Judge Applauds Tomlin For Helping His Development as NFL Coach
PITTSBURGH -- Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has a history with many NFL head coaches around the league.
This week, he'll square off with New York Giants head coach Joe Judge for Judge's first game as an NFL leader. But it won't be the first time Judge has studied Tomlin's game.
During his Wednesday press conference, Judge told media that he and Tomlin have a history. The Steelers head coach has been a part of the NFL coaching program since 2001 and has run across Judge a few times.
"When he was an assistant in the league, I got to meet him simply by answering phones when I was GA for Amos Jones. He'd call Amos sometimes, Amos say, 'pick up that phone and talk to Mike [Tomlin] for a minute,'" Judge said. "Shortly thereafter, he was the head coach for Pittsburgh. I immediately became a Steelers fan because amongst him and other people that were good to me that were good enough to give me an opportunity to tag along with them. I visited him early in his tenure with Pittsburgh when I was a GA. There were times at the combine he allowed me to be a fly on the wall. Sit there and have dinner on his check."
Judge said he's very appreciative of his time with Tomlin before becoming a head coach. Through small interactions over the years, the Giants coach credits Tomlin for always being open to conversation and answering questions.
"I have a tremendous amount of respect for him as a coach," Judge said. "What he's done for me personally in my career, giving me the opportunity to tag along at times. Part of me, some of his experiences have helped me develop in my own career."
Heading into Monday night, Judge is well aware of who the Steelers are as an organization. He spoke on the history of this team and what the Rooney family has done for the game of football.
Speaking with his players as they prepare, he's focusing on assuring they know exactly what kind of football team they're hosting in Week 1.
"To play the Steelers, it's important for our players to understand the tradition and the culture that's in their DNA," Judge said. "It's a tough team from a tough city. They have a blue-collar mentality."
Noah Strackbein is a Publisher with AllSteelers. Follow Noah on Twitter @NoahStrack, and AllSteelers @si_steelers.
