The interview process for every candidate up for one of the NFL’s seven head coaching vacancies is far from the norm, for both teams and candidates, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and protocols.
One team in New York has to go through it and one doesn’t, but as the Jets were reportedly courting Robert Saleh for their opening, Big Blue head coach Joe Judge was telling Boomer & Gio that there’s no real boilerplate for an interview anyway.
“I would say they’re all generally different. For me, I only had two, but it was a lot of philosophical conversations about what we value – and it’s tough for ownership and a GM to make a choice because these interviews are very quick snapshots,” Judge said.
However, the “first interviews on Zoom” aspect of the pandemic does have one effect for sure: it’s much harder to read a candidate, and for that candidate to read the room, on a video call.
“The length of the interview is important in terms of getting to know each other. For me, I spent an entire day here last year, but this year, they’re starting thru Zoom, so that’s gotta be different for getting a feel for each other,” Judge said. “Candidates have to think: is this the place I want to go ahead and try to establish myself with? Second interviews have to be critical, but feedback I’ve gotten is that it is a different experience.”
Of course, there’s one area no one can predict: what a final staff will actually look like.
“Staffing is definitely a part of it, but promising things is difficult,” Judge said. “Most, coming in, want to see some sort of organization calendar, and people talk about staff – you can say you’re going to bring in Mike Ditka for the defense and Bill Walsh for the offense, but those guys may not be available. You need to get permission to get guys out of their contract, so you can’t always deliver.”
One place the Giants have delivered is on defense, where coordinator Patrick Graham signed a long-term extension to remain in his role, despite being courted as a possible head coaching candidate.
“We know Pat has a lot of opportunities going forward, because he’s a smart coach and a great communicator with great ideas, but that to me was huge,” Judge said. “Pat’s a great coach and a good friend, and being able to keep him here as long as possible is important to me. He’s Assistant Head Coach for a reason – he and I have already started floating around some ideas about free agency and the draft. I’m happy he’s coming back.”
A Graham departure would have been a blow, but Judge notes that in an ideal world, the ideal staff would be set up to understand and cushion the blow.
“For me, with the Maras, I wanted to explain the people I was looking for, and what I wanted our team to look like,” Judge said. “If you have success, there will be opportunities for guys on your staff to go elsewhere, so it’s more about what you want the system to look like. You’re better off working with guys you already know, promote from within, and develop younger guys at the lower positions.”
And that, he says, helps build, and continue, the right culture as time goes on.
“2020 was challenging for everyone in a lot of ways, as there was a lot to overcome before you got on the field, but I was proud of the way the players handled adversity and moved forward,” Judge said. “When I talked to the team last week, I told them my one true goal was to get the foundation and culture laid, and that was success. I found that out when we were 1-7 and guys kept coming to work, trusting the process, and improving.
That was from all the positivity and belief they had in the system. The toughest part is laying the foundation.”
Listen to Judge’s entire interview with Boomer & Gio below!
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