How the Giants Knew They Were on the Right Track During Early Season Struggles
Losing games at any level is never any fun, especially when the losses begin to stack up.
That’s because if a team’s psyche isn’t strong, it’s very easy for the players to start questioning why they’re going through the same cycle every week without having anything to show for it by the end of the day.
That hasn’t been the case, though, with the Giants; in fact, the losing at the start of the season offered a reveal to both the players and the coaches into just how close this team really was to becoming a competitive group.
“Just because even though we were losing, this team never broke apart, this team came even closer together after those losses and we worked hard as crap,” defensive lineman Leonard Williams said after the Giants beat the Seattle Seahawks Sunday.
“We were coming into work with a chip on our shoulder every day and we still are. I think it’s showing in the way we play, it’s showing in our togetherness. I think in the beginning of the season when we were losing is when I was almost prouder of these guys than now.”
That chip, which may or may not have been inspired by the outside noise of critics questioning if the Giants were ever going to amount to a hill of beans, combined with the challenge of head coach Joe Judge to improve by one percent each day, has paid off.
The Giants have won four in a row and currently hold a full one-game lead in the NFC East.
By defeating the Seahawks, they became the first team in their division to win against a team with a winning record. And they’ve quietly proven to even the loudest of critics that they’re headed in the right direction.
That’s all a result of Judge ensuring that the message to the players remained consistent and focused.
“The thing that's never changed with our players from day one, of training camp all the way through now is the way they've come in on daily basis and work,” Judge said.
“Look, when things aren't going great, and you hear a lot of noise on the outside, but internally everyone's working with good spirit, good focus and putting the team first, that's when you know, you're on the right track.”
That will be Judge’s message to the team again this week. He doesn’t want the players acting as though they have arrived or won the Super Bowl. With the new week comes a new opponent on deck and a new set of challenges that must be met with the same approach.
“Really our mindset here is just go back to work every week,” Judge said. “And that's what we're going to do this week as well.”
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