Tisch praises McAdoo for ‘great job’

GIANTS co-owner Steve Tisch said the pressure was on Ben McAdoo with adversity swirling last week and he raved about the way the coach handled it with the Giants on the verge of a major implosion.

Instead, McAdoo gave up the play-calling, took a step back from the offense and coached the entire team. The result: An unlikely 23-10 victory in Denver after the surprising and disappointing 0-5 start.

“The job description of a head coach was tested last week and on Sunday I think head coach McAdoo did a great job,” Tisch said Tuesday at the NFL owners meeting in Battery Park City. “He showed up, the players showed up, they had a strong desire to win. It was a very exciting game to watch. After the game, it was a very happy locker room.”

Tisch said he and co-owner John Mara had been discussing with McAdoo the idea of giving up the play-calling but said they did not pressure him to do it. “I think it was a very good adjustment the coach made,” he said.

He said it was not necessary to give McAdoo a vote of confidence after the 0-5 start, the suspension of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and all the injuries.

“I think coach McAdoo knows that ownership is very supportive going forward,” Tisch said. “I think the victory made coach McAdoo feel much a much greater sense of personal confidence and it could not have come at a better time, especially nationally televised game, big audience, big game, coming back to New York to play Seattle this coming Sunday.

“Coach McAdoo and I’m sure the other 31 coaches in the league know pretty much for the most part they have a vote of confidence from their owners. It doesn’t need to be solicited and ownership doesn’t need to communicate that. It’s an unspoken agreement and there’s an unspoken level of support unless something unpredictably dramatic happens. This is football.”

The 0-5 start caught Tisch by surprise.

“I’d like the first five games to have been a little different,” he said. “It’s a season that we haven’t experienced in a while, so we’re adjusting to the reality and the facts. There is a lot of emotion. Coming out of Denver with a victory is very inspirational. I think the team is very focused on we knew we could do it and we did it and we’re going to do it again.”

One victory may not change the outlook longterm on the season, but short-term it did a lot for McAdoo and the organization. “We came out of Denver very happy,”