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What will new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo mean for quarterback Eli Manning and the New York Giants offense? That is a question Giants fans have spent much of the offseason considering. In an article Friday listing McAdoo as one of the five most critical coordinator hirings of 2014, ESPN's Mike Sando examines that question.
Here is part of what Sando wrote:
"McAdoo will give them different concepts in the passing game -- shorter passes to supplement the running game and more midrange routes to move the chains," a personnel evaluator familiar with McAdoo predicted. "The tight end will be a big part of that, too. In that type of offense, you cannot have enough tight ends who can play multiple spots. Also, in that offense, you can maybe take one, two deep shots a half, but really emphasize the short and midrange throws. Run after the catch will be big for them."
The air-yards stats could be telling here. The Giants have led the NFL with a 9.5-yard average since 2011. The Packers were 23rd at 8.0 in the same period. The figures since 2008 have been 9.2 for the Giants (first) and 8.4 for the Packers (13th, near the league average).
"I think some of the Green Bay stuff will be refreshing for Eli," a coordinator with NFC North experience said. "Tom [Coughlin] still has a healthy respect for running the ball, which they did in Green Bay when they had runners. They used to like to run it up your tail if they could."
No matter what offense the Giants run you have to anticipate Manning will throw fewer interceptions than last season's career-worst 27. Even prior to last season, the Giants under Kevin Gilbride had never been a consistent, smooth-running machine from one drive, or one play, to the next. They had always hung their hat on the ability to grind out some first down in the running game and hit big plays in the passing game.
The new style, if Manning adapts to it well, could give the Giants more consistency and the ability to control the clock, something Tom Coughlin should like.