N.Y. Giants: Judge Renders A Bad Decision

From the desk: DO IT FOR THE DUKE

DARK BLUE DAYS AHEAD

WEEK SIX

Rams        38

GIANTS     11

FINAL

Coaches Continue Putting Daniel Jones In Harm's Way  

Last week Jason Garrett put Daniel Jones in harm's way by calling a goal-line naked bootleg without left tackle Andrew Thomas on the field.  The result was Daniel Jones winding up in concussion protocol.  On Sunday, Coach Judge leaves Daniel Jones in a game trailing the Rams by 28-points after three quarters.  Both were bad decisions, only this time, the head coach escapes without incident.  

Joe Judge said he left Jones in the game for the sake of competing.  What he really did was make Daniel Jones attempt 51 inconsequential passes, all for no good reason.  It was a nice gesture, but with this offensive line, still somewhat foolish.  

Nate Solder was moved over to the left side in place of Andrew Thomas.  That's a threefold problem.  He already needs help from the tight end and backfield just to secure the right side.  It's problematic for Jason Garrett, who must cheat on formations and play call around Solder's inefficiencies.  In turn, it makes the Giants' offense very predictable.  If Nate Solder is switching over to the quarterback's blind side, you do not play Daniel Jones in a meaningless fourth quarter - not after Solder allowed a sack on the Giants' very first play from scrimmage.

Look, the Giants do not have an NFL grade tight end, period.  Argue with me if you will.  Saquon Barkley is out, and they played without Darius Slayton and Kenny Golladay as well.  Kadarius Toney injured his ankle during the Giants' first offensive series, and Andrew Thomas was likewise injured. 

If Joe Judge wanted to do something constructive, he should have turned to his offensive coordinator and told him to rush the freaking ball no matter the outcome.  Devontae Booker rushed twelve times for 41 yards, and Elijhaa Penny three times for 15 yards.  Together they averaged 2.7 yards per attempt.  All told, the Giants rushed 15 times for 55 yards.  However, Booker averaged 3.4 yards per rush - that's worth a potential first down.  How is that any worse than three INTs, a fumble, and 22 incomplete passes?  Not to mention, Daniel Jones was coming off concussion protocol and, in the game, absorbed unnecessary hits.  

Wrong decision by the head coach.

N.Y. Giants: Joe Judge Plants His Flag

From the desk: DO IT FOR THE DUKE

street art: #almostfamous

Big Blue Corrects Big Mistake

• ICYMI: Offense Rises To The Occasion

Chalk one up for Joe Judge.  He contributed 40 yards towards the cause.

If game four is any indication, he effectively stamped out a problematic issue.

It took a month, but the Giants won their first game this season.  Not many fans believe they're actually a 1-3 team.  Some will argue they could and should be 3-1, but certainly no less than par.

The Giants simply stumbled and fumbled against the Broncos.  They grossed 314 total yards on offense. Four flags cost them 48 yards - nothing out of the ordinary.

In weeks two and three, penalties, particularly to the offensive line, suddenly became pandemic.  The Giants amassed 391 total yards against Washington, but eleven penalties cost them 81 yards and several big plays.  Against the Falcons, they committed eight more penalties for 53 yards while generating 346 yards on offense.  The Giants could have potentially grossed 400 offensive yards in each game were it not for the abundance of penalty flags.

The Giants averaged 350 yards on offense through the first three games but 7.6 penalties for 60.6 yards.  Against Washington and Atlanta, they grossed an average of 368 offensive yards but a compromising 9.5 penalties for 67 yards.

Against the Saints, the Giants committed a four-game low three penalties for 25 yards.  Meanwhile, they grossed 485 yards on offense.

Correlation?

I'm sure Joe Judge had something to say.

N.Y. Giants: What's The Play!?

