For Giants defensive back Logan Ryan, Monday wasn’t just any other day. Forget about the uncertainty surrounding head coach Joe Judge (safe Monday but eventually fired Tuesday), general manager Dave Gettleman (retired), or anyone else – Ryan simply isn’t used to having his exit day come the day after the final regular-season game, which he’s done two years in a row after going to the playoffs six of seven years in New England and Tennessee.
“We had our scheduled end of year, where Joe told us he expects us all to work hard this offseason and come back in shape, and had exit meetings with coaches, so everything went as scheduled,” Ryan said. “That’s what we expected, and we’ll continue as normal until we hear anything new, but this is an infamous day in the NFL, Black Monday; it’s always tough this time of year saying goodbye, because you don’t know who you’re saying goodbye to for good.”
That’s something Ryan had reflected on immediately after Sunday’s season-ending loss to Washington, when, regardless of any staff changes, he knew he had played his last game with some teammates.
“One thing I know about the league is there's always changes, it’s inevitable. The roster is going to change, and that was the last game we played together with those players, with my teammates collectively,” Ryan said Sunday. “I know that there will be change because there's always change, so it's always tough. Some guys played their last game in the NFL today. Nothing's guaranteed in this league, so just grateful for the opportunity to take the field with these guys. We put in a lot of work this year but didn't get the reward; unfortunate it didn't go our way, but that's just how it goes sometimes.”
You can blame the injuries, or inconsistency, or whatever else, but to Ryan, he’s still puzzled why the Giants regressed in 2021.
“It’s a younger team, and I know a lot of our SEC guys won a lot in college, but it’s a different level there…but this year has been puzzling for me because I don’t know,” he said. “Last year, we didn’t reach the goal of playoffs, but there was a lot of hope in how we ended the year and pats on the back, but and that momentum just didn’t carry. No matter how you put it, when your locker room is ravaged with injuries, the in and out in the lineup it was hard to stay consistent.”
Ryan pointed to the extreme number of injuries, the changes in COVID protocols – he missed two games just before protocols changed – and other things, but then just thought that’s one reason why the Giants will need to build a deeper roster for 2022.
“Sometimes, the next guy isn’t as good as that starter. That’s how rosters are built, and it was constant piecing together, but no one gave up or gave excuses,” he said. “It was frustrating things didn’t break our way at times. The guys stuck together, but the winning didn’t come because we didn’t get consistent and get in a rhythm like we did last year.”
Now, though, they have an entire offseason to ruminate on how to fix it.
“At the end of the day, missing the playoffs isn’t a good enough standard anyway, and we need to aim higher than that,” Ryan said. “There’s only one team that goes home happy in the NFL, everyone else will get their heart broken. That happened to us early, but we have time to recoup, come back better, and learn from these mistakes.”
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They’ll have to do it under a new administration, though, as the team found out late Tuesday that they did in fact say goodbye to Judge for the final time on Monday. He was fired Tuesday afternoon, ending a tumultuous tenure after two seasons – and rendering this thought from Ryan on Judge’s future simply a reflection of what could’ve been.
“I think Joe’s a very honest man, transparent with his players. He has been with me in my career, and I think respect goes a long way. He can command a room really well and lead us as players, and that’s part of a head coach’s job,” Ryan said. “There are a lot of coaches I’ve worked with around the league who are great strategists or are good at this and that, but they could never have the moxie to get in front of the room. He can lead men into working hard and sticking together. With the results not going the way we want this year, we’ve stuck together and that’s because of Joe being respectful of us and listening to us. He was very consistent as a leader.”
And yes, Ryan said, the locker room was down with the hard practices Judge was notorious for.
“I think the locker room is behind it, but me, that’s all I know – from Greg Schiano in college (at Rutgers), to Bill Belichick to Mike Vrabel to Joe, it’s all I know,” he said. “Someone who’s had a different branch might have different opinions, but I’ve seen it done this way and won this way, and it’s a thorough practice, in my opinion. You have to be in shape to play and stay durable in this league anyway.”
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