Judge Brings Family to New York Giants Training Camp

I like New York Giants Head Coach Joe Judge. He is old school. Judge studied under an NFL legend Bill Belichick and won 3 Super Bowl rings. How much does that pedigree mean in the National Football League? Joe Judge has never been offensive or defensive coordinator, yet he was hired as head coach of one of the most prestigious professional franchises in all of sports, the New York Giants.

Sterling Shepard turns a cartwheel for his kids after practice Tuesday.
Photo by Robert Sabo for the NY POST

How? Well, I think Joe Judge is smart enough to be different. My buddy Paul Schwartz from the New York Post did a cool article on the Giants' Head Coach and his 'family' approach to training camp. For years of being around New York Giants training camp at UAlbany, seeing the player's families was something reserved for weekends and special events. According to Paul, things have changed.

Joe Judge and his family are a fixture after practice.
Photo by Robert Sabo for the NY POST

Get our free mobile app

“It doesn’t matter how tough or stressful the practice was, when you see your little ones and your significant other, it does put it in perspective and change the mood for a second,’’ Schwartz quoted Judge. The New York Post Giants beat writer described the family style camp, "a post-practice scene at Giants camp is filled with youngsters spilling out from the patio adjacent to the team facility, beelining to their fathers like heat-seeking mini-missiles. Footballs take to the air. Cartwheels and foot-races give off a recess vibe."

Paul Schwartz remembers the same camps that I do and so do some of the former Giants' players. Paul talked to one that remembered camp a little differently, "Charles Way, a former Giants fullback, arrived in 1995, when the Giants held camp at sweltering Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, N.J. Players stayed in dorm rooms and after a week, wives and kids arrived on the first weekend. “Things have changed,’’ said Way, who worked for the Giants and the NFL in player development and engagement and currently is in real estate and asset management.You’ve seen how mental health, especially from the Olympics, have played a real critical role and how teams function and organize their daily schedule...’’'

The Giants Head Coach knows his business and he knows his players. Allowing players to bring their two worlds together with work and family may not seem like a big deal but recognizing the mental health of your employees is always a good thing. As I said, I like Joe Judge. I like his management style and believe he will be successful for a long time. Take a few minutes and read the rest of Paul's article and see more photos in the New York Post by clicking here. Paul's "Blue Rush" Podcast is coming soon.