Monday was just another day, in a lot of ways, for many members of the New York Giants, who had to clean out their lockers and say goodbye to their teammates amidst a ton of uncertainty around their coaching staff.
“We were just signing jerseys and helmets for each other, and didn’t really speak about anything like that,” cornerback Adoree Jackson said of the chaos surrounding since-fired head coach Joe Judge’s status. “We were just trying to enjoy the moments we had, because you never know what can happen. It was more about us making plans to try to see each other and see where we’re going to be in the future so we can make plans to train or hang out or whatever.”
“We’ve created a bond with each other throughout the year, so we know we’re all brothers no matter what happens to anyone’s individual journey,” safety Xavier McKinney added.
One thing they did know is that general manager Dave Gettleman was retiring, as he came into the team’s morning meeting with Judge to let the team know it was his last day.
“That was the guy who drafted me, huge respect for him,” Dexter Lawrence said. “He was inspirational for me in the least of things. That’s my guy, OG sexy for sure.”
As for Judge, well, quite a few players didn’t think there was any uncertainty about the situation, and believe any negative vibes were because of a bad mood on how the season ended.
“I think the only unsettling thing is that the season ended how it did. For us to see it go away, you have to cherish that moment in that last game, because you never know what can happen in the future,” Jackson said.
“Everything changes, so just thankful to be able to see everybody, and thankful how we battled and worked to get through the season with all the adversity.”
As of the final media availability Monday, it looked like Judge's job was safe, and to a man, the Giants seem to all be on board.
“I trust that decision. He’s my head coach, I love him and appreciate every hard thing about the program he brings, and the discipline he tries to teach us,” Lawrence said. “You see that fight from us every week on the field.”
“I think he does a great job; he has his message, and then he has coaches that can relate to players on another level,” Jackson added. “He has a good balance of being able to talk to players on another level, being able to talk to everyone personally and let you know the standards he holds you accountable to.”
Judge’s way is really all McKinney knows, as he played under a similar system with Judge mentor Nick Saban at Alabama and has had Judge as his head coach for both of his NFL seasons. Jackson, too, came from a Tennessee franchise run by another Belichick disciple in Mike Vrabel, and Lawrence has had two seasons udner Judge after playing for a top program in Clemson and one season in the Pat Shurmur era.
All three understand why Judge got the media attention he does, but at the end of the day, none of them are caught up in the hype.
“We don’t buy into it. You may see it, but we just try to come in to work and understand we can only control what we can control, and that’s ourselves and how we perform,” Jackson said. “I don’t mind too much about critics or positive things, because at the end of the day, we’re the ones who have to do the job. Pressure has the power to make diamonds, so you have to keep working.”
“I have no knowledge of frustration in the locker room or anything like that. I just show up on Sunday and play for my teammates and the organization, and do my best to execute,” Lawrence added. “That’s what I believe. Everybody showed up (Monday) and listened, and we believe he has a plan for us to grow as a team and as individuals.”
That said, they do acknowledge that 2021 was a season that was anywhere from frustrating to, as Jackson put it, gut-wrenching.
“It was cool to be here, but I don’t think it went well because we aren’t where we want to be, which is in the playoffs,” Jackson said. “I think it was more gut-wrenching, like sick to your stomach, because we kept seeing everyone else still in contention when we weren’t. That’s a feeling you don’t want to feel. No one likes losing. We worked hard but things didn’t go our way, so we just have to learn from it, keep that feeling and go from there.”
Now, however, Judge is officially gone, fired on Tuesday, and that puts one member of his staff into even further limbo: defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, who has become a talked-about head coaching candidate. With a half-dozen jobs open around the NFL, there was already thought he may be somewhere else next season, too, but now, it's all but certain.
“I would hate to lose any coach, especially him because he believed in me and vouched for me to get here, but you never want to block another man’s blessing,” Jackson said. “If that happens, I think he’ll make a great coach. I’ll be happy for him either way.”
New head coach, GM, defensive coordinator, or anyone else aside, there’s only one thing the Giants can do in the offseason: work hard to get better for next year.
“For me, it’s about seeing things a lot faster than I did this year,” McKinney said. “There were times in games early on where I didn’t see the same things I saw later in the season, so speeding up the process of seeing different formations and knowing what teams want to do is key, and capitalizing on opportunities to make plays that will help us as a defense.”
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