From the desk: DO IT FOR THE DUKE

GETTING DARK EARLY AT EAST RUTHERFORD

WEEK THREE

Falcons    17

GIANTS  14

FINAL

More Mistakes, More Flags, More Mismanagement, More Losing

Once is an event, twice is a coincidence, and three times is a trend.  With Sunday's loss against the worst team on their schedule, the Giants now own an 0-3 record after three weeks.  It speaks for itself.

Week three featured yet more second-half folly.  Moreover, the offensive line penalties are becoming maddening; otherwise, eight-team penalties for 53 yards.  

At about the 9:00 mark of the third, Will Hernandez, who should absolutely know better, was flagged for an ineligible man downfield.  It cost Saquon Barkley a 23-yard gain.

If you were watching on TV, at 6:29 of the third quarter Daniel Jones was changing the play at the line of scrimmage.  Or was he?  Because not just once, but at least twice, we heard very clearly someone yelling out, "What is the play?"  When they finally do snap the ball, Brad Bredeson is flagged for holding.  

Nate Solder was called for another costly fourth-quarter penalty, and Billy Price another.  It's downright exasperating, and it costs the Giants games.

The Hog Mollies yielded two sacks and five other hits, which is manageable.  But they're still not creating requisite daylight.  They rushed 19 times for just 61 yards.  Saquon Barkley rushed 16 times for 51 yards.  Daniel Jones ran for 39 yards giving the Giants 100 yards for the game, but as I've been saying, this is far from optimal, nor is it tenable.

Where in the world was Deventae Booker?  Why isn't he increasing Giants' rushes to upwards of 22 to 25 per game?  Why the hell did they shovel money at him if they're not going to play him?  Elijhaa Penny and Gary Brightwell rush three times for ten yards.  

Really?

Cycling back to Jason Garrett, despite a season-high 19 rushing attempts, his play calling is still far from balanced and sometimes even nonsensical.  Why would you devise a running play for the fullback to rush around the edge?

I'll wait ...

It doesn't end there.  In the first half, Daniel Jones and the Giants' offense did many things right.  But the Giants entered the red zone three times and stalled, including a dropped pass in the end zone, thus coming away with only six points, only to lose by a field goal.

The Giants trailed 7-6 at the half, ordinarily nothing to fret over.  That is until a mistake-riddled third quarter.  

Some of that is on Joe Judge.  He needs to clean up this pandemic of penalties and better manage his timeouts!

But unlike Jason Garrett, defensive coordinator Patrick Graham called a decent game.  The Giants posted an improved three sacks and six other hits.  They held the Falcons to 17 points and under 300 total yards.  Atlanta rushed for just 69 yards, and Matt Ryan was held to 243 yards passing.  However, another costly penalty near the goal line afforded the Falcons a second chance resulting in an easy touchdown connection with the tight end.

Yes, in consecutive fourth-quarter drives, they yielded the tying score and winning score.  They even dropped a potential interception in the end zone.  But I can't put this loss on the defense, fourth-quarter letdown, and all.  Lest we forget, they lost Blake Martinez in the first half and for the season.

Despite mixing and matching Hog Mollies, investing foolishly big bucks on receiver Kenny Golladay, picking up a tight end, and selecting Kadarius Toney in the draft, the Giants' biggest problems remain on the offensive side of the ball, and not necessarily Daniel Jones.  Nor can penalties and rushing inefficiency be blamed on injuries to Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard.

With the game tied at fourteen, the Giants were given the ball with 4:13 left and mustered nothing except for Solder's holding penalty.

Sunday's loss makes two games they've been held under fifteen points.

The numbers tell no lies.

N.Y. Giants: The Pressure Is On For Some, Off For Others

From the desk: DO IT FOR THE DUKE

No Pressure, Big Problem

Lack of Quarterback Pressure Makes Bridgewater and Heinicke Look Like Elway and Theismann

Two pedestrian quarterbacks have now outperformed Daniel Jones because they played under far less duress. 

