Nate Solder Reveals How Joe Judge Backs Up Tough Talk with Action

New Giants head coach Joe Judge is ready to put his money where his mouth is.

In case you missed it, Judge, in his introductory press conference, promised to field a football team that was grounded in the fundamentals, was tough and physical, and was one of which the tristate area could embrace.

But those weren’t just words designed to quell the disappointment among a Giants fan base that had once again been forced to endure another losing season. Those were the words of a man who means it and intends to back it up by putting himself right out there on the line along with his players.

Giants left tackle Nate Solder, who was with Judge for six years in New England and who, as the Giants nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, was in Miami, the site of Super Bowl LIV, shared a story of how Judge doesn’t put himself above what he asks his players to do when it comes to toughness.

"We once had a really cold practice," Solder told a group of reporters. "The temperature read seven, but I think it was like negative 15 feeling out there. We all gave Joe a hard time. We were like, 'We'll give you one $1,000 if you go out there in the cold [wearing shorts and a T-shirt].”

Without blinking an eye, Judge stood outside for a two-hour practice in shorts and no jacket, a decision that deepened the respect his players had for him.

"Talk about toughness,” Solder said, “the guy has toughness."

Judge also has another fan in the Giants locker room that thinks New York made the right decision in taking a chance on the 38-year-old despite him never having served as an NFL head coach before.

"I think it's a fantastic hire," Solder said. "I think he brings a lot of the qualities that we need, so I'm looking forward to that. I think his commitment to details, his discipline, his history of winning a lot of championships (five, including two at Alabama and three with the Patriots), I think those are all fantastic attributes.”

Solder believes that Judge’s experiences as a special teams coach, which put him in front of the entire team, will serve him well as he takes a step up in rank.

"He's a young guy, but he's also a charismatic guy. I always kind of thought he was socially a ringleader of the other assistant coaches,” Solder said.

Solder, who struggled last season under the weight of nagging injuries and the mental strain of his young son undergoing chemotherapy, is looking forward to getting a fresh start under the new coaching staff, which includes new offensive coordinator Jason Garrett.

Garrett is expected to bring a new offensive philosophy to a Giants locker room that, under its last two head coaches, was primarily rooted in the West Coast offense.

"It's a little daunting, to be honest with you," Solder said of having to learn another system. "You have to go through all of the new system and everything. However, I have a lot of confidence in all of the guys that they hired, I have a lot of confidence in him, so I think it's going to be a great transition."