Giants owner says Ben McAdoo was not pressured to give up play-calling

New York Giants head coach Ben McAdoo finally decided to give up his offensive play-calling duties last week, and the result was a shocking 23-10 win over the Broncos in Denver. There has been some talk that McAdoo’s decision came from above, but that apparently was not the case.

On Tuesday, Giants co-owner Steve Tisch hinted that he and fellow team owner John Mara encouraged McAdoo to let someone else call plays.

“I think it was a very good adjustment that the coach made,” Tisch said, via Dan Duggan of NJ.com. “It was discussed last week. … He knew it was the right thing to do.”

However, Mara said Wednesday that Tisch’s comments should not have been taken to mean McAdoo was pressured to give up the play-calling.

“I certainly did not speak to Ben and I know Steve did not about giving up the play-calling,” Mara said. “That’s got to be the coach’s decision at the end of the day.

“Steve and I have talked about that. We talk about the games and what goes on. We b—h and moan to one another, but neither one of us spoke to the coach about giving up the play-calling.”

McAdoo was the Giants’ offensive coordinator for two seasons before being named the team’s head coach, which is why New York’s struggles on offense have been such a surprise. Perhaps a fresh perspective was needed, as offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan was able to find success in Denver despite not having Odell Beckham Jr. or Brandon Marshall.

We know one free agent who is puzzled the Giants have not called him, but it would make sense for the team to stick with what worked after they overcame one of the largest point spreads in NFL history to win outright.