New York Giants Support Joe Judge's Approach to Accountability, Discipline

Giants head coach Joe Judge's way isn't for everyone. but for those players who understand what his objective is and the methods behind his madness, they're perfectly fine with how the program is being run.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Aug 4, 2021 6:50 PM EDT

Giants head coach Joe Judge's ways aren't for everyone.

The wind sprints, the penalty laps, the (at times) excessive cussing--these are all things that some of the more high-maintenance players in the league might find to be a bit over the top and, in some cases, demeaning.

But those players who prefer a country club atmosphere or see Judge's approach as being too authoritarian aren't tuned into the bigger picture of what Judge, the Giants second-year head coach, is trying to accomplish.

Building a winner.

Judge believes that practices need to be as tough and physical as allowed under the CBA rules to build a winner.

He also believes that players and coaches need to be held accountable and realize that if someone commits a mental error in a game, that puts the entire team in a hole.

RELATED: Joe Judge Reveals His Message to Giants Following Tuesday's Team Ruckus

"That’s kind of the standard that we’ve set here in this building and as a team, and I think guys have bought in and know what to expect whenever you step on the field and when you’re playing under a guy like Coach Judge," said receiver Sterling Shepard.

"If you don’t like it, then you’re welcome to leave. But that’s the way that we do things around here and everybody is standing by that, and I’m all for it."

Judge has made sure from Day 1 to be as transparent as possible with his players by explaining the reason behind everything they're asked to do. And lest anyone think that the relationship has been one-sided, it hasn't, as Judge has sought feedback from his veterans on everything from travel arrangements to practice adjustments and community outreach work.

RELATED: Joe Judge Unhappy as Giants' Spirited Practice Takes Ugly Turn

But when things do go off the rails, as they did Tuesday, don't expect Judge to hold any grudges against the instigators or deny anyone an extra serving of the cafeteria food. Instead, the Giants head coach, who is always looking to teach, uses every episode that comes up, good or bad, as a teaching point.

"My message to the team is the reason it happened is insignificant, the result of what happened is what the consequence is going to be and we can’t have that," Judge said.

"Listen, they’re in pads for the first day, so there’s obviously an elevated intensity, urgency, chippy-ness, but that can’t carry over to having penalties and issues like that on the field.

"And the most important part of that lesson we have to learn is ultimately we have to eliminate bad football. Penalties are bad football. The lesson has to be we’re not doing anything that’s going to get our team in a position to be penalized."

Given all the hours the players spend training, and the coaches spend brainstorming, Judge is spot on with his thinking. He's also intelligent enough to know that while words might grab the attention of some players, others might only respond to actions.

"I think that it’s a good thing that we have competitive guys, guys that care, guys that are willing to be scrappy," said offensive tackle Nate Solder. "But I think it’s also important what the coaches say, too, is we have to be disciplined and intelligent and smart and make good decisions.

"So I think it’s both and we’re always walking that fine line on the football field at all times. We want to be tough, but it’s got to be within the rules, and we got to do it at a high level."