In Week One, fourth-quarter ineptness on offense contributed to the defense being stranded on the field for upwards of thirty-five minutes.  In turn, the Giants made Teddy Bridgewater look like John Elway.  Bridgewater completed 77.7% of his 36 pass attempts for 264 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions.  The defense recorded two sacks and just six other QB hits.  

Denver's backfield rushed 25 times for 146 yards (Bridgewater not included).  A big chunk of that came on Melvin Gordon's fourth-quarter 70-yard romp for a touchdown.  Take that out of the equation, and the Broncos rushed 24 times for 76 yards.  Which is to say, when you continually fail to achieve first downs on offense and keep sending out the defense to cover your ass, things like Melvin Gordon are going to happen.

In Week Two, the offense's lack of discipline and more fourth-quarter ineptness directly contributed to a second consecutive loss.  A bevy of penalties sabotages an otherwise adequate performance by Daniel Jones.  The Giants even won the time of possession.

However, the Giants made quarterback Taylor Heinicke look like Joe Theismann.  Playing in only his tenth career game in five years, he completed 73.9% of 46 pass attempts for 336 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception (the Giants' first this season).  They sacked Heinicke just once with only two other QB hits.  

On the ground, at least the Giants held Washington to 81 yards on 18 carries.  But with so little quarterback pressure, receiver Terry McLauren torched the secondary for 107 yards on eleven catches, and J.D. McKissic caught five passes for another 83 yards.  Compare that to Denver receiver Jerry Jeudy who caught six passes for only 72 yards.

Bridgewater and Heinicke together completed (62/82) 75.6% of their passes for precisely 600 yards, with four touchdowns and one interception.  Through two games, the Giants have generated just three sacks and only eight other QB hits.  

Meanwhile, Daniel Jones was sacked twice and hit six other times in Week One, and Washington sacked him four times with seven additional hits.  That's quite the imbalance.  In turn, through two games, Jones is 44/69 (63.7%) for 516 yards with two touchdowns, no interceptions (and one big fumble).

I will be kind and say the Giants to date have "effectively" limited opposing backfields to 157 rushing yards.  But it has become evidently clear the onus is now on defensive coordinator Patrick Graham to devise more pressure on the quarterback. 

It's up to Joe Judge to clean up the penalties; sixteen flags costing the Giants (132 yards) more than the length of a football field.

N.Y. Giants: All Eyes on Daniel Jones and the Man Who Drafted Him

From the desk: DO IT FOR THE DUKE

WEEK ONE

Broncos

vs.

GIANTS

Dave Gettleman Takes His Rightful Place In The Hot Seat

All eyes are on Daniel Jones.  By most accounts, last season was a step backward.  If you care to place some of the blame on losing Saquon Barkley in Week Two, I won't stop you.  In any event, entering his third NFL season, the Giants now need Jones to take a major leap forward.  

Dave Gettleman's job depends on it.  

The Giants last season rated second to last in offensive productivity.

Therefore, the general manager signed Kenny Golladay, picked up Kyle Rudolph and drafted wide receiver, Kadarius Toney.  They'll join regulars Saquon Barkley, Sterling Shepard, Evan Engram, and Darius Slayton, with Jason Garrett calling plays.

Is this collection of ball handlers playoff-caliber?

Insofar as the NFC East, maybe.  Conference and Super Bowl quality?  Hardly ...

But once again, the offensive line will be a decisive factor.  The best thing I can come up with is continuity.  I believe that's an important element in building offensive lines.  There's a level of choreography they must establish together as a unit.  Andrew Thomas, Will Hernandez, Nick Gates, Matt Peart, and perhaps the return of Nate Solder at right tackle have time together.  As such, I expect them to collectively function more effectively.  

But can they protect Daniel Jones and create daylight for Saquon Barkley?  Can this offense consistently make first downs, sustain possession, and limit the defense's time on the field?

Is this offense up for the challenge?

All this remains to be seen.

My true opinion: mediocrity rules the day.

Denver has a good defense.  I think the Giants get blown out Sunday.  There, I said it, and it's up to the Giants to change my mind.  

