Tag: joe judge

Giants were league’s worst DVOA underachievers in 2021

The New York Giants were the NFL’s worst DVOA underachievers in 2021 and you can’t even blame the injuries for that.

The New York Giants have underperformed for some time now. Seven double-digit loss seasons over the last eight years should pretty mush tell that story.

But there are plenty of other metrics that will expound the narrative further, such as Football Outsiders’ DVOA chart.

DVOA is described by FO as “defense-adjusted value over average breaks down every single NFL play and compares a team’s performance to a league baseline based on situation in order to determine value over average (regular season only).”

In 2021, the Giants topped the list of DVOA “underachievers.”

The Giants did prove our projections wrong, offensively. We had them ranked 22nd—below average, for certain, but not a disaster. Instead, they finished 30th in rush DVOA, 31st in pass DVOA, and 32nd in total DVOA, clocking in at -28.1%. And, as such, both David Gettleman and Joe Judge were fired, no matter how much Judge tried to insist that the Giants were not a “clown-show organization.”

The Giants once again were near the top of the league in “adjusted games lost” which calculates games missed by key performers, but FO isn’t solely blaming injuries for the Giants’ inept play.

You can’t blame all of the Giants’ offensive woes on players missing time. The Giants didn’t exactly get worse with Saquon Barkley out of the lineup; their run DVOA went from was -29.1% with Barkley to -22.6% with Devontae Booker. The receivers were constantly misused, even when healthy, Kadarius Toney being the biggest example there. The offensive line consisted of Andrew Thomas and four guys who were very much not Andrew Thomas; they finished 31st in adjusted line yards. They were a little better in pass protection, but only because the Giants gave up on throwing downfield by midseason; Jones’ 7.2-yard aDOT was fifth-worst in the league.

It all boils down to a total systematic failure under former general manager Dave Gettleman, who managed the team by feel rather than relying on hard, tangible data.

Every member of the staff failed them. Gettleman brought in no depth for the offensive line, so when injuries started happening they didn’t even have promising prospects or quality backups to slide in. Jason Garrett was fired at midseason after his ultra-conservative, stagnant offense went nowhere. And Joe Judge called a sneak on third-and-9, the icing on a cake of incompetence and frustration. All the laps in the world weren’t keeping the Giants’ offense afloat in 2021.

2022 should be an improvement mainly because things couldn’t potable have gone worse last season.

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Joe Judge reportedly had ‘blowups at practice’ with Patriots WRs in 2019

Joe Judge was called out by Patriots receivers saying “you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Joe Judge has a history of getting chippy with players and being extremely vocal on the field.

While coaching the New York Giants, he had numerous moments where he screamed expletives at the players and was publicly called out about it. One example was following a brawl in training camp and another was following the time Kadarius Toney punched another player. The players were in the wrong in both moments, but Judge clearly lost his cool.

Judge, who was previously the special teams coordinator, is now working on the offensive side of the ball for the New England Patriots. He doesn’t have a ton of experience as an offensive coach, but Bill Belichick trusts him.

Judge spent some time coaching the Patriots’ wide receivers in 2019 and apparently he had similar blow ups. NBC Sports Boston’s Tom E. Curran joined Andrew Callahan’s “Patriots Interference” podcast and discussed these moments.

“During that season, I was told that there were wide receivers who were unhappy with the coaching they were getting,” Curran said. “To the point where they felt as if Joe Judge didn’t know more than them. And there were blowups at practice.

“Or, at least one that I know of in which a receiver said, ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about.’ Not what you’re looking for.”

The Patriots lost a ton of institutional knowledge on the offensive coaching staff and that makes this report even more daunting for Mac Jones and company.

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Giants’ Xavier McKinney: Things less uptight under Brian Daboll

New York Giants safety Xavier McKinney says the atmosphere in East Rutherford has already improved under Brian Daboll compared to Joe Judge.

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The New York Giants have entered the third week of their offseason workout program, and already players have noticed significant differences from the previous regime.

Following the termination of head coach Joe Judge in January, stories began to surface that suggested players and coaches were constantly walking on eggshells. But along with Judge, that overbearing dark cloud has exited East Rutherford.

