Tag: joe judge

The New York Giants have opted out of the 2023 NFL Playoffs

By retaining Joe Judge, we know exactly who the 2022 Giants will be.

The New York Giants didn’t want to develop the reputation of a franchise that’s a revolving door for head coaches, so they decided to keep Joe Judge for a third season. In the process, they bolstered their reputation for employing doofuses.

Judge was a questionable hire with a limited background when he took the reins in 2020. In the two seasons since he’s 10-23. His teams have ranked 31st in a 32-team league in both yards gained and points scored each of those years. His defenses have looked respectable only through the fractured lens of the 2020 NFC East. His special teams units, Judge’s area of expertise, have failed to rank in the top 10 in DVOA in either of his two years at the helm.

He is, wildly and unavoidably, bad at this. And he’s the Giants’ head coach for what looks like one more season.

Judge, despite a six-game losing streak to end the season and an offense that scored 9.9 points per game following its Week 10 bye, will get one more chance to prove he isn’t just three raccoons stacked in a sweatsuit on the sideline. This is, by most accounts, a terrible decision.

New York could have dipped into a solid class of available coaching candidates to lead its latest attempt at a rebuild. The Giants could have hired former Super Bowl winner Doug Pederson as a direct shot across the bow of the division rival Eagles. Or they could have leaned on a longstanding tradition of beating the Patriots by hiring a guy who has done it three times in the past 13 months and hired the newly-deposed Brian Flores. They could have opted for a rising assistant coach with a resume beyond “special teams coordinator” and interviewed guys like Brian Daboll or Eric Bieniemy or Byron Leftwich, all of whom could have helped the team figure out if there’s any juice left to be squeezed from Daniel Jones.

But no. Instead New York opted to make a decision rivaled only in sheer stupidity by the Jaguars hiring Urban Meyer and then taking 10 months to fire him. They gave Joe Judge a Year Three.

The Giants are betting Judge can turn things around with a general manager capable of operating at a higher plane than newly-retired, formerly-disastrous Dave Gettleman. It won’t be hard to find someone better:

But Judge’s presence immediately hamstrings that search. It was bad enough the Giants were headed into the 2022 offseason with a massive question mark at quarterback, a woeful offense around him, and one of the league’s worst salary cap situations. Now this new general manager will have to convince veterans to play for the kind of guy who galaxy-brained himself into a third-and-9 quarterback sneak from his own four-yard line.

Judge is the same guy who reportedly lost the support of his locker room as his team imploded upon itself like a matchstick skyscraper. A coach who has only been compelled to make two challenges in his two seasons on the sideline and lost them both. A man whose special teams background forces him to preach from the bible of field position even though both his offense and defense are incapable of doing anything with it. A coach with so little control over his team that his players sparked a brawl on the very first day of in-pads practice last summer.

Fortunately, there’s a very real and very legitimate line of players champing at the opportunity to play for Judge in 2022, even if it means taking a pay cut. Or, at least, that was the scenario eight days earlier when Judge went on an 11-minute postgame rant describing all the players who’ve called him up to tell him how much they miss playing for him and how badly they want to play for Joe Judge again:

You know, standard successful head coach stuff.

Letting Gettleman retire before he could be fired but keeping Judge is a statement about New York’s willingness to enact meaningful change; there is none. The Giants just struggled through the kind of season that got Ben McAdoo fired, then looked at what happened after they fired McAdoo, shrugged, and kicked the can to 2023 instead.

Perhaps this is a covert tanking operation to provide an exit strategy for Jones in 2023, when he’s scheduled to be a free agent. Maybe New York daydreamed through Judge’s “Dad, you have no idea what I’m capable of” speech with visions of selecting Bryce Young first overall in 16 months. Maybe, hidden under layers of awful decisions, there’s a logic to all this.

But the more likely answer is a franchise that’s spun its wheels since Eli Manning lost his postseason magic is simply making the latest bad decision in a long string of them. Judge has done nothing to suggest he can be a successful NFL head coach. The Giants are rolling with him anyway, because if you’re going to hit rock bottom it helps to have a reliable drill bit.

Did Lorenzo Carter do enough to warrant a Giants return?

Lorenzo Carter turned his entire career around over the final month of the season, but was it enough to warrant a New York Giants return?

