From Bad To Worse

This is the intersection of horrible and terrible.

The New York Giants (1-7) play the San Francisco 49ers (0-9) on Sunday in Santa Clara, Calif. Much was expected of the Giants, not so much of the 49ers.

So let’s forget the 49ers for a moment. They’re rebuilding under a new general manager (John Lynch) and a new, first-time head coach (Kyle Shanahan). They weren’t supposed to accomplish much in terms of wins and losses and they won’t.

The Giants? Many pundits picked them to win the NFC East and go deep into the playoffs. Instead they may be going deep into the tank.

A couple of unnamed players say second-year coach Ben McAdoo has lost the team. Others defend him on the record. While this blog likes people to speak and put their names with their comments, the real talk often occurs on the not-for-attribution basis. That’s where information moves freely (if not always accurately). And when a team gets destroyed at home 51-17, as the Giants did by the Los Angeles Rams, it’s not hard to believe that the coach and the players are no longer in harmony.

McAdoo has suspended two of his defensive starters this season, which speaks either of a quick temper or poor discipline. Neither is good. The offense – his supposed specialty – lacks talent, drive, a running game and a seeming purpose. And his veiled threats to bench quarterback Eli Manning could certainly cause players to lose confidence in the coach. Manning is a four-time Pro Bowl pick with two Super Bowl wins behind him; McAdoo is the winner of the cheesy facial hair contest.

The Giants. The 49ers. These are marquee NFL franchises, winners of multiple Super Bowls, commanders of large markets. And neither is any good.

One has an excuse. The other is the Giants.

 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman