Giants’ Joe Judge on rotten start: ‘The fish stinks from the head down’
The New York Giants are 1-5 for the second consecutive season under head coach Joe Judge, who has compiled an overall record of 7-15. His team is coming off of back-to-back blowout losses and appears destined for another ugly end.
But the coach is not pointing any fingers. Instead, Judge is spending his time looking into the mirror and reflecting.
“I’m the head coach. It’s my responsibility. Point blank. Every player on this field, every position group, the execution, it all comes down to me,” Judge told reporters on Thursday, via the New York Post. “The fish stinks from the head down.”
Despite his team being completely injury-ravaged, Judge insists there are no excuses. There is no one reason the organization continues to fail and ultimately, it all rests on him.
“I’ve been taught that by great guys I’ve worked for and played for. There are no excuses, no exceptions. You demand of your coaches to make sure your players are playing the right way, you demand of your players to know what to do and they have to go out there and do it. But it starts with me and ends with me,” Judge said.
Perhaps Judge has come to realize that the outside pressure is mounting and that he’s firmly affixed to the NFL’s hot seat. In fact, he’s one of the odds-on favorites to be fired and perhaps rightfully so.
Still, Judge has the support of his coordinators. Well . . . at least some of them.
“Joe’s our leader. We all look to our leader for strength. He’s done a hell of a job I think of keeping the team moving forward,” special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey said. “Joe’s mentally tough and he’s doing a great job with our team as far as the leadership part of it and keeping us pressing and moving forward, staying focused on the task at hand and that’s to win today.”
“I think the beauty of Joe is this, it’s how we learn — consistency. The emotional consistency, the stamina, the emotional stamina to be the same every day. I think Joe — that’s why he’s a good leader,” defensive coordinator Patrick Graham said. “Whether we win, lose, whatever, Joe’s going to correct us and there’s a standard he has. If we won by three touchdowns or lost by three touchdowns, Joe is consistent in terms of how he’s handling, trying to improve the football team as we move through the season.”
Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett wasn’t nearly as complimentary. Instead, he side-stepped questions about Judge.
“Not really my place to comment on Coach Judge,” Garrett said. “I don’t want to get philosophical, but somehow you have to learn from your past experiences, don’t worry about what’s next, focus on what you do, the task at hand right now, and I think that’s what gives you the best chance to have success individually and collectively.”
The bottom line? The fish does stink. Again. It’s rotten from top to bottom, inside and out. At its core, it’s black. It was that way before Joe Judge and unfortunately, it appears it will remain that way through Joe Judge and potentially beyond.
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