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When the New York Giants selected Georgia linebacker Lorenzo Carter in the third round of the 2018 NFL draft, they felt they had a steal.

Carter was a highly-recruited high school player who largely underachieved in college but there was no doubt, the talent was there. The right NFL team would be able to get Carter back on his star trajectory.

The Giants could have been that team as Carter showed flashes in his first two seasons but a change in coaching staffs and a devastating Achilles injury in 2020 sidetracked Carter.

As he entered his fourth season last September, Carter was an afterthought who was simply on the roster to play out his rookie contract and head into free agency this March.

The Giants seemed unlikely to re-sign Carter — and then still may be true — but his outstanding performance in the final month of this season could have them rethinking their future with him.

Carter recorded five sacks in his final four games and reached up a total of 10 tackles in the season finale against Washington. He also defended a pass in each those games.

After the Giants’ 22-7 loss to Washington on Sunday, Carter was asked about it possibly being his last game as a Giant.

“Yeah, that’s a possibility seeing as it’s my last game under contract, but I’ve really just been thinking about the chances I’ve had with my teammates, getting a chance to go out there one last time with this team and my guys and just competing and just fighting,” Carter told reporters.

And Carter did go out fighting. He showed the Giants what he could be, but was it too little too late? If it were up to him, he’d prefer to stay.

“I love it here. I love it in New York. I love this organization,” Carter said.

“I’ve been blessed to be a part of a great organization like the Giants. I’d love to come back. (Head) Coach (Joe) Judge, he has something going. I like what he’s doing with it. I’ll just let the rest of that shake itself out in these next couple months.”

So, why the late bloom after years of inconsistent play?

“I’ve grown into my game, just grown into it. Being comfortable, being healthy and just the coaches, we’re all working together and coming up with a game plan that works,” Carter said.

But those coaches may not be around for long if the Giants decide to go in a different direction, Carter may not have a home to come back to.

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Giants’ Joe Judge says he’s already preparing for 2022

New York Giants head coach Joe Judge has already flipped the page and says he’s preparing for 2022.

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The New York Giants’ 2021 season ended with a pathetic 22-7 loss to the Washington Football Team at a desolate MetLife Stadium on Sunday.

It was their sixth straight loss and their 13th of the season. The Giants have now lost 10 or more games five years in a row and seven of the last eight.

Head coach Joe Judge, hired to change the culture from one of hopeless losing to a winning one, has gone 10-23 in his two seasons here.

With the man that hired him (Dave Gettleman) heading out the door, Judge will meet with the front office to discuss his future with the team, if he still has one.

“It’ll definitely be this week,” Judge said of his sit-down with owner John Mara. “I’ll keep that between us internally in terms of when something’s scheduled.”

For the moment, Judge is forging ahead as if he has a future in East Rutherford.

“I’m not going to worry about these hypotheticals right now,” Judge said after the game when asked about his status. “I appreciate it. I understand it’s going to be the question of the day. Just understand that it falls under my baseline answer of hypotheticals.”

Judge knows the issues his team has, especially on offense where they averaged just 9.8 points per game over the final eight contests of the season.

But through it all, Judge never lost the locker room. To his credit, the Giants played hard for 18 weeks despite the fruitlessness of their efforts.

“I’m proud of the team for things they’ve done and fought through and stayed together as a team this year,” Judge said. “Ultimately, it’s not good enough. The fans deserve better. It doesn’t meet our expectations as a program. It’s not going to be acceptable and the things we have to correct we’re going to start on immediately going forward in the future and start on next season.”

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Report: Giants players want Joe Judge to be fired

Contrary to their public stance, many New York Giants players reportedly want Joe Judge out as head coach.

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From Saquon Barkley to Lorenzo Carter and from Logan Ryan to Daniel Jones, New York Giants players have all sung the praises of head coach Joe Judge. Publicly, anyway.

Behind closed doors however, feelings are apparently much different.

Following a 22-7 loss to the Washington Football Team on Sunday, FOX Sports insider Jay Glazer reported that players in the Giants’ locker room want Judge gone.

“I’ve talked to people inside that locker room — they would like to see a move on from Joe Judge,” Glazer said on the post-game show.

Prior to a Week 17 game against the Chicago Bears, Glazer reported that Judge was likely to remain in East Rutherford. However, opinions began to waver when Judge melted down and unloaded a bizarre 11-minute rant that spewed venom in various directions.

