After a brutal 1-7 start to the season, which included four losses by four points or fewer, Joe Judge and the New York Giants (5-7) are starting to figure things out. They have won four games in a row, including a 17-12 road win over Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks (8-4) this past Sunday.
They are now atop the NFC East.
Indeed, Judge, 38, is changing the Giants’ culture, which is something another young coach – Bill Parcells – did for the franchise in the 1980s. In fact, one must wonder if Giants owner John Mara had Parcells on his mind when he hired Judge in January.
“I talked to John Mara the weekend after they hired Judge, and one of the things he told me is they saw something in him,” NBC Sports NFL columnist Peter King said on The DA Show. “I don’t think he mentioned Parcells’ name, but they saw something in him that was energetic, very unique and special – although there was tremendous skepticism about that hiring.”
Parcells, meanwhile, was in his early 40s when he became Giants head coach in 1983. The Giants had missed the playoffs in 18 of their previous 19 seasons, so Parcells knew he had to win – and fast.
“The thing about covering Bill Parcells in the ’80s when he was just getting started that I clearly, clearly remember: He knew that he had a specific amount of time to make his impact and to change the culture of that team,” King said. “They went 3-12-1 that first year, he wasn’t going to get a third year; he almost didn’t get a second year. . . . He knew that time was short, and time is even shorter today. Joe Judge has to get people to believe in him in Year 1. It’s something that really Matt Patricia was never able to do in Detroit. He was always at cross-purposes with his players.”
Patricia, another Belichick disciple, went 13-29-1 in 43 games with the Lions. He was fired in November.
Parcells, on the other hand, won a Super Bowl with the Giants. Time will tell if Judge can do the same.
“The one thing about Joe Judge is he really truly dislikes when people will say he’s either trying to be Belichick or adopting Bill Belichick techniques – or Nick Saban because he also worked under him,” King said. “I think he’s very, very clearly told his team that we’re going to do special things that are my things from my direction. He doesn’t bring the Bill Belichick playbook with him to East Rutherford.”