Third-year safety Xavier McKinney says the mood is much lighter under new head coach Brian Daboll than it was with Judge, leaving the players to feel less uptight.

“The communication part of it, it’s not so uptight, how it was before,” McKinney told the New York Post. “You can be yourself, you can be you. When we come in here, we always come in here to work but it’s just fun, everybody being who they are and we’re having fun with it.”

Without actually saying it, McKinney implied that Daboll is much more authentic and genuine than Judge before him.

“He’s been great,” McKinney said of Daboll. “The communication has been fantastic. Him asking us, ‘What’s too much? What’s too little? What more do we need to do? What do we need to cut down on?’ Just him being transparent with us and having that line of communication always open.

“And it really is open, it’s not one of those things where he’ll tell you and then if you try to talk to him, he kinda ignores you. You can actually go and have a conversation with him, tell him what you don’t like and what you like, what we should do more. I’ve had that with him thus far and it’s been great for all of us.”

The Giants hope that with this lighter atmosphere, things will also improve on the field.

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Patriots sent Joe Judge to Western Michigan Pro Day as de facto QB coach

It looks like Mac Jones has his quarterbacks coach next season.

The New England Patriots’ offensive coaching staff is starting to come together for the 2022 season.

Josh McDaniels’ departure, along with Mick Lombardi, Bo Hardegree and Carmen Bricillo, has left many holes to fill. Bill Belichick hasn’t made any official announcements, but Joe Judge and Matt Patricia are going to work together to coach the offense.

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported last month that Judge will work with the Patriots’ quarterbacks. That report was backed up by Judge’s appearance at Western Michigan’s pro day as the team’s quarterbacks coach, according to the Providence Journal’s Mark Daniels.

Patrick Mothaft of MLive and the Kalamazoo Gazette told Daniels that Judge was there as the de facto quarterbacks coach and he was scouting Kaleb Eleby. Judge was also there to keep an eye on receiver prospect, Skyy Moore, who’s had tremendous buzz over the past month.

Patriots Wire’s Henry McKenna confirmed Breer and Daniels’ reports of Judge working with the quarterbacks in 2022.

Mac Jones needs stability and Judge has plenty experience in the league — most recently as a head coach. Brian Hoyer also re-signed with the Patriots, giving the perfect mentor to continue working alongside Jones.

The Patriots will look much different next season due to roster changes and the new coaching staff.

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Report: Patrick Graham bolted for Vegas because he was upset with Giants

Patrick Graham left the New York Giants because he was unhappy with several things, including the Brian Flores lawsuit alleging racial bias.

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Shortly after the New York Giants hired Brian Daboll as their next head coach, he revealed expectations that Patrick Graham would return as defensive coordinator.

Graham had worked with Daboll in the past and is well-respected throughout the Giants’ organization, so the assertion made sense. To everyone except for Graham himself, that is.

Rather than staying with the Giants, Graham took off for Las Vegas, joining Josh McDaniels’ Raiders’ staff. And he did so silently.

As it turns out, there was a specific reason for that. Or reasons, as it were.

Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports that Graham’s decision to bolt for Vegas was spurred on by several events that troubled him. Primarily, the team’s decision to fire his close personal friend, Joe Judge, after promising him patience.

So why did Graham bolt for Vegas? A source said multiple factors rubbed Graham the wrong way, particularly the way his close friend Judge was fired after two years by owners who promised to be patient with the young coach.

Graham was the defensive line coach on Ben McAdoo’s staff, so he has now witnessed the Giants fire two head coaches within two years.

That wasn’t the only thing that didn’t sit well with Graham. He was also bothered by the Brian Flores lawsuit, which alleged racial bias in the Giants’ hiring practices, and the proposed timeline of events.

Aspects of Flores’ lawsuit didn’t sit well with Graham, particularly the timeline of some of the actions by ownership and front office members who were included in the complaint, according to the source.

As the late, great Billy Mays would say, “but wait, there’s more!”

