Hours after Giants GM Dave Gettleman joined Moose & Maggie, head coach Joe Judge joined Carton & Roberts, and echoed a lot of his boss’ sentiments.
Judge, like Gettleman, is excited about the teams draft class, but says that success isn’t something that can be measured until three years out; he also reiterated that the Giants may have had linemen on their board at certain times but the team is comfortable with what they have, so they didn’t reach; and, of course, he is fully behind Daniel Jones as the franchise quarterback.
But when it comes to the idea of the Eagles jumping up to grab DeVonta Smith and then the Giants trading back and eventually getting Kadarius Toney, Judge first noted that he knows the team got a steal because he got a lot of comments from peers about it.
“I think every team feels undefeated after the draft, but I’m really happy the way it worked out, because we got a player I’m excited about,” Judge said of Toney. “This is a guy we’ve all been watching throughout the process, and I got a lot of texts instantly from GMs saying he was their guy. A lot of teams behind us were hoping he snuck through, and honestly, we didn’t think he would be there when we drafted, so we were happy to get him.”
And as for the Eagles jumping from 12 to 10, ahead of New York, to get Smith?
“There were a lot of really good players in this draft, and our job is to evaluate everyone. In terms of someone jumping ahead of us – everyone looks to do that, and it is what it is. It doesn’t faze us,” Judge said. “You work through a lot of scenarios, and you know that a lot of moves can be made ahead of you. You anticipate the top three would be quarterbacks and then go from there, trying to think how the other players unfold.”
That tied into Judge’s thoughts about the offensive line, and as he noted, sometimes the best laid plans are ruined by what happens above, just as the Giants did to others by picking Toney.
“As a team, we were looking at the best players at certain positions – we took one of each at corner and receiver. Our job was to be ready, and we talk about different scenarios and what we would move back for,” Judge said. “You’re always looking to add talent at every position, and you discuss a few guys you’re talking about in the range of the pick – but as it unfolds, you often watch a lot of them come off the board before it gets to you.”
As far as the team Judge has, the engine is Daniel Jones, and the head coach is happy with where his QB is at.
“There is no finish line on development, but I’m pleased with the progress Daniel made last year, looking at the way he played at times last year after not having a true offseason,” Judge said. “I learned that he’s a tough dude, and when you have a tough dude standing in the huddle, you know you have 10 sets of eyes in the huddle ready to stand up for you.”
Jones has had his issues over his first two seasons (most notably turnovers), but as he enters year three, the quarterback’s role may not be the same from week-to-week – but Judge knows Jones will continue to work hard on his entire game no matter what.
“I’ll talk openly with Daniel about where he is and where he needs to go, and I’ll keep those between us,” Judge said. “As a complete player, we’ll ask him to focus on certain areas more than others sometimes due to the game plan, but I love the way the players see him always working.”
Oh, and he’ll likely have Saquon Barkley, who is working hard every day, back beside him.
“I couldn’t tell you a timeline or about any restrictions, because we don’t have a hard answer ourselves, but that’s not unique, and he’s doing everything he can to get back as fast as possible,” Judge said. “I’ll trust the doctors to let us know when he’s ready, and we won’t go until he’s 100 percent, but he comes in every day ready to do whatever he needs to do, and I couldn’t be more pleased with how he works every day.”
And at the end of the day, there is only one expectation: win a Super Bowl, or go back to the drawing board.
“We have our own internal expectations, and players are making sure they know what they have to work on daily, because for us, it’s process-oriented,” Judge said. “There’s only one game that defines success, so one team is a success and 31 go home. You play for the ultimate prize, and if you fall short, you have to go back to work and figure out how to get it done.”
Listen to Joe Judge’s entire segment with Carton & Roberts below!
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