Ben McAdoo: Giants getting hang of new offense

Minicamp has resulted in mini progress.

That's what new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo said Thursday as the Giants finished their offseason workouts. The installation of the system will take a monthlong hiatus.

"After 12 practices, by no stretch of the imagination do we have everything mastered,'' McAdoo said. "But they understand the identity that we're looking for. We're making small strides. Our goal is to be sound, smart, tough and committed to discipline and poise. At this point in time, we're not there. But we're getting close.''

McAdoo continues to insist that this isn't his offense, it's the Giants' offense and an amalgam of several different systems. It's been clear from the OTAs and minicamp, though, that there will be a lot of West Coast elements in the new scheme, no matter whose it is.

"We had a lot of goals, a lot of things that were objectives in this camp,'' Tom Coughlin said. "Of course the offense and the offensive terminology and that type of stuff, so we've been hard at work on that. We've made progress. We're not there, but we're making progress.''

McAdoo, who spoke in person to the media for the first time since being hired in January, addressed other areas. As for being a first-time play-caller, he said: "I've been groomed for the position.'' He said no final decision has been made on where he will call the plays from, but it most likely will be on the sideline and not up in a coaching box.

He also spoke about working with Eli Manning, the two-time Super Bowl MVP coming off his worst season.

"Eli and I will work hand in hand,'' McAdoo said of relying on the quarterback to help shape the system. "We always want the input of the guy under center. He's going to be a big part of the things we do here.''

McAdoo also addressed the bugaboo of last year's 7-9 season and the bane of Coughlin's existence.

"It's no secret they didn't protect the ball as well as they would have liked to,'' McAdoo said of the league-high 44 turnovers. "I believe we've made strides already this offseason in doing that. The fundamentals are a big part of it, the decision-making is a big part of it. Yes, it can be fixed, and yes, it will be fixed.''

For fans of a team whose owner called the old offense "broken,'' the only thing better than hearing the coordinator say that in June would be seeing it in September.

Notes & quotes: Before dismissing them, Coughlin reminded the players to be on their best behavior during the 31-day break until the start of training camp. "The 'NY' never comes off,'' he told them. He also noted the short duration of the summer vacation because of the late offseason program and the early return for the Hall of Fame Game. "It's not like a six-week break,'' he said. "Like I told the coaches, just leave everything like it is on your desk because we'll be right back here.'' . . . Defensive line coach Robert Nunn said he is impressed with Jason Pierre-Paul this offseason. "He's all systems go,'' Nunn said . . . Safeties coach Dave Merritt said Antrel Rolle can be better than he was last season, when he was the team's only Pro Bowl player. "He hasn't, in my opinion, scratched his ability as a safety yet,'' Merritt said. "Last year was a glimpse of what Antrel can actually become.'' He said he thinks Rolle, 31, can play at a high level for four more seasons . . . The Giants signed DT Everett Dawkins and T Demarcus Love and released DT Eathyn Manumaleuna and T Steven Baker.