GIANTS EARN THE BIG BOOS
‘O’ offensive again as Blue’s inept loss falls on McAdoo, Reese
Odell Beckham Jr. made his season debut on Monday night and somehow the Giants looked worse in a near-top-to-bottom 24-10 disaster defeat to the Detroit Lions, with Beckham on a “pitch count” unable to play savior. And that team-wide dysfunction is on the general manager and the head coach. Jerry Reese doesn’t do press
conferences after games, but Ben McAdoo, who normally dodges the edge of the sword, rightfully said “put this game on me.” While he’s at it, McAdoo can put the Giants’ 19-3 Week 1 embarrassment in Dallas on himself, too. Because Monday’s loss wasn’t just a continuation of the same old problems, mainly with McAdoo’s baby, the Giants’ offense; it featured so many short-circuits and failures in so many different areas, it is impossible for this entire start not to reflect poorly on the 40-year-old, second-year head coach. The quarterback deserves plenty of blame, too. Eli Manning’s interception and delay-of-game penalty at the goal line were unthinkable, gamechanging errors. But from Evan Engram’s unsportsmanlike conduct celebration to Ereck Flowers’ poor pass protection, holding calls, an anemic running game, dropped passes and an 88-yard Lions punt return for a touchdown – this was a total shutdown. “We have to analyze everything we’re doing,” a humbled McAdoo admitted. “We can’t pull points out of a hat. We have to block better. We have to handle the ball better. We can’t turn the ball over.” So would McAdoo actually consider changing major personnel? Would he consider handing over play-calling to offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan, after the Giants’ offense failed to score 20 points for an eighth straight game dating back to Week 14 of last season? “We’ll consider everything,” the typically stubborn coach said. Beckham, who made four catches for 36 yards in limited playing time in his return from injury, said the Giants’ offenses’ struggles are “up to us. It’s in our hands.” But the Giants are already that desperate this early – 0-2 for the first time since Tom Coughlin’s final season as head coach in 2015 – in no small part because of Reese’s inaction this offseason in failing to address the team’s most glaring weakness at the offensive tackle positions. Reese opted instead to sign a wide receiver in Brandon Marshall who has been a catastrophic disappointment through two weeks, with two catches for 27 yards on nine targets so far this season, including a huge drop prior to Jamal Agnew’s game-clinching punt return TD early in the fourth quarter. Flowers, meanwhile, was destroyed for three sacks by Lions stud defensive end Ezekiel Ansah, an eventuality everyone in the world other than Reese apparently could see coming. And now the Giants are heading to Philadelphia to face the Eagles’ fearsome pass rush, and this season could get out of hand quickly.
Reese didn’t even build much depth at tackle, let alone change the starters. Right tackle Bobby Hart gave up a sack and reinjured his right ankle on the offense’s second snap, leaving the game for good, forcing Justin Pugh to slide from left guard, marking Pugh’s first snaps at tackle since Coughlin’s final game of the 2015 season.
“As a whole, everyone in this room has to go and look themselves in the mirror, especially the offensive line,” Pugh said. “It was obviously rough, (after the) first (pass) play of the game having to go out to right tackle, but I knew it was a possibility it would happen.
“It’s just tough knocking off some rust from some years ago.”
Initially it had appeared that Beckham, after a dramatic and strong warmup routine, would be making a triumphant return to help rescue the flailing Giants offense from the high left ankle sprain he had suffered Aug. 21 in Cleveland. But Beckham only played sparingly, including just nine of 20 first half offensive snaps.
“We just wanted to pick our spots, get him back in the mix, get him back in the fold,” McAdoo said. “We wanted to be smart with him in his first game back. He hasn’t played football in a while.”
Beckham said of his body: “I felt all right. I don’t really know what percentage. Still just that last little bit to gain, but it will come, you know. Another long week of rehab and all of those things. Just stay positive, try to get healthy.”
The Giants’ season won’t wait for Beckham to reach 100%, though. It will continue rolling and they have a lot more to address, even on defense, where backup corner Ross Cockrell practically didn’t even attempt to tackle Lions back Amir Abdullah on a 24-yard run that set up a Matt Prater 56-yard field goal before half.
The Giants’ players, coming off their 11-5 season, can’t believe they’re 0-2.
“Very stunned,” defensive captain Jonathan B Casillas said. “S--- is not cool.” ut it’s reality. The fans are restless. They were booing on the Giants’ first three-and-out possession of the game and heading for the exits with 12:56 remaining in the fourth quarter, and it is on the head coach to clean up a mess that he and the GM have helped create.