Leonard Marshall was adamant on Sunday that he didn’t like hearing the home fans boo the Giants, discussing that notion not long after being seen waving the fans who were leaving MetLife Stadium in droves away during Sunday’s 38-11 loss to the Rams.
Later during Sunday’s postgame, Logan Ryan and Sterling Shepard among others weighed in, and during Monday’s media session, veteran Nate Solder had this to say about the situation:
“I’ve heard the testosterone levels of fans go down after a loss, so that tells me they’re with us, fighting tooth and nail and going through it emotionally. I get where they’re coming from; we’re right there with them, because we’re not playing up to our standards and want to see improvement as much as they do. I think you have to embrace the fact we’re not where we want to be and have to improve. We can look at it two ways: we can say they hate us, or say they’re really wanting the best for us and want their team to be what it could be.”
Head coach Joe Judge has been criticized by many for giving robotic answers at times, and perhaps that mentality trickling down to the team. However, the head coach denied any static, boiler-plate mentality from his players, and praised the fans’ passion as he has in the past.
“I don’t give my players a script to follow. My feeling has always been the same in terms of the fans: I love the passion of our fans, and this is New York, it’s supposed to be tough,” Judge said. “You have to work hard for their respect, and when you earn it, it’s even more valuable.”
The mantra that earns the most scorn is that it’s repeatedly said the Giants work hard and practice well, but just don’t seem to execute on Sundays. What we don’t see may be more theatrics behind closed doors, but whatever is going on, one has to wonder if and how it’s working.
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“Everybody expresses frustration in different ways, so if someone does (something brash), I don’t think others will look at them different,” Adoree Jackson said. “They may just not express it in that way, but you can look at it and feel their pain.”
Judge speaks to owner John Mara frequently, and wouldn’t divulge if he’s given any locker room speeches or warnings of late – more private than his father, Wellington Mara, was famous for.
Back to the fans booing, though, that’s enough of a theatric for most Giants to understand.
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“Obviously us not performing well goes to that. You don’t want that to happen, and we’re just as frustrated by it, but we have to go out and play better,” Jackson said. “The feeling of (fans booing) is one that makes you want to do better. To eliminate that, we have to get back in the lab and keep grinding. You don’t want to get booed, but at the end of the day, we didn’t do anything to not get booed.”
And for those among that crowd, or the one that left MetLife early, or the ones on social media already giving up on Big Blue, Judge has a message for you: patience.
“This is definitely going to get better. I don’t know what kind of guarantee fans want, but I can tell them we’re working tirelessly to make sure we get this thing turned in the right direction – not just in the short-term, but for long-term success.”
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