No one could have envisioned Bill Parcells growing into a Hall of Fame head coach when he made his debut with a 16-6 loss to the Rams on Sept. 4, 1983, at Giants Stadium. He said afterward: “I’m embarrassed about the performance.”
No one could have predicted Tom Coughlin would be a two-time Super Bowl champion head coach when he made his Giants debut with a 31-17 loss to the Eagles on Sept. 12, 2004, in Philadelphia and said afterward: “It’s real disappointing. It’s like getting kicked in the stomach.”
And so no one has any inkling how this Ben McAdoo era, which begins Sunday against the Cowboys, will unfold, because some smart football people were certain Bill Arnsparger and Ray Handley could stand in the broiling fire of the New York arena and be defiant, unblinking generals.