Coaches coach, players play
One of the most interesting and significant things Judge addressed on Tuesday was his philosophy when it came to teaching his players.
Obviously, Judge has put a heavy emphasis on his coaches also being teachers, but what about in the locker-room? What about other players?
A very blunt Judge made it clear that the team signs players to play and hires coaches to coach, in that order and in no other way. As such, do not expect the Giants to sign veteran players simply to mentor younger players.
An interesting nugget on Joe Judge’s free agent philosophy:
“You don’t sign older players to coach the younger players. You don’t sign older players to change the culture. That’s our job.”
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RVacchianoSNY) February 25, 2020
Given how young the Giants, you’d think Judge would be more apt to bring in some veterans. Instead, he’s excited about the youth and what his staff can do to mold the team.
Joe Judge: “I love that we’re a young team. That’s a bigger advantage than people understand. … You want young guys that you can mold into a team.”
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RVacchianoSNY) February 25, 2020
That is an approach that was very much lacking under both Ben McAdoo and Pat Shurmur.