Ben McAdoo has clearly lost at least some of the players in his locker room, and the New York Giants head coach would be more than happy to speak to those who disagree with the way he is running the team. The problem is they don’t have identities.
A day after two Giants players criticized McAdoo in interviews with ESPN, McAdoo encouraged any player with a gripe to come see him.
“First things first: I have an open-door policy,” the coach said, per SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano. “So any player that has anything to say is welcome to come in the front door and talk. I had a couple of conversations over the last couple of weeks and I welcome those conversations.
“And the next thing is pretty simple: It’s hard to help a player when they don’t put their name on a quote. So if they need some help, come see me. I’m the guy that can help them.”
One player told ESPN’s Josina Anderson that a lot of Giants players “just don’t care anymore,” while another was critical of McAdoo’s practice schedule and the way he has been disciplining players. McAdoo said he is aware that not all of his players agree with practicing at “80 percent” on Saturdays instead of just having a walkthrough, but he was critical of constant complaining.
“The first day of training camp we get together and I talk about the difference between b—hing and complaining,” McAdoo said. “And there’s a difference to me, because nobody wants to be around a constant complainer. That doesn’t help the team. That doesn’t help the chemistry. That doesn’t help anything get any better. But each player maybe have a b—h. And if you’ve got a b—h, I can understand that because if you don’t, I’m not doing it right.”
As for whether or not he will address the quotes with the team, McAdoo said there is no need.
“There’s no name on the quotes so to me there’s nothing to address,” he said. “Get some names on the quotes and I’ll find out who I need to help and I’ll help them.”
The Giants are 1-7 and a complete disaster, so frustration is to be expected. There are also reports swirling that they are considering major changes to their roster, but McAdoo’s job appears to be safe for now. If tension in the locker room continues to build, that could change in a hurry.
