New York Giants tight end Kyle Rudolph is no stranger to win or go home games in the NFL Playoffs, so it’s fitting that he made his debut on Moose & Maggie’s weekly Giants Report on the day of the American League Wild Card Game.
And, before they dove into Big Blue football, Rudolph answered what it’s like to prepare for those win or go home games.
“The biggest thing for us in football – I’ve had noon playoff games and 8:30 p.m. playoff games, so depending on what time kickoff is completely changes your game-day routine,” Rudolph said. “Playing at noon, you wake up have breakfast, go to the stadium, and go. But when you’re sitting around all day, it feels like it takes forever, but we’ll do some things in the morning to get guys off their feet, then get ready to go.”
Onto the gridiron, Rudolph isn’t just new to WFAN, he’s new to the Giants – but, it was actually easy for him to pick up the offense for two very different reasons.
“For me, I’ve had six coordinators in the last six years, so learning a new offense is nothing new, but it’s taught me how to study and learn quickly,” Rudolph said. “I played for Norv Turner in Minnesota, and there’s a lot of similarities with Jason Garrett’s offense because they both come from those 1990s Cowboys teams, so for me it was diving into the nuances. The basics are the same, but things do evolve a little bit. But I do feel comfortable in it, and the whole staff is always willing to help us with our responsibilities.”
He’s working with a new quarterback in Daniel Jones, as well, and while they’ve only had a few months together, Rudolph has long been impressed with Danny Dimes.
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“I watch guys across the league on TV and on tape, and I’ve been a fan long before I got here. I remember coming here with the Vikings his rookie year, and getting on the bus after the game, a lot of our guys were raving about how talented he was and how well he played,” Rudolph said. “I’ve followed from afar, but being with him every day, he’s a consummate professional who prepares harder than anyone I’ve ever been with. It’s been fun for me to get to play with him and see him pay do well. He deserves all his success because he works as hard as anyone.”
The same way he has always been impressed with the Giants organization as a while.
“With the history and tradition of this organization, I’ve always admired it from afar, and knowing the Mara Family and Tim McDonald from being at Notre Dame when I was there, they do things at a first class level,” Rudolph said. “Getting to know Coach Judge and Coach Garrett and meeting the guys – it’s a young team, one in a similar situation to the ones I was in in Minnesota that had all the talent in the world and had to learn how to win games. This group is as close as any I’ve been around, and I feed off the young guys’ energy. What we do for a living can be a grind, but it’s so much fun to come to work every day.”
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Even with all the extra things Joe Judge has the Giants do, which aren’t “too much work” as Golden Tate intimated earlier this week.
“If you’re paying attention to the outside noise, you’ll be distracted from the real reason we’re here every day. Coach Judge has shown us why we do everything, and I think for me as a veteran player, running for running isn’t good for me. But when there’s a rhyme or reason and he shows you the why, it’s very easy to believe in what he’s doing,” Rudolph said. “Everything we do, there’s a reason why, and he shows us. That’s part of the reason why you don’t hear that from inside the building.”
Check out Kyle Rudolph every other week, alternating with Logan Ryan, on the Giants Report on Moose & Maggie all season long!
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