Former New York Giants head coach Ben McAdoo watches from the sidelines during the first quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers on December 4, 2016 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. File photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI |
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Former New York Giants head coach Ben McAdoo claimed he's "at peace" with the decision that led to the unceremonious end of Eli Manning's consecutive games streak.
A backlash from the team's fanbase ensued on Nov. 28 shortly after Geno Smith was announced as the team's starter for the Dec. 3 game versus Oakland, thereby ending Manning's streak at 210 consecutive games.
"Right or wrong, I am at peace with how I handled the decision to play quarterbacks other than Eli Manning down the stretch of last season," the 41-year-old McAdoo wrote, per Peter King's Football Morning in America.
"At the time, we were 2-9, beat up, and I told Eli we wanted to see the other quarterbacks on the roster -- including our promising rookie, Davis Webb. I was not ending Eli's career with the Giants; I was making sure we knew what we had behind him with a high draft choice prior to a big quarterback draft. I gave him the option to start the games to keep his streak alive. I understand why he said no, and he was a true pro about it.
"My bedside manner hurt me that week. I'm working on that. I do think it was special how his former teammates and the fans rallied around him that week. But if there's one thing I want fans of the Giants to know, it's that I made this call to try to make the Giants stronger for the future. It probably got me fired, but I believe I did the right thing for the right reasons."
McAdoo was fired on Dec. 4 with four games remaining in the regular season. The Giants were 2-10 in McAdoo's second season when management decided to axe the coach along with general manager Jerry Reese.