
“Feelings don’t have anything to do with it — we played like the type of team that we’re capable of playing,” he said.
These banged-up Giants played so inspired as 10 ¹/₂ -point underdogs that the Ben Must Go crowd was silenced.
“I know we played hard, I could see that we played hard from where I was standing,” McAdoo said. “We played inspired football today.”
McArobot was animated on the sidelines.
“I’m just gonna be myself on the sidelines,” he said. “I don’t call plays anymore, so I try to stay into it on all three phases. Be myself.”
McAdoo is suddenly swinging from the hip, not afraid to be the riverboat gambler.
“Wanted to take some chances today,” he said. Why? Because he knew that Andy Reid had the better team. “To beat ’em, you’re gonna have to think outside of the box a little bit, and not to be afraid to pull the trigger on some of those things,” McAdoo said.
Asked if 1-8 with nothing to lose had any bearing on his approach, McAdoo said: “No.”
C’mon, of course it did. He was a coach under siege, his methods and motivation called into question from the start of the season. How many times had his desire-to-finish exhortations fallen on deaf ears?
“A couple of guys were called out, and I think as a team, we went out there and responded well,” Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie said.So McAdoo walked into the blustery night a 2-8 coach.
“I’m trying to win games. … I’m not trying to save coaches’ jobs,” Casillas said. “I’m trying to save my own job, make sure I have a job next year. The better we do, the better that looks on the head coach. The worse we do, the worse it looks on the head coach. But I don’t think it’s a whole thing about us not playing for him. Or is playing better for him. … Play for yourself and your family … and as a man, how were you raised? Are you raised to lay down or are you gonna go out there and fight?”
What took so long?
“Good question. I think we’d won some more games if I had an answer. But obviously I don’t,” Casillas said.
Not McAdead yet. But 2-8 is still 2-8.