Coach Ben McAdoo breaks down the Giants' loss to the 49ers after viewing the game tape:
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Lopsided losses the last two weeks to the Rams and 49ers have raised questions about the Giants players' competitiveness and determination. Coach Ben McAdoo said today it is not a widespread problem, but admitted there are times when he expects more.
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When reviewing the performance of the defense during the opening statement on his weekly conference call, McAdoo said, "The thing that was disappointing that showed up on film is the desire to finish on a consistent basis. There were plays we were capable of making and the desire to finish wasn't consistent. I need to coach them better and we need to do it better. Not every play, not every player, but it did show up on tape."
Moments later, he said, "We're disappointed, but determined. We're all in this thing together as coaches, as players, and I'm not here to throw anyone under the bus today, whether it's a coach, whether it's a player."
But that raised the question – if a player is not committed to finishing a play, why is he on the field?
"That's something that we're taking a look at," McAdoo said. "We have a 46-man roster on game day, and the players who are going to go out and do it the way we ask them to do it and do it on a consistent basis, they're going to get a chance to play.
"It's not one player and it's not on all plays. It's something that almost looks like at times we're waiting for someone else to make a play instead of just pulling the trigger and making the play ourselves."
When a reporter asked a broader question about "not seeing good effort," McAdoo corrected him.
"Don't put words in my mouth," he said. "I didn't say that. I felt the desire to finish needs to get better. That needs to show up on a more consistent basis. We were in positions to make plays, our desire to finish needs to be consistent."
McAdoo was asked about cornerback Janoris Jenkins, who was covering Marquise Goodwin when the receiver scored on an 83-yard touchdown pass, missed a tackle on tight end Garrett Celek's 47-yard scoring catch, and appeared to be in position on some other plays.
"Like I said, there were some players in the ballgame who need to show a consistent desire to finish better," McAdoo said. "I think the post ball in the game on third down (to Goodwin) is a tough play, and a tough spot for him to be in against a player who has tremendous speed. And they're going to make some plays on you. He had an opportunity on third down where he slipped, he could have come up and had a chance to pick the ball off if he had his footing there. I expect him to make that play and pick the ball off. It was unfortunate there. There were some opportunities on some balls on the perimeter where his desire to finish consistently needs to show up. and we need to get the guys on the ground. We need to tackle better as a defensive unit, and he was a part of it."
*The Giants, now 1-8, will next play Sunday at home against the 6-3 Kansas City Chiefs, the leaders in the AFC West.
"No one expected our record to be what it is at this point, and playing the type of football that we're playing at this point. But we are. And our record says we are, and the film reflects it," McAdoo said. "We need to find a way to improve."
*Justin Pugh did not play in the second half after aggravating the back injury that kept him out of the Rams game. "He is probably going to have to sit out a little bit."
Defensive tackle Damon Harrison left the game in the fourth quarter yesterday with an ankle injury. "I would expect him to be limited in practice this week," McAdoo said.
*Giants ownership today took the rare step of issuing a statement supporting McAdoo, but for the coach it was business as usual.
Issued in response to media inquiries about the team's 1-8 record, the team's performance of the past two weeks in losses to the Rams and 49ers, and regarding the status of head coach Ben McAdoo, chief executive officer John Mara and chairman Steve Tisch released the following:
"Ben McAdoo is our head coach and has our support. We are in the midst of an extremely disappointing season. Our performance this year, particularly the past two weeks, is inexcusable and frustrating. While we appreciate that our fans are unhappy with what has occurred, nobody is more upset than we are.
"Our plan is to do what we have always done, which is to not offer a running commentary on the season. It is our responsibility to determine the reasons for our poor performance and at the end of the year, we will evaluate the 2017 season in its entirety and make a determination on how we move forward."
McAdoo's response was essentially…I'm on to Kansas City.
"I'm in the process of finishing up grading the film from the last ballgame and starting on the next one," he said. "That's where my focus is right now. Working to find a way to get the team better and coach the team better, and put us in position to win at home, get our first home win of the year."
The coach was asked if having ownership on his side will help him prepare the team and get wins this year.
"I don't know," he said. "Only time will tell. We'll have to see how everybody responds, but again, my focus is as it always is. It's on the week of preparation and trying to put a good plan together and help these coaches and players in any way I can putting a good product on the field and finding a way to get better."
