New York Giants’ players were shocked about the Marc Colombo firing

In the middle of the week, during the New York Giants’ bye week, Joe Judge’s team decided it was time to move on from offensive line coach Marc Colombo. When the news broke, it was a bit of a shock to the players in the locker room and players around the NFL.

The offensive line has been improving week after week during this season. Many players and coaches view Colombo as one of the league’s best offensive line coaches. It was not long until everyone found out what led up to the firing of Colombo.

Joe Judge spoke to the media

Judge finally spoke to the media about the Colombo firing. He decided to part ways with Colombo; it was the best for the Giants organization short term and long term.

“I spoke to the entire team last week. I spoke with the offensive line, I spoke with the captains, I spoke with people both individually and collectively based on the units,” Judge told reporters on Monday. “Again, we’re pretty transparent as an organization. If something happens with the team, we keep it in-house, but I speak very openly with the team about it.”

The Giants’ players have all bought into Judge as a head coach. The players were shocked, but at the end of the day, the player believes in what Judge has to do to keep the Giants’ culture.

What New York Giants’ players said to the media about the Colombo firing:

Evan Engram

“That entire situation is definitely above my pay grade,” tight end Evan Engram said. “As a player and as a team, we know that with Coach Judge, every decision he makes is in the best interest of the team. I know me personally and a lot of guys loved working with Coach Colombo and obviously wish him the best. But like I said, that’s the thing with Coach Judge. His best interest is always with the team.”

Leonard Williams

“Judge’s style of coaching is good for players who want to win and want to play hard, practice hard, and understand that your practice is reflective of how you play. Guys that are willing to buy into a program are going to do great under a system like that,” defensive end Leonard Williams stated.

“There’s obviously some guys who are a little bit harder to coach and a little bit harder to get to buy into systems. They might be a little bit harder to fall into line. At the same time, when you’re a part of this team, you kind of feel the atmosphere of everyone buying in. Even those guys that are a little bit harder to coach, once they see the rest of their teammates buying in, they will come along eventually, too. I think it’s a great way, the way we practice. I think it shows we have a tough team. I feel like after losses or wins we go right back to work. I think it’s a hard-hat type of team that wants to work and grind,” Williams added.

An outsider looking in, Colombo did not buy into Judge. He was an outlier. Judge wants players, coaches, trainers, everyone to be on the same wavelength. Judge wants everyone to buy into the Giants’ culture, and from what it sounds like, it’s either Judge’s way or the highway!