New York Giants Notebook | The Myth of Turning Point Wins, Facing The GOAT and More
Could a win on Monday night spark the Giants to an epic turnaround?
Head coach Joe Judge will tell you that's not quite how football works.
Yes, the Giants have lost many close games and have repeated many of the same problems that have sunk them into the losses. From an outsider's perspective, one might think they are stuck in a rut and just one win away from escaping.
However, Judge believes that every game exists independent of each other, and it's merely a matter of the Giants staying focused on the task in front of them if they are going to turn things around and ignoring the big picture.
"In terms of does one game affect another game, I don't really think so," Judge said.
"I think you have to show up, and whether you won last week or lost last week, it's about what you do preparing this week and how you execute on the field for 60 minutes. That's going to dictate the results of that game.
"My personal mindset and philosophy doesn't really tie too much into how one game affects another one."
The Giants will hope to be a different team than the one they were last week when they blew an 11-point fourth-quarter lead to the Eagles and Carson Wentz. That won't be easy against the Buccaneers and Tom Brady, someone who's orchestrated a fair share of dramatic comebacks in his career.
Facing the GOAT
Brady has his own iconic history against the Giants as an organization. And while this year's Giants team doesn't bear any resemblance to the one he faced in Super Bowl XLII and XLVI, he has a unique history with several players and coaches team.
One of those relationships is with veteran cornerback Logan Ryan, who was once Brady's teammate and playoff opponent.
Ryan played in New England from 2013-16, winning two Super Bowls with Brady.
"He does everything he can to figure out the defense," Ryan said of Brady. "He's a great point guard in this league where he distributes the ball to his playmakers. He has everyone playing well for him.
"He is one of the greatest teammates I ever had. He makes everyone around him better and that's what I see in Tampa. The same old Tom Brady to me and that's excellence."
Ryan has also already been on the other side of Brady's excellence.
In last year's AFC Wild Card game, Ryan, then a member of the Tennessee Titans, intercepted Brady's final pass as a Patriot, returning it for a touchdown to clinch the Titans' 20-13 win.
"He interception was a big play in my career, a big play in both our careers," Ryan said. "He reached out to me afterward. I had dropped one earlier in the game, and he said, why can't you drop them both? I said, even though I like you, I can't drop them both.
"To me, he's the ultimate test as a player. He's like the final boss in Mario or whatever game you might play when you're on the last level, and they have hammers and cannonballs and everything going off in the game. He presents every threat to you possible.
"I feel like he brings the best out in me because I know I have to be my best in order to compete with him. I love playing against him because it's the greatest challenge in football, definitely mentally, and physically, as well."
Quarterback Daniel Jones has established a brief history with Brady of his own.
Last year Jones and the Giants traveled to Gillette Stadium on a Thursday night to challenge Brady and the Patriots.
Jones and the Giants ultimately lost the game 35-14, but Jones did at least earn a valuable interaction with Brady after the game.
"Yeah, I spoke to Tom just for kind of a brief moment after the game last year," Jones said. "Really just wished each other luck going forward. Not a whole lot really from that conversation. I have a ton of respect for him, watching him growing up and all the success he's had in this league. I look forward to getting out there Monday night."
Recapturing Debut Magic
For Jones, Monday night's game won't just be a rematch against Brady. It will also be a matchup against the team he made his first career start against last year.
Jones famously led the Giants to a dramatic 32-31 Week-3 victory in Tampa Bay last year in his rookie debut. Tampa Bay represents only one of two opponents that Jones has beaten to this point in his career, the other being Washington.
The Giants were able to squeak out a win against Washington in Week 6 to keep Jones' streak against that team going, but Tampa Bay is a different beast and one with a very different confidence this season.
"There are some similarities in terms of personnel, and obviously, the coordinator is the same. We've gone back and watched that game," Jones said. "I think we can take certain things from it here and there. But they are a different defense.
"They're calling it a little bit different and doing a couple different things. We'll have to prepare for that. But yeah, I think last year's tape and some of the notes from last year are definitely helpful going in."
The build-up to Jones' debut last year was shrouded in a wholesome sentiment, as the Giants were turning the page from the Eli Manning era to the future with Jones at the helm.
The build-up to this year's matchup comes with a very different aura, as Jones will be looking to shake the controversy of his latest social media blunder in which he appeared partying at a bar without a face mask.
