Tag: joe judge

Giants head coaching search: Interview slate heating up

The New York Giants have at least four head coaching interviews line up over the coming days and several others in the works.

The New York Giants were granted permission to interview New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and special teams coordinator/wide receiver coach Joe Judge on Wednesday, but those interviews have not yet been scheduled.

However, four others have.

Here’s a quick look at the Giants’ current slate of interviews, which will all occur in the coming days:

  • Thursday: Dallas Cowboys Defensive Backs Coach/Passing Game Coordinator Kris Richard
  • Fridat: Former Green Bay Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy
  • Saturday: Kansas City Chiefs Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy
  • Saturday: Baltimore Ravens Defensive Coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale

In addition to those six head coaches (McDaniels and Judge included), there is rampant speculation that the Giants have interest in Baylor head coach Matt Rhule and view him as a favorite, but no official interview request has been made yet.

Rhule, whose Bears fell to the Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl on Wednesday night, has said he intends to leave for an offseason vacation with his family immediately.

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Report: Patriots grant Giants permission to interview Josh McDaniels, Joe Judge

The New England Patriots have granted the New York Giants permission to interview Josh McDaniels and Joe Judge for their head coaching job.

Shortly after announcing the termination of head coach Pat Shurmur, the New York Giants put in requests with the New England Patriots to interview both offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and special teams coordinator/wide receivers coach Joe Judge.

Jim McBride of the Boston Globe reports that both of those requests have now been granted.

According to a league source, the Giants have been granted permission to speak with McDaniels, the Patriots offensive coordinator, and Judge, the club’s special teams coordinator and wide receivers coach, about their head coaching vacancy.

In addition to the Giants, New England also granted permission to the Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers to interview McDaniels.

Despite the head coaching interesting, McDaniels remains focused on preparing for the Tennessee Titans and has given little thought to anything else.

“When that stuff is presented to me or discussed with me or whatever, then we’ll deal with it appropriately,” he said Monday. “Honestly, it’s pretty easy for me in terms of formula. I’m the offensive coordinator of the Patriots. We have a lot of work to do, we can improve in a lot of areas to try to get ready for this week — our biggest game of the year against, certainly, the best team we’ve played since a postseason game. Our players deserve that, our coaches deserve that, and that’s what they’re going to get from me.”

McDaniels had previously interviewed for the Giants’ head coaching vacancy prior to the team hiring Pat Shurmur in 2018.

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Bill Belichick praises Joe Judge’s ability to double dip with WRs and special teams

“He’s an excellent coach.”

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick experimented with something new in 2019. Belichick allowed special teams coordinator Joe Judge to take on duties with the offense as a receivers coach.

The Patriots’ special teams unit has been one of the NFL’s best, with swarming coverage of kicks and punts and a handful of blocks and touchdowns on field goal defense. The punting unit has been solid, with Jake Bailey enjoying a steady rookie season. And even with kicking problems, which followed Stephen Gostkowski’s trip to IR, the Patriots have normalized with Nick Folk.

The receiver position has been a different story, with New England struggling to get production from the position. There has been significant turnover, with Josh Gordon and Antonio Brown coming and going. N’Keal Harry, a 2019 first-round draft choice, started on injured reserve before returning at midseason. And Mohamed Sanu joined the team at the trade deadline in exchange for a second-round pick. All the while, quarterback Tom Brady has experienced a statistical decline, whether because of age or because of a poor supporting cast. That has put pressure on Judge to get the most out of a difficult situation with his newly-inherited position group.

“He’s done a great job with the kicking game and as you said, he’s expanded the role a little bit,” Belichick said during a press conference on Tuesday ahead of the team’s wild-card matchup against the Tennessee Titans. “That’s kind of had a little bit of a ripple effect in the way we’ve organized the kicking game, but that’s all worked out pretty efficiently. And Joe has done a great job of organizing that as well as taking on some other things with the offense, in particular receivers, so he’s done a great job. He’s an excellent coach.”

Because of Judge’s successes, he is drawing head coaching interest around the NFL. The New York Giants have requested permission to interview him for their vacancy, per ESPN. The 38-year-old has risen from special teams assistant at Alabama in 2009, a position he held until the Patriots hired him for the same job in 2012. New England promoted him to coordinator in 2015, and he’s continued that job through this season, though he’s had more help than ever from assistant Cam Achord, as Belichick alluded to.

This may not be the year Judge gets a head coaching gig. But it may be the year McDaniels departs. If that is the case, the Patriots will have a big vacancy to fill on offense — one that Judge might help fill. Depending upon McDaniel’s plans, perhaps Judge is due for an increased role in New England in the coming year.

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Report: Giants request to interview Patriots coordinator Joe Judge

He’ll have stiff competition.

The New York Giants have requested permission to interview New England Patriots coordinator Joe Judge for the head coaching vacancy, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The Giants fired Pat Shurmur earlier this month after New York finished third in the NFC East with a 4-12 record.

Judge has worked predominantly on special teams during his NFL and college careers. He was with Alabama as a special teams assistant from 2009 to 2011 when the Patriots poached him for the same role from 2012 to 2014. New England promoted him to special teams coordinator in 2015, which he has continued through 2019 when he has also taken on the gig as the team’s receiver’s coach. Bill Belichick praised Judge’s ability to double dip between offense and special teams this season.

“He’s done a great job with the kicking game and as you said, he’s expanded the role a little bit,” Bill Belichick said during a press conference on Tuesday. “That’s kind of had a little bit of a ripple effect in the way we’ve organized the kicking game, but that’s all worked out pretty efficiently. And Joe has done a great job of organizing that as well as taking on some other things with the offense, in particular receivers, so he’s done a great job. He’s an excellent coach.”

The Giants have also shown interest in Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, along with former Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy and Baylor coach Matt Rhule.

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Report: Giants request interview with Patriots’ Joe Judge

The New York Giants have requested permission to interview Patriots special teams coordinator Joe Judge for their head coaching job.

New York Giants co-owner John Mara said the team would be comprehensive in their head coaching search, and he certainly wasn’t blowing smoke.

In addition to New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, the Giants have also requested permission to interview their special teams coordinator, Joe Judge.

Judge broke into coaching in 2005 as a graduate assistant at Mississippi State before moving onto Birmingham–Southern as a linebackers coach. But his big break came in 2009 when he joined Nick Saban’s Alabama staff as a special teams assistant.

In 2012, Judge jumped to the NFL level and was added to Bill Belichick’s staff, first as a special teams assistant and later the special teams coordinator. In 2019, he added the title of wide receivers coach.

In addition to Judge and McDaniels, the Giants are also scheduled to interview or requested permission to interview Eric Bienemy, Don Martindale, Mike McCarthy and Kris Richard. They also have a reported interest in Matt Rhule.

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