New York Giants head coach Joe Judge has a way with words. If he keeps coming up with metaphors like this, he’ll own the back pages.
New York Giants head coach Joe Judge is down in Mobile, AL to scout the 2020 Senior Bowl. Paul Schwartz of the New York Post asked him about his hiring process. Judge came up with a bizarre metaphor for coaching.
“Everyone’s got a fancy scheme and there’s a lot of guys who can draw from their past experience,” Judge said. “But teach me how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Teach me. Make me the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich-maker in the history of the world.”
As colorful as this quote is, it makes sense on some levels. It certainly screams Joe Judge and his tactics.
Judge has harped on fundamentals since his first press conference. Nothing matters more to him than a strong understanding of the basics of the game and if his players can master that, they’ll win games. That’s Judge’s philosophy.
That comes across in this quote. He comes from a culture in New England where there wasn’t a magic scheme that won them games. It was strong fundamentals and a lack of penalties. When teams play mistake-free football, winning is usually the end result. Fewer turnovers, fewer penalties, fewer drops, and fewer missed tackles mean more wins.
Judge wants a staff that understands that ideal and can teach it to his players. Creative schemes like Andy Reid and Kyle Shanahan are front and center right now, but the Giants’ focus should be on building a foundation. Judge is in New York to lay the groundwork for a consistent contender and his no-nonsense attitude seems to fit the bill for that task.