New York Giants: The Media’s Gets Strong First Impressions Of Joe Judge’s First Padded Practice

The New York Giants put on the pads today. Joe Judge’s squad had their first padded practice of the 2020 season today as the media watched from the sidelines. There were a number of standout plays and players, like this incredible catch by C.J. Board:

Other players impressed the media today too, like Colt McCoy, Darnay Holmes, and Corey Coleman. But what was the first impression of new head coach Joe Judge? So far the reviews have all been quite positive.

What Is The Media Saying About Joe Judge’s First Padded Practice?

After the Giants wrapped up today’s practice, the media took to Twitter to post highlights and their initial reactions. The members of the media showed off highlights from players like C.J. Board, Daniel Jones, and others. They also gave their first impressions on Joe Judge and his practice style.

Jordan Raanan of ESPN described Judge’s practice as “fast-paced” and “efficient.” He noted that there is “lots of stuff going on at the same time in different areas of the field.” Raanan also mentioned that ball security has been a priority at Giants’ practice. That can be seen as Judge gives some pointers to a player in the video below:

Raanan also described the practice environment as “intense” while pointing out that coaches were yelling and screaming non-stop with plenty of colorful language. Art Stapleton of USA Today and other sites also sounded impressed with Judge’s first padded practice. He noted that there was very little wasted time and energy. Art also agreed with Raanan, describing the practice as “high intensity.”

One interesting aspect of Judge’s practice is an emphasis on discipline and conditioning. The Giants ran sprints from sideline to sideline post-practice. Players and coaches were required to run laps after miscues or penalties. Joe Judge explained (per Jordan Raanan), “There are consequences for making mistakes.” Sterling Shepard has bought in to the new coach’s culture, and hopes the rest of his teammates do as well:

“I think it’s going to take everybody buying in. if we’re going to be the team we want to be, we have to buy into what Judge has in store for us. Don’t make mistakes. That’s how to get out of it.” – Sterling Shepard on coaches and players running laps via Matt Lombardo

So far, Joe Judge has delivered on every promise he made in his introductory press conference months ago. Judge is instilling a new, tough culture and proving to be a “teacher,” just as he promised. Time will tell if Judge’s new culture and practice routine will lead to more wins for the Giants, but so far, everything has been positive for the rookie head coach.