Tag: Ben McAdoo

4 key matchups for Panthers vs. Lions in Week 16

The most interesting battle for the Panthers in Week 16 could be the one between Sam Darnold and Ben McAdoo’s trust.

Can the Carolina Panthers stave off a short turnaround and a hot Detroit Lions team to make their push to an NFC South crown?

Here are four matchups that’ll be key in making that possible in Week 16.

6 things to know during the Panthers’ bye week

Next Sunday’s matchup against the Seahawks will mark Panthers QB Sam Darnold’s very first NFL start following a bye week.

With their thorough victory over the Denver Broncos in Week 12, the Carolina Panthers have worked themselves right back into the thick of the NFC South race. But before they reenter battle, they get to kick their legs up this weekend for some well-deserved rest.

So, as they enjoy their break, here are six things to know about the bye week.

Panthers QB Baker Mayfield arrives to Thursday’s practice with new look

Not only is Baker Mayfield embracing a new role with the Panthers, but he’s also doing it with a new look.

Did we miss the part where the Carolina Panthers acquired Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Gardner Minshew before Tuesday’s trade deadline?

Oh, we didn’t?

So you’re telling us that this is actually Baker Mayfield . . . ?

Ah, appears it is.

Well, the fifth-year passer strolled into Thursday’s practice ahead of the team’s Week 9 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals with a fresh fu manchu. Perhaps he was inspired by Minshew, Hulk Hogan or Ben Stiller’s character in Dodgeball and/or Happy Gilmore.

Regardless, Mayfield has also found some inspiration in a fresh role for Carolina. Despite essentially being Wally Pipp’d by PJ Walker, the former No. 1 overall pick has been praised by teammates and coaches alike for his supportiveness throughout the suboptimal situation.

Heck, he’s even willing to change positions in the process . . .

In fact, offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo was asked about that very part of practice earlier in the day.

“Since the day he walked in the door, Baker’s been a tremendous teammate,” he said. “He’s a good leader. Whether he’s been playing, whether he’s been nicked up or whether he’s been the backup—he’s there for everybody else out there. He wants to win, regardless of his role. I’m really impressed with the way he carries himself, and how excited he is for PJ and the opportunity that PJ has.”

PJ will have himself a fourth straight opportunity as the starter on Sunday. And as for Mayfield, maybe he’ll be ready if the Panthers get a little thin on their defensive line this weekend.

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Geno Smith dedicates win over Giants to Jerry Reese, Ben McAdoo

Seahawks QB Geno Smith says Sunday wasn’t a revenge game but did dedicate his win over the New York Giants to Jerry Reese and Ben McAdoo.

Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks defeated the New York Giants, 27-13, in Week 8 at Lumen Field and it was somewhat of a revenge game for the quarterback.

Smith, of course, started one game for the Giants in 2017, ending the 210-game iron man streak of future Hall of Famer Eli Manning. But that start came with severe consequences as general manager Jerry Reese and head coach Ben McAdoo were fired in its aftermath.

Leading up to Sunday’s clash with the Giants, Smith made little of his time in New York. He said all the right things and avoided touchy topics but following the victory, that changed.

Although Smith said the game was not about revenge, he did dedicate it to the aforementioned Reese and McAdoo.

“I spent one year with the Giants. That year to me was like a blur and my life has moved on from them. I don’t have any remorse towards anyone there. In fact, to me, this game was for Ben McAdoo and Jerry Reese. They believed in me,” Smith said, via ESPN.

“As far as any other thing, I don’t really care for it. I’m happy to be here in Seattle. It’s like a family here. It feels like home. And so I’m just enjoying my time here and continuing to work hard with these guys and just trying to be the best we can be.”

Smith has come on strong with the Seahawks, but his play wasn’t nearly up to par with the Giants. During his spot start, Smith was sacked three times, lost two fumbles and earned a QB Rating of just 40.6 in a 24-17 loss to the then-Oakland Raiders.

The same offensive issues that had plagued Manning that year also plagued Smith. And in starting Smith, the Giants failed to get a live-game evaluation of David Webb, who was a rookie third-round pick at the time.

McAdoo bungled the entire situation and did so disrespectfully. The team was 2-10 following that loss and the clock had run out on both Reese and McAdoo.

Giants co-owner John Mara later admitted that one of his worst mistakes was wasting the final years of Manning’s career. The spot start for Geno was at the peak of that failure.

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Throwback Thursday: Giants’ Eli Manning benched for Geno Smith

In 2017, the New York Giants benched QB Eli Manning in favor of Geno Smith, ending Manning’s iron man streak and costing some their jobs.

The upstart New York Giants (6-1) head out to the Pacific Northwest this Sunday to face the surprising NFC West-leading Seattle Seahawks (4-3) who are led by a familiar face at quarterback — Geno Smith.

Smith was a 2013 second-round selection the NFL draft out of West Virginia by the New York Jets and was their starter for two seasons before injuries caused them to lose confidence. He signed with the Giants as a free agent in 2017.

