Two years, two head coaching searches in the Big Apple that went in completely different directions.
Last offseason, the Jets parted ways with Todd Bowles and moved onto Adam Gase. This year, the Giants opted to move on from Pat Shurmur after two seasons at the helm. They then settled on Patriots wide receivers and special teams coach Joe Judge as their new head man earlier this week.
When the Jets fired Bowles, they wanted a coach that could help Sam Darnold take the next step in his second season as a starter in the NFL. A coach that could help revolutionize an offense that was stagnant, unimaginative and flat out boring to watch with Jeremy Bates calling the plays. After an extensive interview process, Mike Maccagnan and Christopher Johnson settled on Gase as their desired offensive guru. Whether or not that was a sound decision is up for debate, but the point is the Jets sought an offensive-minded coach who could fixate on their young quarterback.
The Giants? They opted to go with a different type of coach.
Despite being in a similar situation as the Jets were last offseason with a young quarterback, Daniel Jones, in need of mentoring, the Giants opted to go with a well-rounded, CEO-type coach. Judge is going to have his hands on every aspect of Big Blue’s gameplan, but once gameday rolls around, he is going to let his coordinators call the plays while he oversees the operation.
The CEO approach to coaching allows Judge to evaluate and fine-tune as he sees fit. It might seem kind of hands-off at first glance considering he isn’t calling plays and putting his stamp on a game, but the approach has its benefits. Instead of being locked in on only one side of the ball, Judge is fully aware of the status of his offensive, defensive and special teams units at all times. It also provides his coordinators with the confidence to coach freely and dictate the game however they see fit.
There is no right or wrong approach to coaching. It wouldn’t be right to say the Jets messed up by prioritizing a coach who specializes in only one facet of the game. Likewise, there’s no guarantee picking a coach who prefers a CEO-type approach will work out for the Giants. Heck, there’s no guarantee Judge pans out as a head coach in general.
Time will tell which franchise made the better hire. Gase had a rough first season at One Jets Drive, but there’s a chance he can turn things around. Judge has yet to serve as a head coach at any level and the jury will be out on him for a while.
Regardless of what the future holds, there is no denying the differences between the Jets and Giants’ approach to picking a head coach. Priorities differ from franchise to franchise, but considering both organizations find themselves with young quarterbacks under center, it speaks volumes that the Giants opted not to follow the Jets blueprint to finding a new leader on the sideline.