Legendary New York Giants HC Bill Parcells to Joe Judge: ‘Be yourself’

A New York Giants coaching legend has substantial advice for Joe Judge ahead of his first year with the organization.

Joe Judge is one of the few first-year head coaches who possesses the daunting task of preparing their new team in the midst of a pandemic-induced training camp period. Obviously, the New York Giants won’t undergo any preseason matchups and just began fully-padded practices this past week with the regular season right around the corner.

It’s a difficult spot to be in if you’re the 38-year-old former Bill Belichick assistant, but luckily, a Giants coaching legend is coming to his side and providing crucial advice.

“Be yourself,” Bill Parcells suggested to Judge while speaking with Steve Serby of the New York Post.

Parcells additionally reflected on his first head coaching season with the Giants, a campaign that encompassed a 3-12-1 record. Going off of that very year, it was Parcells himself who learned something about his coaching style, one that he would go on to perfect en route to capturing Super Bowls 21 and 25 for Big Blue.

“I was just trying to be a head coach instead of being Bill Parcells,” he said.

Of course, we still don’t know what we’ll see out of a Judge-led squad. He carries no head coaching experience up to this point, so it’s very much a wait-and-see type of situation. This is especially the case when you consider how the Giants essentially lost their offseason due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The team didn’t experience OTAs or a normal in-person rookie camp or minicamp.

For right now, Judge’s in-practice intensity is the main headline, but the wins and losses throughout the 16-game slate will tell the overall story about his first season in New York.