On Monday, Giants head coach Joe Judge had a chance to address his wild, 11-minute postgame rant from after Sunday’s loss to the Bears, and it boiled down to one thing: he has no regrets about being honest.
“No (regrets). I was asked a specific question about what the fans are asking and I responded to it. People ask me a direct question, I give direct answers,” Judge said Monday. “Whoever's listening is going to get a dose of the truth and I was honestly answering to the question to the fans – that's what the question was asked for – but, obviously, the response can apply to a number of different areas.”
Judge also doubled down on the notion that the Giants are moving in the right direction, giving this answered when asked if, were he an outsider, he would look at the team’s tape and consider them to be a well-coached team.
“I would. There are obviously some things we have to do better, but I'm not going to sit here and hide behind anything, or say that we're perfect in anything,” Judge said. “I’m not going to go through a diagnosis or an analysis of our team and every unit and every situation, or throw players under the bus or try to isolate coaches and look for a scapegoat. That's not my style. But I've seen a lot of improvement from our players in a lot of different ways. Sometimes not all that is magnified, but I look at different things that show up with our team, I know the direction that we're going. I know other teams as well in this league of how they scout us and what we do when we share information-wise sometimes with common opponents and things that happen. I'm very confident in the way that we're pushing forward right now.”
That said, Judge does admit that eventually, process has to lead to progress, and the main progress is wins and losses.
“There are things we have to improve on. Obviously, the most important thing in this league is winning, so we've got to do a better job putting ourselves in position to finalize and finish out some games with a win,” he said.
So, then, does that mean that given the Giants are moving in the right direction in the process, but regressing on the progress, the team needs an infusion of talent?
“I'm not going to make any statements right now that's going to put any one of my players under the bus. I think you understand how I'm answering that question based on how it was phrased,” Judge said, when asked that directly. “I appreciate the job you have to do and the things you have to look for, but I'm going to tell you right now, if you're looking for someone to go ahead and find a scapegoat and point a finger at someone, I'm not the guy who's going to be the one to give you that answer you're looking for, but I appreciate the question.”
Oh, and as for his comment about players reaching out and saying they wished they were still Giants? One reporter narrowed down the potential players who could be on that list, and this is what Judge had to say when asked if that maybe hung a certain few out to dry by airing the dirty laundry anonymously:
“I wouldn't want to try to identify names and I think that would be pure speculation. It's a small league, I keep in touch with a lot of players I've coached elsewhere because, obviously, there are things that we're very careful with tampering and we never try to get anything in that mix. But, everyone supports each other,” Judge said. “You have guys who have good games from across the way, you may shoot them a text and say, 'Hey man, I liked the way you played. A certain technique or a certain play, keep it going.' Guys will reach back out to you. There are a number of players who have been here through the years. I'm not going to go into individuals right now, I'm not going to try to open up that kind of chapter of guessing of what it may be, but I just know that we have a strong culture, as players from other teams that I know reach out to our players currently and have reached out to me as well through different avenues. Nothing that needs to be looked into or anything of that nature, but I know this is a place that players want to play. I know this is a place that players want to play. It's a place that a lot of players are going to want to play for a long time. I'm going to leave it at that.”
Related
Perhaps that will come to fruition this offseason, but first, the Giants must get through Sunday’s meaningless season finale – and there’s a lot that can be learned, and lost, in those 60 minutes, as well as the days leading up to them.
“My expectations for the team are the same every week. I tell the guys come here to work every day, work hard, be attentive, pay attention to the details of what's going on, put the team first, just always make sure you're doing your job to the best of your ability. That's what I expect to see throughout this week of practice,” Judge said. “Our guys have responded and over two years every week the same way, come back to work. I expect to see these guys go out there and play for each other with a high motor and play with good energy, and we're going to do everything we can to put a plan together to give these guys a chance for success on Sunday. What I want to see is the team go out there and play with the right demeanor and play with the right intensity, and go out there and execute the game plan. That's what I'm looking for.”
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch