Two second-year NFL head coaches going about it in very different ways.
Joe Judge does not emote, ever, in his postgame messaging. He does not give the fans — most of them, anyway — what they want. He is analytical but light on specifics, ever-cautious to make sure what he saw with his eyes is confirmed after film study. He is never too high — those opportunities are rare — and refuses to get too low, regardless of 44-20 at Dallas or 38-11 one week later against the Rams.
There are no broad-brush statements from Judge, win or lose.
Panthers head coach Matt Rhule all-but opened a vein after Sunday’s 25-3 loss to the Giants, dropping the Panthers to 3-4 after a 3-0 start. Rhule knows how to build up sagging programs, succeeding at Temple and then Baylor, and he has a salesman quality to him. He is considered a “better quote” than Judge.
Rhule said he was “unbelievably disappointed in our coaching staff and myself and our players and the entire Carolina Panthers.” He said: “Offensively, obviously, we didn’t protect the quarterback. We wanted to run the football more. We started out running it and didn’t run it enough. We didn’t run it well enough. We couldn’t convert. It’s just completely unacceptable.”
Rhule then challenged his team.
“We have to coach way, way better,” he said. “There’s no doubt. But we also have to play better, and I think this is one of those deals where everyone that walks in that building this week starting with me, has got to have a sense of urgency that I think we should have had the last couple of weeks. It feels like it during the week, but it doesn’t seem to be showing up on Sundays. At some point it’s got to change.”
Judge does not go there. He is almost automaton in his progression through the season. He takes the emotion out of it and repeatedly warns against riding the roller coaster from week to week.
Judge’s way is frustrating for fans wanting answers and blood, sweat and tears following a loss. Rhule’s way is more satisfying, in this regard. It remains to be seen which way is the most effective way.
This more dramatic approach could have resulted in Rhule assessing a loss as head coach of the Giants. He was high on their list and very much on their radar during the 2020 hiring cycle. Co-owner John Mara knew a great deal about Rhule — he was a Giants assistant coach in 2012 — and knew very little about Judge. If Panthers owner David Tepper did not blow any outside competition away with a seven-year, $60 million contract — the Giants were not going there, financially or in years on the deal — Rhule would have interviewed with the Giants and certainly could have been the choice.
Rhule went 5-11 with the Panthers in his debut season. Judge went 6-10 with the Giants. Rhule got out of the gate fast this season, but a 3-0 start has devolved into a 3-4 record. Judge’s Giants are 2-5 this season. Twenty-three games into their NFL head coaching careers, Judge is 8-15 and Rhule is 8-15. One potentially huge difference: Judge might have his franchise quarterback in Daniel Jones. Rhule almost certainly does not have his franchise quarterback in Sam Darnold, who was benched against the Giants.
Heading into the game, Rhule stated his team would emphasize running the ball at least 30 times. The Giants’ defense took that as a challenge, and also an insult, and stuffed the Panthers on the ground. Score one for Judge. The Giants had lost two straight and played with desperation. The Panthers had lost three straight and were uninspiring. Score one for Judge here, as well.
“I don’t know if we realize the position that we’re in,” Rhule said. “You can tell New York certainly recognized after last week the position they were in, that their backs were against the wall. They had a sense of urgency that we did not have.
“We were not the tougher team and that’s a credit to the Giants.”
And a credit to the head coach of the Giants, who is in the job for many reasons, one being that Rhule never interviewed for it.
More that came out of the Giants’ second victory of the season:
Peart-y good
Before the game, we targeted Haason Reddick as a player to keep an eye on within the Panthers defense. Why Reddick? Well, the shifty outside linebacker came into the game with 6.5 sacks and last season, playing for the Cardinals, he devastated the Giants with five sacks and three forced fumbles in a dominating performance. With Andrew Thomas on injured reserve with ankle and foot issues, left tackle was manned by Matt Peart and this figured to be a rough matchup, knocking heads with Reddick. Verdict? Peart did the job. He played 69 of the 72 offensive snaps — he missed three dealing with a finger problem — and most of them were solid. Reddick played 59 snaps and finished with five tackles, one for loss. There were no sacks or quarterback hits for Reddick.
Peart’s development is essential for the Giants. He was a third-round pick last year and the front office and coaching staff all determined he would be a project. It is imperative the Giants get Peart on the field as much as possible. When Thomas returns, after the Week 10 bye, Peart should swing over to right tackle and get his reps on that side. Nate Solder should fill the role initially designed for him this season: Backup swing tackle.
Endurance man
Tae Crowder was a late addition to the injury report last week, listed as questionable on Saturday with a thigh issue. This was problematic, as Crowder, 24, is a valuable starter and his role has increased and grown in importance ever since Blake Martinez was lost for the season to a torn ACL. Crowder pushed through and not only was able to play against the Panthers, he was on the field for all 64 snaps on defense. He matched Leonard Williams with a team-high six tackles and he is needed in coverage, a skill-set he definitely possesses. This goes to show, you never know with draft picks. Crowder was taken in the seventh round with pick No. 255 in the 2020 NFL Draft, the very last player selected, earning him the “Mr. Irrelevant” designation. He is quite relevant for the Giants.
What’s a rout?
Winning games is quite a struggle for the Giants. Winning them easily, decisively, is a rarity. The last time they won a game by more than 22 points — the margin of victory over the Panthers — was nearly three years ago, when they thrashed Washington 40-16 late in the 2018 season.
Passing fancy
What Daniel Jones pulled off — catching a pass with a one-handed grab for a 16-yard gain — does not happen around the Giants. The last time a Giants quarterback caught a pass in a game was more than 20 years ago, when Kerry Collins on Sept. 10, 2001 grabbed his own (deflected) pass out of the air for a 2-yard loss at Denver. The Giants, unsurprisingly, for 16 years did not design any plays that included Eli Manning running a pass route and being the primary target.
Something to watch
This was quick. Linebacker Benardrick McKinney got in the game for 11 snaps on defense for the Giants, six days after he was signed to the practice squad. McKinney was elevated to the active roster on Saturday and a day later was making plays for his new team. He had two solo tackles and impressed his teammates with his hard-hitting style. McKinney, 28, had three 100-plus tackle seasons for the Texans and has 77 NFL starts on his resume, as well as one Pro Bowl selection (in 2018). He could and probably will push Reggie Ragland for playing time at inside linebacker.