Giants Veteran Sounds Off on ‘Old School’ Joe Judge & Daniel Jones

Getty New York Giants head coach Joe Judge.

Kyle Rudolph has earned a bevy of accolades over his 10-year NFL career, from multiple Pro Bowl berths to even taking home MVP honors in the 2013 all-star game. Yet, one prize that continues to elude him is the Lombardi Trophy. In fact, after a decade in Minnesota, the 31-year-old has escaped the Wild Card round only twice over his career.

Unlike Rudolph, the New York Giants have four Super Bowl victories to their name — tied for fifth-most in league history. Yet, like Rudolph they’ve had similar postseason struggles of late, reaching the playoffs just once since 2012. However, that certainly didn’t deter the tight end from making the move to East Rutherford this offseason. With a budding roster around him and a head honcho in Joe Judge building a winning culture, Rudolph couldn’t be any happier about his new digs.

“I talked to a lot of the older guys on the team, the decision-makers in the locker room, they all bought in immediately … The culture that [Judge’s] built here is a big reason why I’m here,” Rudolph said in a phone interview with Fox News. “At this point in my career, going into year 11, I had plenty of opportunities to go places where I knew I could win right away, knew that they had a chance to contend for a title and I picked here because of the culture and because of Joe and everything he’s built.”

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Rudolph is a Fan of Judge’s ‘Old School’ Approach

While Judge’s coaching style may appear a tad bit too brass for some players, it’s right up Rudolph’s aisle. After years of playing for what he describes as “old-school coaches,” such as Charlie Weis (a Bill Belichick disciple) and the hard-nosed Mike Zimmer, Rudolph is ready to get to work under Judge.

“It’s something that I’m very familiar with,” Rudolph proclaimed. “I played for coach Charlie Weis at Notre Dame so I was introduced to the New England way of doing things as an 18-year-old kid. So I’ve been around it before. I’ve always had such respect and adoration for the success that that organization has had and certainly [Judge] played a big part in it.”

Rudolph is a Daniel Jones Fan

It’s been apparent for quite some time that Rudolph has been a fan of quarterback Daniel Jones from afar. Likening the third-year signal-caller to Andrew Luck on The Pat McAfee Show back in April is a prime example of the veteran’s intrigue with Jones. And while an offseason foot surgery has stripped Rudolph of any playing time with his new quarterback thus far, it looks as if the former Duke Blue Devil is still making a strong impression on the savvy veteran.

“In my opinion, he’s as good as they come. He’s a phenomenal young man, super respectful. Obviously, I’ve seen his talent on the field,” Rudolph said of Jones. “I see it when I watch him practice. I see it when he’s one of the first guys in the building. I see it in his worth ethic.”

“Oftentimes in our league, quarterbacks get way too much credit and they also get way too much blame,” he added. “You have to surround a quarterback, especially a young quarterback, with pieces that can help him be successful. I think [the Giants] have done an unbelievable job in that this offseason and I know that Daniel is going to take care of the rest.”