Smith holds a special place in Giants’ lore as the player who replaced Eli Manning at quarterback for one game that season.

The event had significance for several reasons. First, it ended Manning’s 210-game starting streak. Eli had started every game under center for the Giants for the past 13 seasons.

Second, Smith became the first African-American player to start a game at quarterback for the Giants. They were the last NFL franchise to do so.

Lastly, it ended the tenures of general manager Jerry Reese and head coach Ben McAdoo as both were fired after the game.

As for the game, which took place on December 3 in Oakland vs the 5-6 Raiders, the 2-9 Giants fell, 24-17. Smith was no improvement over the struggling Manning, completing 21 of 34 passes for 212 yards and a touchdown. He lost two fumbles and was sacked three times in the game.

Smith suffered from the same factors that dogged Eli that season: a lousy offensive line, no supporting ground game and few options in the passing game.

The next day, co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch decided they had finally seen enough and pulled the trigger on Reese and McAdoo.

“I don’t think there was any one final straw,” Mara told reporters at the time. “I just think that where we are as a franchise right now, you know, we’re 2-10. We’ve kind of been spiraling out of control. I just felt like we needed a complete overhaul. I don’t think there was any one event or one final act to precipitate that.”

Manning would be reinstalled as the starter the next week under interim head coach Steve Spagnuolo.

Let it be noted that Smith handled the situation with class, as did Manning. The Giants? Well, not so much. They would go on to finish with a franchise-worst 3-13 record.

“I just hate to lose,” Smith said after the game. “I don’t want to lose at all at anything. I was upset that we lost, I felt like we had some opportunities and we couldn’t take advantage of them. We can’t really cry over spilled milk. You just got to pick yourself up and get ready for next week.”

Smith became a free agent after that season and then signed on with the Los Angeles Chargers for the 2018 season where would play in just one game. From there, he signed on to become Russell Wilson’s backup for the next three seasons.

Wilson, of course, was traded to the Denver Broncos this spring, paving the way for Smith to finally become a starter again.

Smith was named the starter over Drew Lock after a training camp competition and is currently the third-rated passer in the NFL this season behind Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen of Buffalo.

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Ex-Giant Jonathan Casillas rips Eli Apple: ‘A little brat’

Ex-New York Giants LB Jonathan Casillas recently shredded CB Eli Apple, calling him “a little brat” while also throwing shade at Ben McAdoo.

Former New York Giants linebacker Jonathan Casillas recently joined the New York Post’s “Blue Rush Podcast” with Jake Brown and Brandon London. During his appearance, Casillas was asked about some of the Giants’ darker days, including the Ben McAdoo tenure.

Although he initially attempted to bite his tongue, Casillas ultimately went off on former teammate Eli Apple and McAdoo’s handling of the “little brat.”

“He did some stuff that was very detrimental to the team,” Casillas said. “He should have been suspended earlier in the season because he was doing things over and over again in practice and in games that were like — bro what are you doing?”

Casillas noted that Apple would routinely quit on plays, both in practice and during live games. And while the veteran and other players would talk to Apple about his lack of effort, he noted that McAdoo waited entirely too long to address it.

“That was the issue with Ben McAdoo. Some things that happened early in the (2016) season he kind of let slide, and then the next year… it was too late to start disciplining people,” Casillas said.

“(Apple) was a little brat. And he was a young kid trying to play in a grown man’s league and he didn’t know what he was doing.”

Not only was Apple suspended in 2017 for conduct detrimental to the team, safety Landon Collins also publicly called him a “cancer.” That spat came on the heels of Apple refusing to work on the scout team and screaming in a coach’s face.

The Giants finally pulled the plug on Apple and his mother, Annie, who had publicly criticized John Mara and the organization, trading him to the New Orleans Saints in 2018.

Apple’s tenure in New Orleans went about as well as it had in New York. They let him walk after just one season.

Since then, Apple has spent time with the Carolina Panthers and Cincinnati Bengals, where he currently plays.

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Panthers OC Ben McAdoo on Matt Rhule’s firing: We hit the reset button

Luckily for Ben McAdoo, his keycard still works after what was a messy Monday for the Panthers.

Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo won’t be falling victim to the Jamal Adams meme just yet.

On Thursday, the 45-year-old play-caller spoke with reporters for the first time since the dismissal of head coach Matt Rhule. Rhule, in what was the most high-profile addition to his coaching staff this offseason, hired McAdoo back in January to head the team’s struggling offense.

And, thus far, the offense has struggled even more under McAdoo. To this point, the Panthers rank 32nd in total yards per game (271.4), 32nd in third-down conversion rate (24.2 percent), 30th in offensive plays per game (55.8) and 25th in points per game (18.6).

So, what was going through his mind when the announcement of Rhule’s firing came down?

“We were just in a team meeting,” he said of his whereabouts when the news broke. “A change was made. And, yeah, we hit the reset button and now we’re focused on the game ahead.”

