NY Giants head coach Joe Judge took an unconventional route to trying to build a winning culture, but aims to build on the foundation set last summer during the 2021 NFL season
Joe Judge took a risk.
The first time Judge took the practice field as an NFL head coach, he ordered the last names of his players removed from the back of the NY Giants’ jerseys, constructed one of the league’s most brutally physical practice routines, and never hesitated to send players and coaches (!!) running laps around the perimeter of the field as punishment for mistakes.
A new sheriff held the reigns of a team that won just 12 games combined its three previous seasons.
“I know there are a lot of unconventional things that people on the outside may look at one way or another,” Judge tells FanSided during a wide-ranging phone conversation. “, I’m very specific on the inside making sure our players understand the purpose of what we’re doing, and why it’s important.
“Everything we do, whether it’s laps or whatever it may be, everyone understand the purpose of why we’re doing that, what it’s supposed to impact, and how it’s going to make us a better and stronger team.”
Outsiders wondered aloud if Judge risked alienating the veterans on his roster, and losing the locker room before he even coached his first regular season game, after running a modified version of the Oklahoma drill during practice and having players run penalty laps in front of their teammates.
But, Judge says he made it a top priority to ensure communication always stays open within the walls of the Quest Diagnostics Training Center, and players understand the purpose of each of his tactics.
Judge’s message was well-received by his players, even under the unrelenting heat and humidity of a North Jersey summer.
"“You know what? It was honestly good for us,” NY Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard this spring. “We would get into the fourth quarter and guys would be wheezing and we were like, nothing happened. So he’s getting us into shape, but it’s all for good.”"
It wasn’t a linear path to the physical, competitive, winning team that Judge envisioned his Giants would become in 2020.
The NY Giants lost each of their first five games, and Judge didn’t notch his first victory until a one-point nail-biter over Washington on Oct. 18.
But, a funny thing happened for Judge and the 1-5 NY Giants a few weeks later leading up to the rematch against Washington.
“There was one point last year,” Judge says. “After I was talking to our team over and over about how we have to learn how to practice better, and kept explaining the tempo of the periods, and the flow, and the finish to each drill, and what it’s supposed to look like … And one day Jerry Schuplinski walks up to me and says ‘hey, we’re practicing better,’ and I looked, took a step back and said ‘you’re right, we are practicing better.’
“That’s when we went on that winning streak, made gains and kept going, and I just said ‘hey, there it is, guys, we’re not beating ourselves.”
Instead of unforced errors, turnovers, penalties and mistakes playing key factors in early season-losses, the NY Giants won three of four games from Weeks 10-12 and positioned themselves to be in the mix for the NFC East crown entering a Week 17 clash with the Dallas Cowboys.
How Joe Judge aims to build on last season’s strong finish to a strong 2021
Ultimately, the NY Giants came up one game shy of making a return to the NFL Playoffs, but Judge’s steadfast belief in fundamentals snowballing into successful results hasn’t wavered.
“You keep showing them the evidence,” Judge says. “And communicating. To me, it’s always about communication with your team. Be transparent. Be open. If you’re the reason it’s not going good, tell them that. Have ownership. We expect our players to accept when they’re at fault, and ownership over those results, and they expect the same from us.”
For Judge, the expectations are loftier entering his second season, bu the challenge now remains building on a strong second half finish to his first season as an NFL head coach.
“The biggest thing is picking up where you left off,” Judge admits. “I’ve always taken the view and the belief that every year is a new year. We have a lot of carryover from guys who have been here and understand our culture and expectations.
“But, the reality is, we have a lot of new faces as well, and we always have to re-establish our expectations and standards.”
The hope, for Joe Judge and the NY Giants is a summer of far fewer penalty laps will lead to far more wins this fall.
Matt Lombardo is FanSided’s National NFL Insider and writes Between The Hash Marks each Wednesday. Email Matt: Matt.Lombardo@FanSided.com, Follow Matt on Twitter: @MattLombardoNFL