It's not easy to go 11-5 in your first NFL season only to have a losing record 9 games into your second, but that's exactly what's happening to New York Giants head coach Ben McAdoo.
His 12-13 overall record, including 0-1 in the playoffs, isn't the one thing that's going to get him fired, however.
[divider]
COMPARE: NFL Teams | NFL Players
[divider]
There's an unwritten rule in professional athletics that goes a little something like this: Head coaches can criticize players during practice. They can chew them out in team meetings while watching game film. They can call players into their office and give them a piece of their mind when they don't think the athlete is performing to the best of his abilities.
What a head coach should never do, however, is criticize his players in front of the media.
RELATED: 5 Potential Replacements for New York Giants Coach Ben McAdoo Including Josh McDaniels
McAdoo has done that twice now, and it's going to be the final nail in his coaching coffin sooner rather than later.
First there was the incident after a week 2 Monday Night Football defeat to the Lions in which the Giants faced a key fourth-and-goal from Detroit's 2-yard line. McAdoo sent a play in, but the play clock expired before the offense could get it off.
Instead of owning it as a team, the Giants' leader said, “Sloppy quarterback play. Quarterback and the center need to be on the same page there. We’ve got to get the ball snapped.”
Yikes.
No doubt these comments led to anonymous Giants players claiming he has poor communication skills and is working them too hard during Saturday practices. These words came on the heels of an embarrassing 51-17 loss at home to the Los Angeles Rams in week 9, but McAdoo called the comments "fake news."
Then again, if selling out his players isn't the main reason the New York Giants fire Ben McAdoo, maybe it's these less-than-inspiring halftime speeches.
[divider]
NEXT: NFL MVP Watch: Who's on the Rise?
