McAdoo: Giants not that different from last year’s playoff team
Even if you are what your record says you are, as a legendary Giants coach once said, Ben McAdoo doesn’t see much difference between this year’s colossally disappointing 0-4 team and the playoff squad that won 11 games last season.
One or two or three wins would have made that easier to see; wins which disappeared on Brandon Marshall’s fourth-quarter drop against the Lions, and last-second kicks by the Buccaneers’ Nick Folk and the Eagles’ Jake Elliott.
“I don’t feel our team is really too different than it was through the first four games of last year,” McAdoo said Friday. “The difference is we found a way to win a couple games that were tight early in the season last year. We haven’t done that yet, so that doesn’t mean we are lesser of a football team at this point. But that’s where we are, that’s where we find ourselves.”
The second-year coach believes this Sunday’s game against the Chargers will present the true image of this team, whichever version it may be.
“We talked about adversity introduces a man to himself and that’s where we find ourselves right now,” McAdoo said. “It’s a people game. It’s a game of character. We’ve practiced well the last couple of weeks, better than the first two weeks, and we put ourselves in position to win games in the end. … [We’re] doing simple better. Simplifying things, playing faster, tackling better, blocking better, catching better, and we hope to cash in on it on Sunday.”
McAdoo also addressed Tampa Bay cornerback Vernon Hargreaves’ comment that the Giants’ offense is predictable.
“That’s a non-issue,” McAdoo said. “It’s not something I’m concerned with at this point. We have things to counteract it.”
Odell Beckham Jr. (finger/ankle) left Thursday’s practice early, and was projected to be a limited participant Friday, but his status for Sunday isn’t in jeopardy.
“Odell’s doing well,” McAdoo said. “We didn’t know if it was a hamstring or cramping or what it was, but it seems to be cramping at this point.”
Center Weston Richburg (concussion) and running back Paul Perkins (ribs) are officially out for Sunday. Guard John Jerry (hamstring) is questionable, along with defensive ends Jason Pierre-Paul (shoulder/knee), Olivier Vernon (ankle) and Avery Moss (shoulder), though Pierre-Paul said Thursday he will play.
Will Aldrick Rosas rebound?
The rookie’s first missed kick was a a costly one, as his failed 43-yard try came in the fourth quarter of an eventual two-point loss at Tampa Bay, but special teams coordinator Tom Quinn said he doesn’t believe Rosas has lost any confidence.
“Kickers are gonna miss them. They gotta bounce back,” Quinn said. “That’s the difference between guys in the NFL and the guys that aren’t in the NFL.”