Things only continued to spiral from there.

“I would’ve said three weeks ago that it’s a 75 percent chance he can stay, then 50 percent today, and then probably about 25 percent after that (Washington) game,” Glazer said. “Dave Gettleman, the GM, he’ll be gone either way.”

Late on Sunday evening, Glazer hit Twitter to update his report. And to the surprise of no one, it appears as if decision-makers are torn on Judge. He’s fallen out of favor with many, but the Giants fear becoming the model of inconsistency and turnover.

The irony here is that Judge’s viral 11-minute rant that was meant to save his job may ultimately be what costs him his job.

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Twitter reacts to Washington’s win over the Giants

The top Twitter reactions from Washington’s season-ending win over the Giants — it features plenty of Joe Judge.

The Washington Football Team ended the 2021 regular season with a win over the lowly New York Giants to finish 7-10. One year ago, in Ron Rivera’s first season, Washington went 7-9 and won the NFC East.

A pair of four-game losing streaks with a four-game winning streak in the middle defined Washington’s 2021 season. The biggest stories of Washington’s season were a defense that played far below expectations for much of the first half of the season, led by inconsistent quarterback play and injuries.

In Sunday’s win over the Giants, Washington showed some glimpses of potential, despite a depleted roster. Mainly, it was running back Antonio Gibson and wide receiver Terry McLaurin who put on a show for Washington.

Safety Bobby McCain also had himself a game, recording two interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown.

Now, we review some of the top Twitter reactions from Sunday’s win over Joe Judge and the Giants.

 

Joe Judge becomes first Giants coach in history to lose 13 games in a season

Joe Judge has carved out some history for himself, becoming the first-ever New York Giants head coach to lose 13 games in a single season.

The New York Giants’ loss on Sunday to the Washington Football Team ended their season with 13 losses for only the second time in franchise history.

Joe Judge became the first Giants head coach to lose 13 games in a single season. The Giants lost 13 games in 2017 but that was under two coaches (Ben McAdoo and Steve Spagnuolo).

Let it be said that this year was the beginning of the 17-game schedule, so Judge had an extra week to accomplish the embarrassing feat.

The Giants’ record in their two years under Judge is 10-23. The Giants’ futility goes back before Judge took the reins in 2020, however. They have lost 10 or more games in seven of their last eight seasons, the only exception being 2016 when they went 11-5 in McAdoo’s first year and qualified for the playoffs.

That year ended abruptly with a blowout loss to Green Bay which was preceded the infamous ‘boat trip’ incident. New York have been a bottom-dwellers ever since as general manager Dave Gettleman and the Giants’ front office have driven this once proud franchise straight into the ground.

The Giants are in such dire straits at the moment, they would be better off re-entering the league as an expansion team, this way they can amass some talent and have some salary cap room to work with. Right now, they have very little talent and only a sliver of cap space to operate with.

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Giants close out 2021 season with another humiliating dud

In fitting fashion, the New York Giants closed out the 2021 season with another humiliating loss — this time at the hands of Washington.

The New York Giants took on the Washington Football Team in a nearly empty MetLife Stadium on Sunday. However, the handful of fans in attendance still managed to be loud enough so that head coach Joe Judge — as he requested — could hear their boos.

The game itself was similar to the past several. There was little to note offensively, the play-calling was horrendous and it was over long before the final whistle blew.

With the loss, the Giants fall to 4-13 on the season and Judge becomes the first coach in franchise history to lose 13 games in a single season.

Let the firings and retires begin.

Twitter reacts quickly, severely to Giants calling the worst two plays in NFL history

The Giants called the worst two-play sequence in NFL history. Social media reaction was quick and severe.

We know that the Giants’ offense is pathetic. We know that Giants head coach Joe Judge is probably going to retain his job after the 2021 season, even though there’s absolutely massive evidence that he’s just Not The Guy. We know that Judge fired offensive coordinator Jason Garrett in November to give that offense a jolt, and since then, the offense has been even worse. We know that general manager Dave Gettleman is out once the season comes down… and we now know that Joe Judge, for all his talk about culture and playing hard, has no idea what those words actually mean.

