McAdoo insists Giants didn't quit in loss to Rams
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - Coach Ben McAdoo insists the New York Giants didn't quit in their ugly, one-sided loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
While the Giants' performance in the 51-17 thrashing was ugly and unacceptable, McAdoo hesitated to say Monday that his team played hard to the end. The second-year coach said he didn't see his players loafing or giving up on plays, signs he says would show a team that quit.
The second-year coach also said two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning will remain the starting quarterback, and that players and coaches will be held accountable for the poor play.
"Every position needs to be held accountable and every position needs to be held to a high standard," McAdoo said. "Same thing with the coaches, and obviously when you lose in the fashion we did yesterday, it is not good enough, anywhere, coaching or playing."
Less than a year after leading New York to the playoffs with an 11-5 regular-season record, McAdoo is clearly under fire after losing seven of the first eight games in what many expected to be another playoff season. His team is not only losing, but he has suspended cornerbacks Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Janoris Jenkins in the past month for violating team rules. It's a sign of internal problems.
There have been calls for the 40-year-old McAdoo to see what rookie quarterback Davis Webb can do. The third-round pick has not been active for a game this year.
McAdoo said after Sunday's game that he would consider using some young players, and no position was being excluded. However, he said Manning would get the start this weekend when the Giants travel to San Francisco to face the winless 49ers.
Manning didn't have his best game Sunday. He lost a fumble on an early sack, missed two open receivers for what could have been touchdowns in the first half, and was intercepted late in the second quarter, setting up another Rams score.
When told that McAdoo was considering changes, Manning said he wanted to play.
""I am glad he said that," McAdoo said. "He's a pro football player, that is what he should be saying. Eli is our quarterback. That doesn't mean at some point we won't throw another guy in there to get a look at him."
The Giants played a horrible game in all three phases in losing their fourth straight at home. They missed tackles, had three turnovers, saw a punt blocked, and gave up six plays of 35 yards or more in their most one-sided loss (34 points) since a 38-0 loss at Carolina in 2013.
It was the most one-sided at home since Nov. 15, 1998 (37-3 to Green Bay). The previous largest deficit in MetLife Stadium was 30 points (40-10) to Indianapolis on Nov. 3, 2014.
The worst play was giving up a 52-yard touchdown on a third-and-33 yard screen pass to Robert Woods in the second quarter. Second-year cornerback Eli Apple seemed not to be interested in making a tackle.
"There are pre-snap (things), we could have aligned better," McAdoo said of the play. "Post-snap, we could have attacked better. Our pursuit and our angles to the ball could have been better, and as far as Eli goes, he needs to attack and tackle right there. But it's more than just one guy."
McAdoo would not say whether Jenkins would be returned to the roster this week. He was suspended indefinitely last Tuesday for missing a Monday workout after the bye and not telling the coaches that he would be absent.
When asked if he would talk to Jenkins on Tuesday, McAdoo said: "When I get a minute."
NOTES: McAdoo said the decision to place starting C Weston Richburg on injured reserve was a medical one. ... McAdoo did not know if DE Olivier Vernon (ankle), LB Jonathan Casillas (neck), LB B.J. Goodson (ankle) and CB Donte Deayon (ankle) would be ready to return to action this week.
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