Why Joe Judge Believes Giants are Well-coached
Giants head coach Joe Judge has never come out and absolved himself of any wrongdoing that might have contributed to the Giants suffering through a 4-12 record this season.
Nor should he. Judge has been far from perfect with some of his decisions that at the time might have seemed as though they were what was best for the team, only to have those decisions blow up in his face.
Those decisions he's made--or didn't make--are to be discussed in great depth in an upcoming article. Still, when one looks at the Giants and the numbers in various macro statistical categories, it's hard to justify endorsing Judge and his staff another season.
For example, average penalties per game are up from 5.1 last year to 5.3 this year, seventh-most in the league. And points scored per game are way down for the Giants, once again ranked 30th in the league (15.7 points per game), which is less than last year's 17.5 points per game scored.
Despite the team's deficiencies, Judge, who delivered an emotionally charged 11-minute soliloquy after his team suffered its fifth straight embarrassing loss in a row Sunday in a 29-3 blowout to Chicago, remains convinced that the Giants are headed in the right direction when asked Monday if he could detach himself from the Giants and scout the team objectively, would he conclude that the team, as currently constructed, is well-coached.
Judge paused for a few seconds and then said, "I would."
What followed was Judge's doubling down on his belief that the Giants have a solidified foundation to build a winning franchise.
"There are obviously some things we have to do better and I’m not going to sit here and hide behind anything. I’m not going to sit here and say that we’re perfect in anything," he said.
"I’m not going to go ahead and throw players under the bus or try to isolate coaches and look for a scapegoat. That’s not my style; that’s not what I’m going to do. But I’ve seen a lot of improvement from our players in a lot of different ways.
"Sometimes not all that is magnified, but I look at different things that show up with our team, I know the direction that we’re going. I know other teams as well in this league of how they scout us and what we do when we share information-wise sometimes with common opponents and things that happen. I’m very confident in the way that we’re pushing forward right now."
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Judge was asked if the team is so well-coached and the foundation and culture are so solid, is it fair to conclude that the franchise requires a massive infusion of talent on the roster.
"I’m not going to make any statements right now that’s going to put any one of my players under the bus," he said, adding, "I think you understand how I’m answering that question based on how it was phrased.
"I’m going to tell you right now, if you’re looking for someone to go ahead and find a scapegoat and point a finger at someone, I’m not the guy who’s going to be the one to give you that answer you’re looking for."
Judge, who said he didn't regret spouting off at the mouth following an emotionally charged loss to the Bears Sunday, said his response was in acknowledgment of a direct question he received about why the fans should still have faith.
But if other people besides the fans interpreted his words as being directed at someone else, then so be it.
"People ask me a direct question, I give direct answers," he said. "Whoever’s listening is going to get a dose of the truth and I was honestly answering to the question to the fans – that’s what the question was asked for – but, obviously, the response can apply to a number of different areas."
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