The New York Giants' first-team offense has not looked like a smooth-running machine through two preseason games. First-year offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo said Tuesday, however, that the Giants were "right where we thought we'd be" in the development of the team's new offense.
That, of course, doesn't mean things are perfect. Eli Manning and the first unit have played seven series in the two preseason games, and there have been plenty of rough spots.
"Monday night in Detroit, we need to be 100 percent ready to go. We're not there yet. We're making small strides," McAdoo said. "You'd like to say you're taking two steps forward every day and one step back. At this point in time, we took a couple steps forward last night. Practice, we had a good day out there and we have to keep making small strides."
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Patience does not come easily to fans, as we know. It doesn't necessarily come easily to McAdoo, either.
"I try to stay as calm as I can be. I think it helps the players and the coaches around you. It helps you think clearly. I'm not someone who is very patient by nature, that's something I have to work at," he said. "We have a pretty level-headed offensive group, there's a lot of character there. Any time you can hang your hat on character you like your chances."
The season is only a few weeks away, and McAdoo said "the biggest challenge is time."
"Some things happened the other night for the first time, certain looks. You just have to teach off of it, they have to grow and learn, he said.
Here are a few other topics McAdoo touched on during his Tuesday press conference.
On working with Eli Manning:
"Eli's a pro's pro. We have a bunch of ‘em in the room. .... There's not a lot of fluff there to ‘em, not a lot of BS. That's something you can hang your hat on as well."
On rookie receiver Corey Washington:
"Corey's a big man that can run and go get the football. That's a good place to start. He's a young guy who has a lot to learn but he's really done some special things over the last week. It'll be exciting to see him grow.
"He's certainly trending up."
On the tight end situation:
"I think Larry [Donnell] has had a nice camp so far. I think Daniel [Fells] has had a good camp until he got nicked up. The other guys are making progress."