Giants coaching search: Steve Spagnuolo, Ben McAdoo to get interviews

New York Giants owner John Mara confirmed Tuesday that the team will interview both of Tom Coughlin's coordinators to fill his role as the new head coach of the team. Ben McAdoo and Steve Spagnuolo will have each have separate interviews with the team this week as the Giants begin their first coaching search in over a decade.

McAdoo, who just completed his second year in control of the offense, is the supposed hot favorite right now. Much of the indecision regarding Coughlin's departure stemmed from the reluctance to remove continuity from an offensive unit that has flourished under McAdoo's tutelage. Quarterback Eli Manning has enjoyed a career resurgence after several down years in Kevin Gilbride's outdated run-and-gun offense, and publicly stated that he wants to keep some momentum going forward.

Spagnuolo, on the other hand, is a bit more of a dark horse. His previous experience as head coach of the St. Louis Rams will be a positive for sure, but his defense last year was nine yards from setting the all-time record for most passing yards allowed in a single season. It's public knowledge that he is well liked within the Giants organization, and this is his second separate term as defensive coordinator, but it would still be difficult to promote Spagnuolo after the on-field failures of last season.

What we do know is that the Giants will be thorough. Interviewing in-house candidates are always the obvious starting point in a situation like this, and these interviews could mean anything from a token of respect towards two men who may be moving on to greener pastures to the front-office already knowing they want to promote from within.

The confirmation of internal interviews wasn't the only thing to arise in Mara's Tuesday press conference. When confronted with the notion of trading for a new coach, the team-owner was non-committal. "I wouldn't completely rule that out", said Mara in response to a question with obvious connotations to reports that the Giants were one of many teams who could trade for New Orleans Saints head-coach Sean Payton.

The truth is that the interview process often coughs up unusual names as front-runners for the job. Some impress, while some do not. Mara even mentioned that he would consider college coaches. Such is the nature of the process. The coordinators have a leg-up on other possibilities as the Giants know them personally through the day-to-day life of managing a football team. With stability as a key priority for a team that doesn't appear too far off from redemption, a change to the familiar may be just what the Giants need.