This will be Dave Gettleman's fourth season.  Forget being an NFC contender.  The Giants aren't even the best of the rest, not with a 15-33 record over the last three seasons.

Patrick Graham is doing a good job on the other side of the ball.  Last season the defense was forced into playing too many minutes.  This season, it's up to the offense to pull their fair share of the load.  That being said, this general manager must go if his collective draft choices do not help elevate the Giants this season.  

Hopefully, head coach Joe Judge, who has my full support, can show them the way.

Lest we forget, Wellington Mara's five-year rebuilding plan took two decades.  His son is entering year ten.

 

N.Y. Giants: Hog Mollies Giving Wayne Gallman His Space

From the desk: DO IT FOR THE DUKE

HOG MOLLIES CONTINUE SURGE

WEEK TWELVE

GIANTS     19

BENGALS  17

FINAL

SMASH MOUTH: Punishing Running Game, Maintaining Ball Possession, and Controlling The Clock.

The Giants are officially trending.  Recent developments are no longer a matter of coincidence.  They're winners of three in a row and four of their last six games.  However, I care not that they temporarily find themselves atop the NFC East standings.  A 4-7 record quells that conversation. Instead, it's the steady improvement that I desire, and from week to week, we see just that.

Daniel Jones has yet to break 300 yards passing this season.  But for as long as the Giants keep winning, the matter of yardage remains something more of a cosmetic issue.  What's more important is where he was versus where he is now.  The closest Jones has come to cracking 300 yards was in Week One against the Steelers, of all teams, when he threw for 279 yards.  In four of his next five contests spanning Week Three through Week Seven, he failed to throw for 200 yards.  But over his last four games, the Giants are 3-1, in which they just barely lost to the Buccaneers.  Jones threw for over 200 yards each time, averaging 231 yards per game, which speaks to an emerging consistency that earlier in the season was absent from his game.  This is also his third straight game without a fumble or turnover, making the Giants' win streak far from a coincidence.  Sunday's game was obviously not without its casualties.  The full extent of Jones' strained hamstring sustained against the Bengals remains to be seen.  By the way, a very questionable move by Judge reinserting Jones back into the game.  Otherwise, I would hate to see Daniel Jones' development sidetracked while amid a good run. 

Meanwhile, the offensive line yielded no sacks and limited Cincy's QB hits to just three.  The running game again rushed for high yardage with a net 142 yards on the day regarding daylight.  Gallman was the big man on campus with 24 rushes for 94 yards.  In his last three games, Gallman has rushed for 215 yards with four touchdowns.  Gallman, Dion Lewis, and Alfred Morris joined together on thirty rushes for 112 yards.  I find the number of rushing attempts very pleasing.  As such, the Giants owned time of possession 37:26 minutes versus just 22:34 for Cincinnati, and have now won the time of possession in three straight games - again, no coincidence.  This, to me, is a clear indication that the offensive line is growing into a more cohesive and integrated unit.

We all know by now about the confrontation between Joe Judge and former offensive line coach Marc Colombo.  If nothing else, Sunday's performance further confirms Coach Judge's decision to fire Colombo as being correct.  In fact, I applaud him for it.  After failing to breach 100 yards in their first three games and four of the first five, Joe Judge got more involved in coaching up the offensive line.  Since then, the Giants have rushed for 100+ yards in six consecutive games and seven of their last eight.  In fact, they've exceeded 140+ yards in three straight games and four times in their previous five.  Looking back, it indeed seems as if the rushing turnaround is partly the result of Joe Judge's intervention.

On average, Patrick Graham's defense is yielding the tenth least points per game.  In six of eleven games to date, the defense has held opponents to twenty points or less.  A big reason for that has to do with being tied for fourth in the NFL with 18 takeaways.  They are also one of only five teams limiting their opponents under 100 yards rushing per game.  Lastly, they are tied for tenth with 2.5 sacks per game.  Blake Martinez is tied for fourth with 101 tackles.  

