Let the Judge Rule
Gettleman came to the organization in 2018, the same year as Pat Shurmuer. Shurmur helped piece together a Minnesota Vikings offense that lead them to the conference championship with Case Keenum. The hope was he could give Eli Manning one last shot at a title. He could not.
Shurmur was fired after just two losing seasons, which really moved Gettleman in the hot seat. Whoever was selected as the next coach would have to turn this organization around.
Thus far, that’s exactly what head coach Joe Judge has done. He’s been able to keep this team in a playoff race despite it starting out 0-5. And a large part of that is Gettleman staying out of Judge’s way.
Judge has already caused a stir with bringing in new coaches midseason. A GM wouldn’t be wrong from questioning a first year head coach’s decision. But it seems like Gettleman knows that his own job rests on Judge’s ability to lead this team. And he’s been letting Judge rule however he sees fit, from firing coaches to benching playmakers.
It’s important for the head coach and the GM to be on the same page. The Houston Texans’ experiment proves that while they do need to work together, it probably shouldn’t be the same person who does both.
But if Judge can focus on coaching the team that Gettleman pieces together, this could be a dynamic relationship.