New York Giants: Phil Simms comes out with support for Joe Judge

New York Giants head coach Joe Judge has been in the news a bunch this past week for the way the Giants have handled training camp, but this time, someone is coming to his defense. That someone is also an important name in Giants history – Super Bowl winning QB Phil Simms.

Some former players around the league have a problem with the way Judge is doing things, and are certain that it will backfire for the Giants, but Simms isn’t one of those players. His take is close to the opposite. While talking with CBS Sports, he mocked the idea that it’s impossible to win with a strict coaching style in the modern NFL.

Phill Simms’ take on Joe Judge

“Shut up, they’re wrong, you can. It’s team building. It really does bring chemistry to the team. When guys have to run, yeah it’s a punishment, but it’s kind of funny and it brings everybody together,” Simms stated.

Simms, of course, played under Bill Parcells – a coach that some believe Judge is trying and failing to imitate. The argument is often that Judge hasn’t won enough to throw his weight around and demand a high standard from the team yet.

However, that argument misses the fact that even great coaches like Parcells didn’t typically begin their career with a winning reputation and that they may never have achieved success if they let that change their methods.

The infamous training camp brawl and the harsh reaction to it has been used as a point of contention for critics of Judge. But Simms doesn’t believe it’s a problem.

“I didn’t look at that as a detriment. And practicing too hard? Oh, come on. Come on. You gotta practice and do things on the field, take a rest, get back on, like it’s a game. And when you do things like that, scientifically it’s been proven, that’s the way to do it. And that is the best way that you can help prevent your team from getting more injuries.”

The sentiment so far on the Giants roster seems to be closer to Simms’ thoughts than those of Judge’s critics. This criticism, after all, has come from players that haven’t played under Judge. When current team members have been asked for their take, the reaction has been positive even as they admit Judge’s style isn’t for everybody.

Ultimately, the offseason drama shouldn’t be too worrying. It may be a story right now, but it looks like the Giants have found a coach that works for them. And if they start winning under Judge this season, all the talk about his style being a negative will quickly melt away. For now, the skepticism is only natural for a national media that hasn’t followed the team’s improvement under Judge up close.