Exhibit Z in this instance was a two-play sequence on Sunday when the Giants were “competing” against the Washington Football Team. The Giants had second-and-11 from their own two-yard line (because of course they did), and the play call was a Jake Fromm quarterback sneak.

No, really. Here’s proof.

After the game, Judge will probably call that play a success because it gained two yards.

And then, not to be outdone by his own idiocy, Judge signed off on ANOTHER QUARTERBACK SNEAK ON THIRD-AND-9 FROM HIS OWN FOUR-YARD LINE.

This time, the Giants gained just one yard, and they punted. Again. Woof.

Reaction around the NFL was quick and severe.

NFL fans crushed Giants head coach Joe Judge over an absolutely pathetic play call

What are you doing, Joe Judge?

Joe Judge is one of the NFL coaches that might soon be out of a job. If the Giants’ ownership needed any more reasons to get rid of a guy who has won just nine games in two years then all they needed to do was see this lame play call by Judge in Sunday’s meaningless game against Washington.

This play call was absolutely pathetic, mind-boggling, sad, disgusting, and awful.

The Giants were facing 3rd and 9 from their own 4 yard line when Judge decided to run a QB sneak. A rather obvious QB sneak. One you’d see if you were on the 1 yard line and just trying to get out of your own end zone.

Check this out:

I mean, what?

Fans rightfully crushed Judge for it.

Giants’ Thomas McGaughey: It’s harder to build in New York

Giants special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey believes that building success in New York is simply more difficult than it is elsewhere.

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As the New York Giants’ 2021 season comes to a close this week, there’s been a ton of speculation what course of action ownership decides to take after another double-digit loss campaign.

Co-owner John Mara has been patient to a degree, but can’t possibly justify bringing beleaguered general manager Dave Gettleman back after an embarrassing four years which saw the team go from bad to worse. It’s hard to argue that the Giants are not the worst team in the NFL at the moment.

The decision to retain head coach Joe Judge, once thought to be a cinch to return in 2022, is not looking so promising after his 11-minute desperation rant following the 29-3 crushing at the hands of a marginal Bears team last week. That means his massive 21-man coaching staff is on notice as well.

Special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey spoke to the media pool on Thursday and explained they know they haven’t gotten it done, but it isn’t easy to rebuild here in New York.

“The best case is building on the things that we’ve done. I know sometimes it’s always easy to second guess and critique and say, ‘Oh, they don’t do this.’ You don’t see a lot of stuff that’s going on behind the scenes. There are some good things that are happening, and we’ve just got to keep building and stay to the process,” McGaughey said.

“A lot of times when you’re building on swamp ground, you’ve got to go 10 times deeper before you start going up. We’re all on swamp ground if you haven’t figured it out and it’s a little harder here. It’s not Cleveland. It’s not other places. It’s New York City and it’s harder to build here because you’ve got a lot of things that you’re working against. It’s hard. You come get your head beat in. You’re going to get your teeth kicked in. You’re going to get booed in the stadium. If you’re not strong mentally, you’re not going to be able to make it here. That’s the reason why they say, if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. It is hard here and you’ve just got to stay the course, keep pounding, keep grinding and eventually you’ll get to where you want to be, right? Because you’ll have some success and it’ll happen here.

“When we’ve seen this city flip, we already know what it is. We’ve seen one week, ‘Eli (Manning) sucks.’ We’ve seen that, right? Now, his freaking name’s up in the rafters after two Super Bowls. We’ve seen it here. We know what it is. The guys that have been here, we understand it and we know exactly what it is. Again, you’ve just got to keep your head down, keep working, keep grinding and eventually get to where you want.”

That’s a detailed explanation of what we already know. What we really need to know is why this team has failed and continues to fail. No one has any answers to that question.

The team has not taken the correct course of action thus far. Mara hired Gettleman, who by many experts’ estimation was no longer a top talent evaluator and was run out of Carolina for a reason.

Gettleman then went against the grain and drafted players either way too early, way too late or not at all. His free agent signings have been hit or miss and the team’s penchant for bringing in players coning off serious injury hoping to catch lightning in a bottle is getting tiresome.

The real culprit, however, has been injuries. The Giants have been at the top of the league the past decade in this infamous category and the team has taken very little corrective action in this area. It is no longer a coincidence. It’s sheer incompetence at this point.

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