Finally, Graham was troubled by the Giants’ decision to publicly announce that he was expected to return prior to him completing his interview cycle with the Minnesota Vikings.

And Graham also didn’t like when Daboll and Schoen announced that he would be back before he interviewed for the Vikings job, the source said.

So with all of those issues festering, Graham left to join another former Patriots assistant, Josh McDaniels, in Las Vegas. Graham was under contract with the Giants, but it obviously wouldn’t have been good for the new staff’s chemistry to force an unhappy coach to stay.

Once upon a time, Graham said coaching the Giants’ defense was his “dream job.” He even turned down head coaching opportunities so he could remain in East Rutherford. But as each domino fell this offseason, Graham fell more and more out of love with the organization, and more bothered by several of the ongoings.

Graham has not yet commented publicly about his Giants exit, but we should expect to hear about it at some point soon.

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Report: Ex-Giants coach Joe Judge will mentor Mac Jones in New England

Former New York Giants head coach Joe Judge will reportedly mentor quarterbacks — including Mac Jones — in New England.

When former New York Giants head coach Joe Judge rejoined the New England Patriots and Bill Belichick earlier this month, he was given the title of offensive assistant.

As part of Judge’s new job in New England, he will be responsible for working with the quarterbacks, including Mac Jones.

From Albert Breer of NFL.com:

As it stands now, Judge is expected to work with the quarterbacks, and (Matt) Patricia with the line, and each will do so without much experience having coached offense before they became head coaches over the last few years (Judge came up working with the special teams, Patricia on defense). Which, obviously, is a dice roll given the critical point that Mac Jones is at. (For what it’s worth, I’ve heard the Patriots haven’t so much as talked to Adam Gase about their OC opening, and things have been quiet on the Bill O’Brien front as well.)

Judge’s previous experience with Belichick came as an assistant coach and special teams coordinator. He was also given the wide receivers coaching job prior to being hired by the Giants in 2020.

With the departure of Josh McDaniels to the Las Vegas Raiders as their next head coach, the Patriots still don’t have an offensive coordinator despite the rumblings of Adam Gase or Bill O’Brien potentially signing on.

Does Belichick trust Judge enough to potentially give him the play-calling duties? Things may be trending in that direction, and we could soon see another Jones running back-to-back quarterback sneaks.

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Report: Joe Judge expected to work with Patriots QBs; Matt Patricia to lead OL

So how do Patriots fans feel about New England’s moves, if they hold true?

The New England Patriots have new responsibilities in mind for senior football advisor Matt Patricia and newly-hired offensive assistant Joe Judge, according to MMQB’s Albert Breer. Judge will work with the quarterbacks and Patricia will spend time with the offensive line.

The new roles seem to be Bill Belichick’s solution for a mass exodus of offensive talent after former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels took the Raiders head coaching job and brought three assistants with him. With those four offensive coaches leaving and running backs coach Ivan Fears expected to retire, the Patriots have a significant reorganization to do.

Breer shared some insight on how things are shaking out so far:

“As it stands now, Judge is expected to work with the quarterbacks, and Patricia with the line, and each will do so without much experience having coached offense before they became head coaches over the last few years (Judge came up working with the special teams, Patricia on defense). Which, obviously, is a dice roll given the critical point that Mac Jones is at. (For what it’s worth, I’ve heard the Patriots haven’t so much as talked to Adam Gase about their OC opening, and things have been quiet on the Bill O’Brien front as well.)”

There have been no indications of who might call plays for the offense in 2022. Judge makes some sense, if he’s working with the quarterbacks. But he has never called offensive plays and has only worked with receivers in this offense during his first stint with the Patriots. Retired offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia provided some insights as to why tight ends coach Nick Caley might emerge as a strong candidate. And of course, Patricia has experience calling plays for the defense. He’s in the mix, too.

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Podcast: How will the Patriots run their offense after a coaching exodus?

Do the Patriots have enough talent within their offensive staff in an all-important year for the development of Mac Jones?

It’s too early to say how the New England Patriots will run their offense in 2022. Bill Belichick has plenty of time to maneuver.

