Steve Spagnuolo was hoping to get a do-over as an NFL head coach. The Giants had other ideas.
After Tom Coughlin resigned as the Giants head coach in January, Spagnuolo was the first person to interview for the job. The Giants instead promoted offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo to head coach.
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"I’m not going to lie to you,” Spagnuolo told reporters Friday, via the New York Daily News. "I was disappointed I wasn’t the guy ... but I’m not giving up on my dream of being a head coach."
"But I like Ben a lot,” Spagnuolo added. "It was two-fold. It didn’t happen, so it was a disappointment. But it’s always nice to be wanted."
Spagnuolo is in his second stint as the Giants defensive coordinator. He led the Giants defense in 2007 and 2008, helping the team upset the previously undefeated Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
After the 2008 season, Spagnuolo got his first head coaching job with the St. Louis Rams. But he was fired after going 10-38 over three seasons. From there he had a disappointing one-year stint as the Saints defensive coordinator in 2012 before spending two seasons as a Ravens assistant.
Spagnuolo reunited with Coughlin in New York last year but the Giants defense was abysmal, ranking dead last in total defense and third-worst in points allowed. The Giants boosted their defense this offseason with the signing of former Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins, former Dolphins defensive end Olivier Vernon and former Jets defensive tackle Damon Harrison.
Spagnuolo said the team's $200 million free-agent spending spree engineered by general manager Jerry Reese and his pro-player assistant, Ken Sternfeld, felt like Christmas. Spagnuolo is hoping that pairing Vernon, who has 29 sacks over four seasons, with a healthy Jason Pierre-Paul will result in a drastic improvement for his defense.
"They did a great job of identifying the guys, then being real aggressive and getting what we think are some pretty good football players," Spagnuolo said. "It’s exciting.
“I’m hoping, certainly, that we can put a better product on the field than we did a year ago. I think that we will."