Joe Judge
AP Photo/Elise Amendola

A former New England Patriots player hints at the intensity Joe Judge will bring as head coach of the New York Giants.

On Tuesday, the New York Giants made the decision on who their next head coach would be just eight days after firing Pat Shurmur. Big Blue will be going with Joe Judge to lead the coaching staff for 2020 and potentially beyond. Judge previously worked as the special teams coordinator for the New England Patriots.

This has many fans scratching their heads, being that Judge has never been a head coach at any level. But according to a former Patriots player, Judge possesses the right mentality and mindset to succeed in the big-time position.

“I’m talking to a player who was under Joe Judge previously, and here is what he told me: This is the guy who when Bill Belichick couldn’t be there, he ran the room,” said Matt Miller on Bleacher Report’s “Stick to Football” podcast.

“He feels like Joe Judge was going to be a head coach, and it was just a matter of time.”

Judge has worked under numerous head coaches who are massive names in the industry. Along with his time with Belichick, Judge was additionally a special teams assistant under Nick Saban at Alabama.

Saban also had some high praise regarding Judge’s ability to lead this franchise.

“Joe is one of the brightest young coaches in our profession, and I think he will do a tremendous job as the head coach of the New York Giants,” the legendary college coach said, per Matt Citak of the Giants official website. “They are getting an extremely smart football coach who is very loyal, organized and diligent about getting the job done.”

Ryan Honey is a staff writer and host of the Wide Right Podcast.