And what of Dave Gettleman's controversial acquisition of Leonard Williams?  After averaging just 2.5 sacks over the last three seasons, he presently has six sacks, one shy of his career-high of seven set in 2016 during his sophomore season with the Jets.  Five games remain in the season.

And yeah, the Giants are in first place ...

N.Y. Giants: Head Coach Reads and Reacts to Deficiency in Coaching Ranks

From the desk: DO IT FOR THE DUKE

JUDGE RENDERS HIS DECISION

That settles it ... Joe Judge has an ally in me.  

I previously said that I would wait till after the season to pass judgment.  But with the defense surprising everyone, the offense progressively coming around, and the head coach taking a member of his staff to task, I'm sold.

Marc Colombo is now the former offensive line coach of the Giants.  After a heated discussion with Joe Judge, the Giants' first-year head coach fired him in a move Judge claims is both in the short and long-term interests of the team.  Colombo is the former offensive line coach of the Dallas Cowboys who came to the Giants at Wayne Garrett's behest.  Mind you, Colombo at Dallas was handed an already heavily invested and talented offensive line.  Where did that get them ...

Apparently, Joe Judge over the last four weeks has been taking a more active role in coaching up the offensive line.  If that was not perceived as an affront by Marc Colombo, then perhaps hiring the more familiar Dave DeGuglielmo as an assistant offensive line coach was.  Said another way, Colombo was never a Joe Judge guy, to begin with.  It's evident, now, Judge's lack of confidence in Colombo inspired him to take proactive measures.

What has transpired on the field in recent weeks makes much more sense when framed in this context.  If you're down with DO IT FOR THE DUKE, then you know I've been harping on the running game since Week One.  After failing to breach 100 yards in their first three games and four of the first five, the Giants have now rushed for 100+ yards in five consecutive games and six of their last seven.  In fact, they've now exceeded 150+ yards in two straight games and three times in their last four (twice against PHI and once against WAS).  They now are out-rushing their opponents this season by a slim +96 yard differential and rank 14th in rushing attempts, 16th in yards per game, and 11th in total yards gained.  Looking back, it indeed seems as if the rushing turnaround is the result of Joe Judge's intervention.

A man with conviction, a head coach with broad oversight, and laser-focused superintendence, I like it.

Left guard Will Hernandez contracting the corona-virus also created another development - namely playing time for Matt Peart and Shane Lemieux who have been rotating with Andrew Thomas on the left side.  Andrew Thomas, of course, was handed the starting left tackle position right out of the draft and struggled early.  However, he likewise has put together a series of sound performances in recent weeks.  

It begs the question: can this be chalked up to coincidence, playing experience through ten games, or did Joe Judge realize his offensive line was in the hands of an unqualified coach?

N.Y. Giants: The Thrill of Victory Number One

From the desk of: DO IT FOR THE DUKE

JOE JUDGE WINS FIRST GAME AS HEAD COACH

WEEK SIX

No Name    19

Giants        20

FINAL

GIANTS OFFENSE STILL SPUTTERING

Joe Judge in his sixth try finally earns his first win as head coach of the New York Giants.  

It wasn't pretty by any stretch.  In the closing moments the defense steps up to thwart Washington's last ditch two point conversion attempt.  Big Blue comes away with a 20-19 victory at empty MetLife Stadium.  Aesthetics aside, a win is a win is a win.

Congratulations to Coach Judge. 

I like his demeanor and his message and he has my support.  I'm far more agreeable with Judge at the helm than I was with Pat Shurmur and especially Ben McAdoo at the controls.  Otherwise, I will give Judge his grade at the end of the season and not until then.

In the meantime, the team's 1-5 record more than anyone else is most reflective of Dave Gettleman and the talent he has so far assembled.  Therefore my attention remains on the general manager and next year's batch of draft selections.  That being said, the performance of Daniel Jones will go a long way towards swaying Gettleman's decision making.

