The New York Giants didn’t take the usual route in hiring a new head coach. Instead, they settled for a dark horse candidate after losing out on two experienced options in Ron Rivera and Mike McCarthy, not to mention college-guru, Matt Rhule.
However, the hiring of Joe Judge, who has won three Super Bowls and two National Championships during his career, shouldn’t be overlooked. Judge is an extremely detail-oriented coach with elite preparation skills and disciplinary tactics, gained from his time under Bill Belichick.
While Judge seems to have a stellar resume on paper, it’s yet to be seen if he can handle the workload of being a head coach and the responsibilities that accompany the job.
One critic, Colin Cowherd, ripped the New York Giants for their seemingly rushed move, stating:
“The Giants panicked. This was a bad move to me… A once proud organization that has patted themselves on the back too long.”
"The Giants panicked. This was a bad move to me… A once proud organization that has patted themselves on the back too long." @ColinCowherd reacts to Joe Judge being named the next head coach of the New York Giants: pic.twitter.com/wRWf4yd4Dm
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) January 7, 2020
Cowherd feels as if the selection was a reach, which is justified after the Giants entered contract negotiations the night before Rhule was expected to interview in New Jersey. Being positive is one thing, but the reality of the situation is confusing, based on the simple fact that Judge wasn’t a primary candidate until his background was exposed after his hiring.
Judge’s success speaks for itself, though, as Belichick played an instrumental role in his hiring by the Giants. A glaring review of the special team’s coordinator and WR coach went a long way, and Cowherd may be right with the panicked selection, but we won’t know until the 2020 season comes along.