But it’s clear the Patriots are short on coaching talent on the offensive side of the ball after their former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels brought three assistants to the Las Vegas Raiders. A fourth assistant, running backs coach Ivan Fears, is expected to retire, per ESPN.

So that leaves the Patriots with just tight ends coach Nick Caley returning to his post on offense — and a handful of assistant positional coaches (or co-positional coaches) stepping into more prominent roles. New England acquired Joe Judge, the former New York Giants coach and former Patriots special teams coordinator, to work on the offensive side of the ball.

Past that? It’s anyone’s guess. It’s also anyone’s guess as to whether that’s enough talent and experience to support quarterback Mac Jones in his all-important second year of development.

Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien would be an excellent candidate to bring experience — both with the Patriots and beyond their organization. But it’s unclear if Bill Belichick will make the move to acquire him from Alabama.

Would Belichick take on a bigger role? Would he move Matt Patricia, who joined the team last year in a somewhat mysterious role, to the offense?

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There are so many options. Let’s discuss them on this week’s Patriots Wire podcast. Listen to the episode above.

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Saquon Barkley explains Giants’ two QB sneaks in Week 18

New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley attempts to explain Joe Judge’s decision to run back-to-back QB sneaks in Week 18 against Washington.

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Perhaps the most embarrassing moment for the New York Giants in their dismal 2021 season came in Week 18 game against the Washington Football Team.

Then-head coach Joe Judge called back-to-back quarterback keepers inside their own five yard-line on second- and third-down rather than run a play and risk losing the football.

It was only the second quarter and the score was only 3-0 in favor of Washington but the Giants’ offense — operating with third-stringer Jake Fromm under center — was clearly in trouble and being dominated by the Football Team’ front.

Giants running back Saquon Barkley was asked what was going on in the huddle and on the sidelines during that series when Judge decided to circle the wagons and play defense with the football.

“So the week before, we played Chicago and we were in the same situation, and we couldn’t get out and we got a safety,” Barkley told Andy Nesbitt of For the Win.

“So the idea was ‘quarterback sneak it’ just to give us space.”

On second-and-11, Fromm dove into the line for a two-yard gain. On the third-down attempt, he gained just one yard. The Giants punted after that.

“There was some thought process behind it (the call),” Barkley said, citing that the Giants were undermanned due to injuries but falling short to admit that his team was just not good enough to try to get out the deep hole.

“At the end of the day we have to go out there and execute the plays. We also have to get the coaches comfortable to call whatever they want back there and I don’t think we did that the week before. A little bit on both sides to blame but I really hate pointing fingers at anyone. But, hey, we just gotta put on the pads and learn from it.”

They won’t need to do that at this point as that coaching staff is gone and so will most of the players who were on the field for that play. Jake Fromm is unlikely to ever take a live snap in a Giants uniform ever again.

Plus, the Giants are going retool their offense completely with new faces along the offensive line.

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Report: Giants’ Joe Schoen, Brian Daboll creating ‘fun’ environment

New York Giants GM Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll are already changing the culture in East Rutherford, including with the support staff.

The New York Giants have endured many downs over the past decade, which has led to a tough working environment in East Rutherford.

Due to the constant turnover, employees and staff around the team’s facility have found themselves in a relentless cycle of meeting and adjusting to new people. And while respect has always flowed from one side to the other, the lack of stability has been trying.

Following the retirement of general manager Dave Gettleman and the termination of head coach Joe Judge, the team’s employees are once again dealing with change. This time however, the arrival of general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll has led to a more positive environment.

Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post reports that the new leading duo are very “hands-on” with the team’s employees, leading to a more pleasant vibe.

This news is not necessarily a knock on Gettleman, Judge, Pat Shurmur or even Ben McAdoo, but more a testament to the change in personalities that now run the show.

Gettleman was viewed in public as blunt and standoffish, while Judge ran a tight ship — especially with his coaches. And although he did go out of his way to procure large Christmas bonuses for the team’s support staff, he was far less interactive than Schoen and Daboll appear to be.

If the Giants truly wish to change their culture, Schoen and Daboll are going about it the right way. And early returns sound positive.

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