On Sunday Danny Dimes once again falls a few pennies short of cashing in.  His performance is a tale of two halves.  He is good in the first half, not so good in the second, particularly down the stretch.  That's been a problem throughout the season.  Dreams of the quarterback and offensive line progressing together, in sync, are given a glimmer of hope when in the second quarter Daniel Jones throws his first touchdown pass since the opening week against Pittsburgh.  Looking to build upon a 13-10 lead in the closing minute of the third quarter, the Giants are positioned first and goal at the Washington seven.  Jones fires towards the back of the end zone as if to throw it away and is instead picked off.  The Washington No Names then go on a 14 play drive which stalls but nevertheless results in the game tying field goal.

Jones completes 12 fo 19 attempts for 112 yards, with one touchdown and the one interception.  It is Daniel's sixth INT of the season and the 18th of his career.  He has now turned the ball over by INT or fumble in 17 of 18 pro starts.  Add in 22 career fumbles due to pass pressure and when rushing and you have forty gross turnovers.

This also marks the third time in six games Daniel Jones has failed to achieve at least 200 yards passing.  He has yet this season to throw for 300 yards.  His best two games to date were the first two games when he throws for 279 yards against the Steelers, then throws for 241 yards against the Bears.  Since then he's been averaging just 18 completions and a sub par 175 yards per game.  In twelve starts last season he posted five games of 300+ yards passing.

Up front, the hog mollies limit a disruptive Washington pass rush to a lone sack and just five other QB hits.  That's improvement.  But there's a twist.  Rookies Andrew Thomas and Matt Peart share near equal time at left tackle.  We later learn Thomas was being disciplined for violating team rules.  Neither one allows a sack.

The Giants technically rushed for 132 yards, marking their second highest output through six games.  However, I do not include Daniel Jones who this time runs for 74 yards on seven carries.  Thus, Devonta Freeman is responsible for the entire Giants running attack, gaining 61 yards on 18 carries.  The Giants run left five times for 34 yards behind Thomas, Peart, and Will Hernandez.  They net one yard on two attempts up the middle.  Eleven times they rushed right for 26 net yards behind Kevin Zeitler and Cam Fleming.  Said another way, they averaged 6.8 yards rushing left and only 2.3 yards rushing right.

After amassing exactly 300 total yards for the first time last week against Dallas, the Giants offense only manages 240 total yards against Washington.  They're averaging just 275 yards of offense per game.

With the defense accounting for one touchdown, the offense manages just 13 points.  They've scored just six touchdowns through six games and are averaging just 17.5 points per game.  The good news is they've now gone back to back weeks scoring 20 points or more. 

Meanwhile, the less I speak about the defense the better they play.  Carry on, fellas.

N.Y. Giants: Head Coach Joe Judge is Now in Session

From the desk of: DO IT FOR THE DUKE

F-Bombs and First Downs, The Joe Judge Era Begins

The broader the view, the more Big Blue you see ...

Ray Perkins was a disciplinarian.  Hired in 1979, he gets the Giants back into the post-season in 1981 for the first time in eighteen years.

Bill Parcells follows.  He is also a disciplinarian and leads the Giants to Super Bowl victories in 1986 and 1990 and very well should have won another in 1989 were it not for Flipper Anderson.

I digress...

After realizing their mistake in handing over the reins to Ray Handley, George Young one day picks up his phone.  Hello?  Hey George, it me Dan Reeves, how bout giving me a crack at the Giants?  Okay you're hired.  To his credit, Dan Reeves in 1993 squeezes the last bit of goodness out of Lawrence Taylor, Phil Simms, Rodney Hampton and the smash mouth era with one last playoff push and victory over the Vikings.  Dan Reeves wasn't one to take much crap either.  He was a serious guy and remained instrumental over the next two seasons whilst George Young went about restocking talent.  It was Reeves who switched Michael Strahan from right to left defensive end.  Strahan was of course resistant at first, but the rest is football history.

