Giants Fire Head Coach Ben McAdoo, GM Jerry Reese After Loss To Raiders

The New York Giants are doing some major cleaning just four weeks before the end of the regular season.

Giants fire Ben McAdoo, Jerry Reese news

The team announced Monday morning they are firing head coach Ben McAdoo and general manager Jerry Reese.

McAdoo’s dismissal comes less than a week after he decided to bench quarterback Eli Manning — who had made 210 consecutive starts dating back 13 years — and replace him with backup Geno Smith for Sunday’s matchup against the Raiders in Oakland. The move provoked outrage among several former Giants and fans of the team alike, and all of those people seemed to be justified after the G-Men lost to Oakland 24-17 on Sunday to drop to 2-10 this season.

Although Reese and owner John Mara had recently stated the team would not make any major coaching changes until after the regular season was over, rumors had already begun circulating prior to the contest against the Raiders that 40-year-old McAdoo’s job could lose his job should the Giants lose.

“I understand where the fans are coming from,” McAdoo said after Sunday’s defeat. “If I was on the outside looking in, I’d feel the same way they feel.”

McAdoo — who is in his second season as Giants head coach after serving as the team’s offensive coordinator for two years under former coach Tom Coughlin — also said this following the loss, however: “I’m going to coach this team as long as my key card works.”

In 2016, McAdoo led the Giants to a 11-5 record (and second in the NFC East) and a postseason appearance before the team lost to the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the playoffs. The run tied a franchise record for the best regular-season finish by a first-year head coach.

Manning mentored Smith before Sunday’s game after the Giants announced they were looking to give more playing time to the former Jets quarterback and to rookie Davis Webb.

The Giants’ offense has particularly struggled this season. McAdoo even said in September that “no part of [the Giants’] offense was functional.”

Smith struggled in Sunday’s loss. He completed 21 of 34 passes for 212 yards with a touchdown and two fumbles. The fifth-year quarterback also slammed his former coach Rex Ryan — who is now an ESPN analyst — after he learned Ryan had no interest in working with him again.

“But I did see one of my ex-coaches say he didn’t want me to be his quarterback, and that really upset me, you know? A guy that we saved his job in 2013, and we fought our ass for him both years, and for him to come out and say that just shows you how much of a coward he is.”

Smith signed with the Giants in March after playing his first four seasons with the Jets. He was Ryan’s starting quarterback his first two seasons. Smith also said he was very fond of McAdoo, and that he hoped to play for him longer.

The 27-year-old QB later apologized for his comments about Ryan on Twitter:

The Giants will host the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, then the Philadelphia Eagles on Dec. 17. They then visit the Arizona Cardinals on Christmas Eve before hosting the Washington Redskins on Dec. 31.

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – OCTOBER 08: Head coach Ben McAdoo of the New York Giants complains to the official during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers during an NFL game at MetLife Stadium on October 8, 2017 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Los Angeles Chargers defeated the New York Giants 27-22. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)