20 Sep Getting to know…..N.Y. Giants Head Coach Ben McAdoo
Name: Benjamin Lee “Ben” McAdoo
Date of birth:July 9, 1977 (age 39)
Place of birth:Homer City, Pennsylvania
17th Head Coach of the New York Giants
Signed for: 4 years
What should New York Giant fans expect for this season? A: I’ll tell the fans the same thing that I told the team, and it’s we’ve gotta stay steady, because this league and this season is a roller-coaster ride. So my message to the players was, “Get your hands up, get ready to ride that roller coaster. It’s going to be fun, it’s going to be fast, it’s going to be exciting. There’s going to be some dips, and there’s going to be some hills and valleys, but we’ll stay the course.” What tells you Giants Pride is being restored? A: I see the commitment. I see the positive energy in the air, and I see us improving. Do you think in the third year of your system that Eli Manning could be in the MVP conversation? A: I think that the quarterback, when things go well, they get a little too much credit. When things don’t go well, they take a little too much blame. We certainly expect Eli to have a good season for us, and he’s had the best camp since I’ve been here. I’m just excited to watch him play. Does this locker room remind you of the locker room prior to your 2010 Super Bowl season in Green Bay at all? A: I think there are a lot of similarities, and I think the biggest similarity is it’s starting to grow together. Why is the Giants the ideal head-coaching job? A: Like I said in my opening press conference, this is the capital of the world and the football capital of the world. I think I’m a perfect fit for it because of all the things that go on around this area and around this team. You need someone who’s steady under fire and has a good value system in place. Football’s a people business, and I think that’s important in this day and age and no other place more than here. When did you know you wanted to be a coach? A:I didn’t know I wanted to be a coach until I was at Michigan State pursuing my master’s degree. I got my master’s degree in nine months, and the plan was to go to law school. At that point in time I didn’t coach for a year, and I missed it again, so I decided it (law school) is not for me. I want to find coaching. I want to be around the game. I miss the locker room. I miss the players. I miss the competition. You have to find that competition. It is hard to replace that. What do you hope your team has learned about you as head coach of the New York Giants? A: I think that my team has learned that I care about players. I care about building them up the right way physically. I believe fundamentals are important to the game, and that shows in the way we practice and the way we train. I’m a guy who is fairly steady regardless of what’s going on around him. If you could go back in history and sit down with Vince Lombardi, what would you want to ask him? A: I’d probably talk to him most on how to harden and prepare a team. And then get them back and ready to go for the season, within the new rules of training camp. … I’d like to get his spin on what our offseason and training camp looks like now.