Once the team is rebuilt to a satisfactory level, George Young tells Dan Reeves thank you and hires Jim Fassell who is nowhere near the disciplinarian his predecessors were.  It's actually an odd hire.  However, he benefits from good coordinators.  Fassell connects with his players and together they turn the Giants into a viable contender again.  In 1998, new general manager Ernie Accorsi picks up where retiring executive George Young leaves off.  Fassell marches forward to capture an NFC title and gets the Giants back into the Super Bowl.  But an underwhelming performance against the Baltimore Ravens is the line a demarcation.  For the fun stops there.  The Giants unyielding recklessness, undisciplined play and mounting losses, some ponderous, ultimately costs Fassell his job.

Ernie Accorsi reverts back to disciplinarian with the appointment of Tom Coughlin.  Two Super Bowls later new general manager Jerry Reese, unlike George Young, fails to draft well and rebuild the Giants (offensive line) in a timely manner.  In turn the Giants spend the last decade mired with futility, reactive faulty reasoning, bad cap economics, successive poor coaching hires, scapegoating, Mara's micromanagement and a mountain of losses.  The Giants are 55-77 since winning Super Bowl XLVI and have posted double-digit losses in five of the last six seasons.  That's a lot of stimulus for repeatedly making bad decisions.  The teams constructed by Jerry Reese during the latter years of Eli Manning's career were nothing short of a disservice to his legacy.  Matters compound when Gettlemen is derailed by Mara's insistence to win now while Eli is still under contract.  If sometimes Gettleman seemed in control of the situation and other times he seemed absolutely clueless, this is why.  It's part of being the front man.  Jerry Reese's hiring of Ben McAdoo and Gettleman's hiring of Pat Shurmur were specifically selected with Eli in mind.  Mara's fingerprints have since been uncovered everywhere.  Disciplinarians?  Don't make me laugh.

Years of giving it one more go for the Gipper are finally over.  With Eli Manning out of the picture, this finally becomes Dave Gettleman's team, albeit two years too late.  Take that with a grain of salt.  But he no longer must fret the owner derailing his best laid plans.  In fact, he moves forward with a new head coach and a quarterback and running back in place, and a first round offensive lineman selection that hints at the course Gettleman is setting.  Both sides of the ball are also collectively very young.  I'm not one to declare fresh starts for peace sake, but in Gettleman's case and the Giants present condition it may be warranted.

Hopefully Joe Judge brings law and order to the Giants.  They've clearly reverted back to hiring a disciplinarian.  The question is will players buy in?  Off the top of my head I say yes.  This is a very young team throughout the lineup, all seeking to establish themselves same as their rookie head coach.  There's every reason for them to come together as one.  It's called camaraderie on a rebuilding club.  But if you're a rookie coach looking to bully your way through the bingo parlor, you better know what you're doing.  If we've learned anything about him so far, it's that he's an F-bomber.  Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Lest we forget how winning trumps all.

Joe Judge was part of three New England Patriots Super Bowls.  But if his resume seems a little shy of experience, that's because it is.  His NFL career consists of eight years, all with the Patriots, as special teams coordinator and wide receivers coach.  That's it, and he's only 38-years old.

Once upon a time Tom Coughlin was a wide receivers coach with the Giants when Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick still ran the room.  Difference is he would go on to lead the Jacksonville Jaguars to back-to-back AFC title games prior to becoming head coach of the Giants.  Once upon a time Bill Belichick also started out as a special teams and wide receivers coach prior to his employment with the Giants.

Apparently Joe Judge has Bill Belichick's blessings.  That was not the case when Eric Mangini left the Patriots Trust to accept the New York Jets head coaching position.  He meets my approval as well.

Judge is going to be tough and structured, or so he thinks.  But I do believe he will be better than Ben McAdoo and Pat Shurmur put together.

So, let's be hopeful.

Improvement speaks louder than f-bombs.

Just saying ...