Joe Judge hasn’t coached a single game at the helm of the New York Giants, let alone a single game as a head coach at any level. However, NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe believes he already knows how things will end for Judge and the G-Men. Hint, it’s not good.
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Sharpe on Judge: ‘This Isn’t Going to End Well’
The Co-Host of FS1 Undisputed took to Twitter on Monday to cast his criticism on the first-year head coach after catching wind of Judge making Giants players and coaches run laps for mistakes, otherwise known as penalty laps.
As we previously noted, numerous players were spotted taking laps during Monday’s practice following miscues, a sight wideout Sterling Shepard proclaimed he hadn’t seen since “probably middle school.”
Judge addressed his reasoning behind this method with members of the media shortly after.
“There are consequences on the field for making mistakes,” Judge said. “In a game, it’ll cost you five, 10, or 15 yards. In practice, there needs to be consequences so we learn how to deal with our mistakes.”
It’s safe to say Sharpe’s had his reservations of the Giants’ hiring of Judge long before Monday. The eight-time Pro Bowler notably mocked Big Blue when the pulled the trigger on the long-time special teams assistant back in January.
“What?! Skip, they’re going too far with this now,” Sharpe stated. “I mean, I understand a branch, but they get a leaf off the tree and think it’s going to bear fruit. Not to be confused with Judge Joe Brown, Joe Judge.”
.@ShannonSharpe on the NY Giants reportedly hiring Joe Judge as HC:
“What? Not to be confused with Judge Joe Brown, but Joe Judge. The Ravens struck with a special teams coach when they hired John Harbaugh. Maybe the Giants are hoping they can have that level of success.”
Sharpe Isn’t Alone in His Criticism of Judge
Sharpe wasn’t the only long-time NFL tight end to cast his doubts on Judge’s methods. 17-year NFL veteran and Super Bowl XXXIX champion, Ben Watson, responded to Sharpe’s tweet that the tactics aren’t going to end well by stating it “never does.” Watson signed off his tweet by stating “There’s only one BB,” an ode to New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, for whom Judge has served under as an assistant for the previous eight seasons.
@ShannonSharpe Never does. Be. Your. Self. There is only one BB
Along with Judge’s implementation of penalty laps, he’s also removed all names from the Giants’ practice jerseys, noting that “right now, we have numbers just to meet the rules laid out by the league.”
Changing the Culture or Losing His Team?
While it may seem straight out of the ‘How to be a High School Football Coach 101’ handbook to send players on laps for every little miscue, you must also take into account the difficult task Judge is met with of changing a losing culture in New York.
The Ben McAdoo, Pat Shurmur approach clearly didn’t work, as the team had just one winning season over the past seven years. Judge is bringing a different voice and a different style to New York.
Will he need to tone it down a notch? Most likely, something that should occur rather sooner than later. Judge doesn’t need to look much further than Giants legend Tom Coughlin for guidance.
Coughlin was notably nearly fired following the 2006 season when owner John Mara told him he needed to take something off his fastball and to “ease up with the players and the news media.” Coughlin did just that, and in return went on to lead the Giants to two Super Bowls and etched his name in the franchise’s history books.
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NFL Hall of Famer Trashes Giants HC Joe Judge