Either Joe Judge’s eyesight is that of an eagle’s or he’s in another dimension.
The New York Giants head coach continues finding the most ridiculous of silver linings and positives from a team that, simply put, is one of the very worst in all of football.
Sunday provided another miserable outing for a franchise that has continued its decade-long nosedive into oblivion. A 37-21 loss to the San Diego Chargers provided a far more flattering scoreline than it should have been. The Giants trailed 37-7 before a couple of garbage-time touchdowns prompted Judge to keep talking about moral victories or — in this case — a foundation being put in place for a winning team.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to know what it’s supposed to look like,” Judge, who spent time as an assistant with Bill Belichick and the Patriots, said. “And I can see the direction it’s going and I can see the foundation being poured and solidified. We’re going to get it in the right direction.”
Nothing about this Giants team resembles that of a Patriots dynasty.
Daniel Jones isn’t Tom Brady. Which feels so ridiculous just having to point out. The third-year passer has not rewarded the blind confidence of general manager Dave Gettleman — the bane of the Giants’ issues the past four years — as turnover and injury issues continue to stunt his professional development.
His group of playmakers are not living up to expectations or being utilized enough.
Saquon Barkley has looked like a shell of his former self after ankle issues the past few seasons. Wide receiver Kenny Golladay is averaging just 2.8 receptions per game over his first 10 contests with the Giants after signing a four-year, $72 million deal.
The offensive line still hasn’t been sorted out despite it being Gettleman’s top priority upon his arrival as general manager.
The defense has performed admirably, but it’s hampered by big contracts that might have to be shed when this entire thing is eventually blown up.
That doesn’t seem like a very sturdy foundation, does it?
Then again, Judge apparently is seeing things that literally no one else in the football-viewing world can.
“Look, there’s a lot of things I see week after week with our players and where we’re going that I’m encouraged in a lot of ways,” Judge said. “Sometimes that’s tough to see externally. But there are some key foundational pieces that are being put in place and there’s a lot of things we’re making progress on, pushing forward.”
But the Giants aren’t making progress.
The loss on Sunday in Los Angeles dropped them to 4-9 on the season which clinched a fifth-straight year in which they’ll have a losing record. Judge himself is 10-19 as the team’s head coach.
This will be the seventh time in eight years that the Giants will post double-digit losses and the ninth time in the 10 years following their Super Bowl XLVI triumph that they will miss the playoffs.
There’s no progress. There’s no foundation. There’s a whole lot of nothing in the Meadowlands.
