Joe Judge believes three principles of physical football produce winning teams: Running the ball, stopping the run and covering kicks.
Who does that sound like?
Giants general manager Dave Gettleman says, almost every chance he gets, there are three principles he believes in: Running the ball, stopping the run and rushing the passer.
It’s no wonder then that Judge – formerly the Patriots special teams coordinator – and Gettleman hit it off during Monday’s interview. Even Giants co-owner John Mara makes it no secret he wants to return to the days when the offensive and defensive lines set the tone for winning Super Bowls.
Judge will be introduced as the new head coach of the Giants at 2 p.m. Thursday, and here are some other coaching points he believes in, as he relayed to the New Jersey High School Football Coaches Association at a clinic in spring 2018. Don’t be surprised to hear some mentioned during his first press conference:
–It starts with the head coach: Working under Bill Belichick and Nick Saban, both of whom use special teams as a huge advantage, Judge learned players distinguish between what’s important to the head coach and what is lip service.
Coordinators and assistants can stress their message in smaller position groups, but if the head coach does not drive home a point, players see through transparency. He has a reputation as extremely detail-oriented.
–What makes a good tackle: Judge measures how good an individual player is at tackling not by his number of tackles or even by his number of missed tackles.
Yards after catch allowed is the key statistic because it reveals whether a tackler was in the right position to squarely deliver the blow. A tackle where the ball-carrier gains a couple more yards falling forward is not the same as wrapping and stopping progress dead in its tracks.
Proper technique for maximum efficiency and safety is head up, bite the ball and “scalloping” – a term for keeping one foot on the ground and shuffling feet while closing in on the ball-carrier from about 10 yards out.
–Ball security: From 2001-17, the Patriots won 95 percent of the games in which they did not commit a turnover, Judge told his audience.
How do you protect against fumbles? (Attention, Daniel Jones.)
It’s not always the defender lined up in your sights. Anticipate the defender you can’t see who is chasing you down.
–Practices and film review: NFL rules govern how often players can wear full pads and do live tackling during different parts of the offseason. Judge will take every permitted opportunity to do so, while other coaches back off even further than the maximum allowed.
Effort, emphasis and urgency decreases if players think they are practicing for the sake of practice. Seeing practice situations show up on game film boosts competitiveness and work ethic.
Judge added wide receivers coach to his resume this year because he does not believe in over-specialization. To that end, no player, not even quarterbacks and offensive linemen, are exempt from tackling and ball-security drills under his vision.
–He won’t be in your fantasy football league: Judge thinks today’s fantasy football-crazed culture is dangerous because it values statistics and results over fundamentals and technique.
As participation in youth and high school football dwindles around the country because of fear of injury, put him in the category of people who believe football is not dangerous when taught correctly.
For more on the Giants, listen to the latest episode of the “Blue Rush” podcast:
