Joe Judge may be a first-time head coach after years of serving as a silent assistant in New England, but it’s taken just a few short months for him to earn the respect of his New York Giants staff — many of whom are long-time NFL mainstays and former head coaches in their own right.
“I’ve learned so much from Joe and from others in this organization right from the start,” offensive coordinator Jason Garrett told reporters on Wednesday. “I have my notebook open every day and I’m taking notes in all of those staff meetings, and continuing to learn from Joe on a daily basis. I’m excited to be here, I’m excited to work for him.”
Garrett, of course, has been in the NFL since 1989 — first as player and then as a coach. The fact that he could learn anything from Judge, who was just seven years old when Garrett broke into the NFL, is a testament to Judge’s dedication and determination.
Special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey, who has been in the NFL since 1996, shared similar sentiments.
“Joe’s been awesome. I can’t even begin to tell you. It’s been very enlightening and he has been outstanding. I just look forward to getting the season going, just watching him grow as a new head coach and just see how far he can take us,” McGaughey said.
“It’s one of those things where it’s kind of a perfect marriage. Joe has a ton of experience and has had a ton of success in the league. We just sit down and come up with the things that feel like are good for the unit and we implement them. It’s an easy conversation, it flows great. We put the stuff together that is going to help the team the best. We put it all out there, guys love it, they eat it up. They just go out there and do it on the field. Practice it, walk through it and those different things. It’s weird, it’s a really good situation.”
The only one of Judge’s three coordinators who has any experience working with him is defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, who not only worked along side of Judge in New England, but also has some experience with the Giants having previously served as their defensive line coach.
“Obviously, I have familiarity with Joe. We worked together in New England. He presented an opportunity to work with the Giants. I have familiarity with the organization and it’s close to home, so it’s been positive. I’m excited to be here now in 2020,” Graham said.
Talk may be cheap, as Tom Coughlin used to say, but if you listen to what Garrett, Graham and McGaughey are saying, it’s clear that Judge has complete and total control in East Rutherford and everyone has bought into his program.
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