Along with the head coach went defensive coordinator Phil Snow and assistant special teams coach Ed Foley—two longtime partners of Rhule’s. But McAdoo, a handpicked selection of the regime, has stuck around—and he’s put that into perspective.

“Like I said—in this business, you just keep your head down and keep working,” he said when asked if he felt like his job was in jeopardy on Monday. “And that’s always a possibility. Every day you come in and your keycard works is a good day.”

Hopefully for McAdoo, he can also start gaining access to a functioning offense moving forward.

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Ben McAdoo to remain Panthers OC

Per FOX Charlotte’s Will Kunkel, Panthers OC Ben McAdoo will remain with the organization.

Being a rockstar definitely comes with its perks.

On Monday, the Carolina Panthers began its move away from the Matt Rhule era—firing the head coach, his defensive coordinator Phil Snow and assistant special teams coach Ed Foley. But, as reported by Will Kunkel of FOX Charlotte, the offensive coordinator gets to stay.

According to Kunkel, Ben McAdoo will maintain his post with the organization following’s today string of firings. The 45-year-old, in Rhule’s most notable addition to his staff this offseason, was hired by the organization back in January.

Ironically enough, it’s been McAdoo’s offense that has seemingly slowed this Panthers team down the most in 2022. Before their Week 5 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Carolina ranked last in total yards per game (262.3), offensive plays per game (53.5) and third-down conversion rate (25.5 percent).

And it was just last week, in fact, that McAdoo took up responsibility for his lack of an impact to this point.

“Well, when you look at it, I was brought in here to make an impact, right? And it hasn’t happened yet,” McAdoo said last Thursday. “Now, that doesn’t mean we’re discouraged or . . . it’s, we’re four games in, right?”

Unfortunately, we’re now five games in and the outlook still hasn’t changed. But at least he may have the rest of the season to try and fix that.

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Report: Panthers HC Matt Rhule, OC Ben McAdoo have ‘increasing communication issues’

According to a new report from Pro Football Network, Panthers HC Matt Rhule and OC Ben McAdoo are not on the same page.

Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo is considered by some as a “quarterback whisperer.” But, based off some recent rumblings, he may have to use his voice a bit differently.

According to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network, the lines of communication between McAdoo and head coach Matt Rhule haven’t been exactly clear. In fact, they’re supposedly getting worse.

“There have been increasing communication issues between McAdoo and Rhule before and during games as McAdoo attempts to direct an offense that is struggling mightily, according to multiple league sources not authorized to speak publicly,” Wilson writes. “McAdoo is working to fix what appears to be a dire situation for an ineffectual offense.”

The ineffectual offense currently ranks last in the NFL in total yards per game (262.3), plays per game (53.5) and third-down conversion rate (25.5 percent). Unfortunately, there have been little to no indications that the unit is even getting any better through four weeks of miserable play.

Last Sunday’s loss to the Arizona Cardinals saw the Panthers, who carried a seven-point lead into the break, run the ball just twice in the second half—on the first two plays, in fact. That’s particularly interesting, as far as Wilson’s report goes, considering how Rhule has repeatedly expressed his desire to establish the run for over a year now.

Their Week 4 fate was, instead, put into the hands of a struggling Baker Mayfield—who’s thrown a league-high 10 batted balls while averaging just 186.8 passing yards per contest. Star running back Christian McCaffrey, meanwhile, totaled just eight carries in the defeat.

Whether this latest whiff of turmoil is true or not, Carolina most definitely has to find some harmony somewhere. And for this regime, they might have to find it very quickly.

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Panthers OC Ben McAdoo: I haven’t made an impact yet

Panthers OC Ben McAdoo knows he was brought to Carolina to make an impact. But he also knows that hasn’t quite happened thus far.

Whether the Carolina Panthers really wanted a “rockstar” offensive coordinator or not, Ben McAdoo hasn’t been playing any of the right notes thus far. And he knows it.

The struggling play-caller, amidst a nightmarish run for his unit, took questions prior to Thursday’s practice. When asked about the catch percentages of the team’s receivers and tight ends, McAdoo gave an interesting and honest response.

“Well, when you look at it, I was brought in here to make an impact, right? And it hasn’t happened yet,” McAdoo said. “Now, that doesn’t mean we’re discouraged or . . . it’s, we’re four games in, right? So, we got another game this week and we’re excited at the opportunity we have this week and we have a tremendous opponent coming in here this week.”

He’s not wrong about that opponent, as the San Francisco 49ers are pretty much at or near the top of every major defensive statistic through four weeks. They currently rank second in in total yards allowed (234.5 per game), pass defense (161.3 yards), run defense (73.3 yards) and sacks (15) and have allowed the fewest points per game (11.5).

On the flip side, the Panthers offense is well-situated in the NFL’s basement. Carolina has averaged the fewest total yards per game (262.3), the fewest plays per game (53.5) and boast the worst third-down conversion rate (25.5 percent) behind the reeling Baker Mayfield.

So, uh, tough week to have a tough opponent, huh?

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