NY Giants coach Joe Judge has plenty of respect for the NFC East rivalry against the Eagles that will be renewed Thursday night at Lincoln Financial Field.
NY Giants head coach Joe Judge knows what he’s in for when he s
teps on the visiting sidelines in Philadelphia against the Eagles on Thursday night.
Judge, a native of Lansdale, Pa., a suburb about 40 minutes northwest of Philadelphia still has family in the region and is intimately familiar with how Eagles fans treat visiting players and coaches.
“I’ll probably buy a helmet too because my in-laws are already buying batteries,” Judge joked Monday.
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Lincoln Financial Field, notoriously one of the most hostile environments in the NFL, opened the turnstile to approximate 5,500 fans on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens. While the stands won’t be packed, the Eagles fans that are in the seats will make their presence felt in what has suddenly become a game with monumental implications in the division race.
“It’s a great city,” Judge said of Philadelphia. “It has great, passionate fans. It’s an excellent team.”
Judge’s Giants enter Thursday night 1-5, fresh off his first career victory as an NFL head coach. Meanwhile, the Eagles are coming off two straight losses with a half-game lead over the Giants at 1-4.
While Judge has been a visiting coach as a member of the New England Patriots’ staff, he knows Thursday night will be a completely different beast.
“It’s obviously a great rivalry,” Judge said. “I grew up watching these games. They were always tough games, blue collar type games, when the Eagles and the Giants were playing when I was growing up watching the games. Again, you’re so focused on the opponent, the emotion doesn’t really get tied into it. We just know we have a heck of a team we have to match up against.”
Matt Lombardo is the site expert for GMenHQ, and writes Between The Hash Marks each Wednesday for FanSided. Follow Matt on Twitter: @MattLombardoNFL.