In some ways, Odell Beckham Jr. played a huge role in Ben McAdoo ascending to the position as Giants head coach. McAdoo ran the offense the past two seasons, and without Beckham’s 187 receptions for 2,755 yards and 25 touchdowns, McAdoo might not have been viewed by team ownership as a high-level coordinator.
In some ways, Beckham’s mental meltdown in Week 15 against the Panthers played a role in Tom Coughlin’s demise as head coach. It was not the deciding factor, but Coughlin’s inaction as Beckham self-destructed, committing three personal foul penalties in an out-of-control series of altercations with cornerback Josh Norman, was not a good look for the veteran head coach.
Looking back, McAdoo said he should have stepped in to try to calm Beckham down.
“Football is a people business and it’s about relationships,’’ McAdoo said Friday. “After what happened on the sideline in the Carolina game, I should’ve been better, and I take full responsibility for that. Odell feels as bad as anybody about it, and it’s my job to pull him out of that when we go down that road.’’
Some say it was Coughlin’s job to pull Beckham “out of that.’’ Coughlin did not remove Beckham from the game, not even for a single play, and afterward said he was not aware there were three personal fouls called on him. Beckham was suspended one game by the NFL for his antics.
“[McAdoo] was upset at the way that it transpired, he put a lot of the blame on himself, and he realizes that he should have stepped in and done something,’’ Giants co-owner John Mara said. “When you’re an offensive coordinator and you got that play sheet in front of you, you’re not always focused specifically on what’s going on in situations like that. He’ll be the head coach now, depending on who he ends up with as his offensive coordinator, it’s possible somebody else will be calling the plays. I think he understands that you can’t let a situation like that linger.
“To me it was unacceptable, and stuff like that happens sometimes. Look at what happened at the end of the Cincinnati [vs. Steelers] game. I just don’t want our players to conduct themselves like that.’’
