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Giants’ Joe Judge referenced 2018 Patriots in lengthy postgame rant about building team culture
"In 2018, I was part of a team who halfway through the season we were all pretty convinced we were getting fired."
The Patriots demolished the Jaguars 50-10 on Sunday, officially clinching a playoff berth. New England will face the Dolphins in Week 18 with a chance to still clinch the division title (though it would require a loss by the Bills against the Jets).
Also on Sunday, the Celtics staged a late rally to defeat the Magic 116-111 in overtime. Jaylen Brown led Boston with 50 points.
And the Bruins got a second win in 2022 with a 5-1 victory over the Red Wings.
Joe Judge on the 2018 Patriots: After suffering a fifth consecutive defeat on Sunday, Giants head coach Joe Judge (who was hired from New England having previously served as an assistant coach) was asked why fans should still believe that the team can get things turned around.
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New York is 4-12, and became the first team since 2009 to register negative passing yards in a game in the loss to the Bears. Judge, in his second year as coach of the Giants, currently holds a 10-22 record.
In response to the question, Judge embarked on a rant that lasted more than 11 minutes and totaled 2,614 words. Included in his many words was an anecdote from his time under Bill Belichick with the Patriots.
According to Judge, he was worried about being fired when the Patriots were halfway through the 2018 season.
“In 2018, I was part of a team who halfway through the season we were all pretty convinced we were getting fired,” Judge told reporters. “We didn’t think we were going to make the playoffs. Had no concept of anything that was coming.”
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The Patriots finished the year 11-5, and went on to beat the Rams in Super Bowl LIII. For Judge, however, his reference was tied to a larger point about a team’s culture and work ethic.
“We just knew we were going to keep showing up and improving week after week,” Judge said of the 2018 Patriots. “And on the outside, we were all terrible. We didn’t care about any of that noise on the outside. We didn’t care about it at all. What did we care about on the inside? What were we doing? Guys showed up, they worked, they fought, they worked. We improved enough as a team, put things together, make a run and end up winning the championship.
“But the things I really learned that year was the importance of the culture inside,” he added. “How important and valuable that is. I was part of more talented teams that came up short and lost games down the stretch. Much more talented. But one thing that really solidified in my mind, in my DNA that year in 2018 was the fact that it’s so much more important how strong you are inside because no team goes through a smooth season. No team goes through a smooth season.”
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Exactly who Judge was referencing beyond himself in the anecdote was not made clear. The Giants, who have scored one touchdown in the last three games, face the Washington Football Team in Week 18.
Trivia: The Patriots won Super Bowl LIII in a low-scoring clash, with just one touchdown scored in the entire game. What player scored the only touchdown in that year’s Super Bowl?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: He now plays for the team the Patriots beat in that game.
More from Boston.com:
- Mac Jones landed in a perfect spot with Bill Belichick, but Trevor Lawrence hit rock bottom with the Jaguars
- 5 takeaways from the Patriots’ postseason-clinching win over the Jaguars
- Bill Belichick explained Patriots’ mental health approach in response to question about Antonio Brown
- Bill Belichick praised Mac Jones as a ‘great person to coach’ after Patriots’ dominant win
- Adrian Phillips shares why he wanted to stay with Patriots, plus Patriots postgame vs. Jaguars
- Jaylen Brown dominates, scores 50: 5 takeaways from Celtics vs. Magic
- Mac Jones’s biggest advantage over his fellow rookie quarterbacks? Playing for the Patriots
- 3 takeaways from the Bruins’ 5-1 win over the Red Wings
- Bills clinch playoff berth, eliminate Falcons with 29-15 win
- Tom Brady rallies Bucs past Jets amid Antonio Brown’s outburst
- Antonio Brown let go by Buccaneers after ripping off jersey, leaving mid-game vs. Jets
The Patriots’ regular season finale was moved to 4:25 p.m. on Sunday:
On this day: In 1973, a 12-member group bought the New York Yankees from CBS for a reported sum of $10 million, a figure that was notably $3.2 million less than what the network originally paid for the baseball team in 1964.
The news story gave many their first mention of George Steinbrenner, who headed the new ownership group. The Cleveland shipbuilder would go on to become one of the more impactful individuals in baseball over the ensuing decades.
The Yankees are now worth $5.25 billion according to Forbes.
Daily highlight: During the Cardinals’ win over the Cowboys on Sunday, Arizona went for it on a fourth down in the first half. Special teams player Jonathan Ward came down with one of the best catches of the season.
Trivia answer: Sony Michel
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