If you were surprised by the New York Giants hiring Joe Judge, well, you weren’t alone. Super Bowl champion Steve DeOssie, who played for the Giants and Patriots, was surprised as well – but not for the reason you might think.
“I think surprise was the first reaction,” DeOssie said on After Hours with Amy Lawrence. “But not surprised because of the quality of coach that I think Joe Judge is; it just seemed like it happened very quickly. Joe must have made quite an impression on the Giants with the interview.”
Indeed, Judge reportedly “blew everyone away” during his interview, which probably didn’t surprise Bill Belichick.
“He’s always been held in high regard here in New England, and he’s been known as someone who is on the track [to be a head coach],” DeOssie said of Judge. “But I think this surprised people in New England [and was] maybe a year or two earlier than some people thought. But he’s well-regarded. We know Bill Belichick has a great relationship with him and relied on him for more than just the special teams and wide receiver stuff. So I’m surprised by how quickly it happened, but not the fact that it happened.”
Judge might not be the only coach to leave the Patriots this offseason; offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels could be on his way out as well. If McDaniels leaves, though, Belichick will soldier on.
He always does.
“It’s been amazing how Bill Belichick has been grooming people for forever,” DeOssie said. “We saw it when any number of different guys left, from Charlie Weis to Bill O’Brien and a long list of guys that have been poached off the roster – and you can understand why. Bill Belichick, I think, looks at his coaching staff probably like he looks at his team. He’s always preparing [for the] next man up. He not only does it with linebackers and O-linemen; he does it with coaches at all levels. Bill juggles everything and still finds ways to pay attention to the idea of grooming young coaches. So I’m not surprised he’s lost [so many] coaches, but it’s all part of Bill Belichick’s planning and foresight, too. He understands it and tries to have guys ready to step in.”