Joe Judge Shares His History with Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin
When it comes to the NFL coaching community, it really is a small world.
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, who will be looking to guide his team to a 1-0 start Monday night against the Giants and their head coach Joe Judge, crossed paths with Judge back when Tomlin was serving as the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings in 2006.
“I got to meet them simply by answering phones when I was a (graduate assistant) for (current Giants assistant coach in charge of special projects and situations) Amos Jones (at Mississippi State),” Judge revealed during a video conference call with reporters Wednesday.
“He’d call Amos sometimes, and Amos would say, ‘Grab that phone and talk to Mike for a minute.’ So I got to meet him briefly through the phone.”
Judge, who great up in the Philadelphia area, added that he became a Steelers fan when Tomlin was hired by the Rooney family to be the team’s head coach in 2007.
When Jones left Mississippi State to join Tomlin’s coaching staff, Judge found himself with opportunities to further develop his relationship with Tomlin.
“I was able to visit him, you know, early in his tenure at Pittsburgh, when I was a GA. There were times at the combine that he allowed me to be a fly on the wall, sit in there, and have dinner on his check. So I'm very appreciative that,” Judge said.
“He was always very open for a conversation, very open to sharing advice when it came up. So I have a lot of respect for him as a person and I have a lot of respect for him as a coach. He’s done tremendous things in his career.”
Tomlin shares similar admiration for Judge and his rise through the coaching ranks.
“I've known him for a long time and he's a sharp guy,” Tomlin said. “He's got the courage of his convictions and I'm sure he's committed to being him.”
With Judge now preparing for his first NFL season as a head coach, Tomlin said that the Giants can’t get too hung up on the number of years their head coach has.
Instead, the Giants, just like the Steelers and any other team, should try to focus on what they do moving forward to achieve the desired results.
“I think for us—and by that, I mean, any of us in the NFL early in the season--it's about what you do and the quality in which you do it,” Tomlin said.
“It's not necessarily about who you face or what's schematics that they employ or the plays that they make. You know, part of winning early in the season and just being a tough team to beat. And that's just not beating yourself—have an understanding of who you are, your division, the labor, and having detail and how you execute the things you called upon to execute.”
