Is Joe Judge the Giants head coach for the long term? That’s what we’re gonna discuss in our second installment of our Where We Stand Series. A series where we put in writing exactly what we think about a certain player, coach, situation, etc. Think of this as a way for you all to catalog our takes and throw them in our faces later if we’re wrong. We already looked at QB Daniel Jones.
Joe Judge had a very positive first season as the head coach and possibly the head decision maker. Let’s talk about how we feel about Judge going forward.
Dan: Judge had a fantastic rookie year as a head coach on a team that was severely limited due to inadequate personnel. He made the most out of a defense that didn’t have a lot of big name players. He got his hands dirty with a weak offensive line. He had the guts to fire and fight (okay, he didn’t really fight Marc Colombo but it would be legendary if he did) an offensive line coach that wasn’t working. He won a game in Seattle with Colt McCoy as his quarterback.
I really think we only scratched the surface with Joe Judge. I’m hoping with an improved offense that he will feel comfortable being more aggressive and playing to win more. Last year the unit was so bad that he couldn’t do everything he wanted to do.
The biggest issue for Judge is who he’s tied to. Daniel Jones and Dave Gettleman both stink. Luckily for him, he didn’t draft Daniel Jones and he didn’t hire Dave Gettleman. Because of that, he should be in town longer than both of them.
Verdict: I said it on the Big Blues Podcast and I’ll say it here so it’s etched in stone forever: I’m all in on Joe Judge. 1000% all in.
Matt: Joe Judge had a solid season as a rookie head coach in a normal season. Now take in consideration how limited team workouts and meetings were due to COVID-19 and the lack of personnel and you realize that Judge had a tremendous season.
The 6-10 record looks a lot worse on the coaching staff than it actually was. Judge had his struggles out of the gate starting 1-7. Those struggles had to be expected given the circumstances. He had to fire a coach that he probably never should have hired because of major differences in philosophy (Jason Garrett could very well be next). He also led the Giants to their longest win streak (4 games) since 2016. The season ended on a high note that saw Judge and the Giants compete for a playoff spot down the stretch, even if it was for a divisional title in a historically awful division.
The biggest factor with Joe Judge is how clear his mark is on the team. This is his team. They’re building this team the way he wants it to be built. On paper, this team is much better personnel wise after another offseason under Joe Judge.
Verdict: I’m not ready to marry myself to Joe Judge like Dan. Right now, it’s more like a steady relationship. I’m excited about my future as a Giants fan with Joe Judge and I’m perfectly comfortable with giving him the keys to the franchise and letting him run with it. I believe that he can be the guy to break us from mediocrity. It’s just a little bit too early to start writing vows.
We discussed Daniel Jones, Joe Judge, and Dave Gettleman more in depth in our State of the Franchise podcast below.
“Where We Stand” is a series where we tell you all exactly where we’re at on a litany of sports topics. Think of this as a way for you all to catalog our takes and throw them in our faces later if we’re wrong.
New York Giants Takes:
Is Daniel Jones a franchise QB?
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