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It's Official: Giants Promote Ben McAdoo To Head Coach

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) — The Giants have officially named Ben McAdoo their new head coach.

The team announced Thursday afternoon that McAdoo, the Giants' offensive coordinator the past two seasons, has been promoted, replacing Tom Coughlin. McAdoo will formally be introduced at a news conference on Friday morning.

MORE: Five Facts About Ben McAdoo

"I am honored to serve as the 17th head coach in the history of the New York Giants franchise," McAdoo said in a news release. "I am thankful to the Mara family, the Tisch family and Jerry Reese for this opportunity. I am appreciative of the support of my family, my wife Toni and our two children (Larkin and BJ) and my parents, brother and sister and in-laws back in Homer City, Pa. I have been very fortunate to have a lot of great coaches, administrators and players take an interest in me and my career. It has been a privilege to work and learn under Coach Coughlin.

"I have been preparing for this moment my entire professional life, and without the guidance and support of many people, I would not be here right now."

McAdoo interviewed with team president John Mara and general manager Jerry Reese last week. They met again Wednesday, when he also spoke with team chairman Steve Tisch and treasurer Jonathan Tisch.

Mara and Reese interviewed five other candidates before choosing McAdoo, who at 38 is now the NFL's second youngest head coach.

"Ben is an outstanding young coach who has great experience and has done a good job as our offensive coordinator these past two years," Mara said. " ... We were all impressed with his energy, his enthusiasm, his vision and his desire. Ben has been preparing for this opportunity since he started coaching, and he has earned his stripes every step of the way. Some have suggested he may not be ready, and as I said last week, we want a coach who feels like he has something to prove."

McAdoo, who also interviewed for the Philadelphia Eagles' coaching vacancy, takes over a team that has missed the playoffs the past four seasons.

Under McAdoo, the Giants' offense ranked sixth in the NFL this past season in scoring offense (26.2 points per game) and eighth in total offense (372.2 yards per game).

It didn't hurt that Manning voiced support for his coach after the season. Under McAdoo's leadership, Manning threw 65 touchdowns and 28 interceptions the past two seasons. He has 18 touchdowns and 27 interceptions in 2013.

This will be McAdoo's first head coaching job.

It appears McAdoo will retain defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who also interviewed for the head coaching job, according to multiple reports. Some reports have said he will hire former Dolphins coach Joe Philbin as the new offensive coordinator, while others have said McAdoo will promote quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan to offensive coordinator.

"Excited for Coach McAdoo," cornerback Prince Amukama said in a text to The Associated Press before the official announcement. "I figured him or Spagz would have been a great pick. I'm sure his players and the fans are all excited."

The Giants also interviewed former Bills coach Doug Marrone, former Falcons coach Mike Smith, Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase and Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin. Gase was hired as the Miami Dolphins' head coach last weekend.

McAdoo learned under Coughlin and has shown some of the same attitudes as his 69-year-old mentor. He is not afraid to gamble.

In the season opener against Dallas this past season, he went for the win, calling a pass play on third down in the red zone in the closing minutes.

A touchdown would have iced the game. Instead, Manning made a mistake throwing the ball away and that stopped the clock. New York kicked a field goal to take a six-point lead but the extra time allowed Dallas to come back and win the game late.

That aggressive play calling, though, has been a part of McAdoo's game. He believes in his offense and he is not afraid to put the game in the unit's hands.

McAdoo joined the NFL in 2004 as an offensive quality control assistant with the New Orleans Saints, spent a year with the 49ers the following year and then joined the Green Bay Packers for the next eight seasons, working with the tight ends and the final two years as Aaron Rodgers' quarterback coach.

The Giants hired him in 2014 to replace Kevin Gilbride and his version of the West Coast offense — and the addition of Odell Beckham Jr. — has helped revive the offense.

Some Giants players have applauded the hire on Twitter.

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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