Giants Country

Former Giants Receiver Levels Harsh Criticism Against ex-Head Coach

Golden Tate clearly wasn't a fan of the Joe Judge era in New York.

Andrew Parsaud

New York Giants offensive coordinator Jason Garrett fist bumps wide receiver Golden Tate (15) after his touchdown catch in the second half. T
New York Giants offensive coordinator Jason Garrett fist bumps wide receiver Golden Tate (15) after his touchdown catch in the second half. T / Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Former New York Giants wide receiver Golden Tate, signed after the team traded away Odell Beckham, Jr., recently admitted he was not a fan of Joe Judge, his head coach with the Giants during the 2020 season.

Tate, who spoke of the challenges of that season as posed by the COVID-19 pandemic that led the NFL to play in front of empty stadiums that year, said his biggest gripe with Judge was that the first-time head coach was too intent on being a Bill Belichick clone rather than adapting to the Giants.

“My last year was during the COVID year, and that just sucked because we had to play about every single game with no fans in the stadium, so it felt like a scrimmage,” Tate said during a Q&A session with fans in which he was asked what it was like playing for the Giants. 

“And on top of that I had one of the Patriots descendants come on over, Joseph Judge, who thought he could remake the wheel by trying to do everything like Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, and it did not fly.”

At that point in his coaching career, Judge, who had been recommended to the Giants by Belichick, the former Giants defensive coordinator, had only known one way of running a football program: the Nick Saban-Bill Belichick approach.

That approach looked like it might work at the beginning of Judge’s tenure as head coach. The Giants, despite finishing 6-10 that season, just barely missed the playoffs, thanks in part to the Eagles' decision to tank the regular-season finale against Washington, which gave the Commanders the game and knocked the Giants out of the playoffs. 

Still, the 6-10 mark, good enough for second place in the NFC East, was an improvement from their 4-12 finish in 2019 but provided a fake sense of optimism for a franchise that was in serious trouble underneath the excitement.

The following season, with Tate having moved on, the wheels fell off the Giants' wagon.  They finished 4-13 and in fourth place, and Judge, who famously made players and coaches run laps if they messed up in practice, seemed to lose control of things. 

He fired offensive coordinator Jason Garret, replacing him with Freddie Kitchens, his friend from his college days. 

Then Judge, who during that 2020 season sent Tate home after the receiver was caught on camera expressing frustration over not getting the ball enough following a loss to the Bucs, punished Tate by limiting him to no more than 60% of the offensive snaps the rest of the season.

His biggest head-scratchers came in 2021 when he delivered an 11-minute postgame rant seemingly defending his program after a brutal loss to the Chicago Bears. But the final nail in Judge’s coffin came when he famously called back-to-back quarterback sneaks despite his offense being backed up in their end zone during the team's Week 18 loss to the then-Washington Football Team.

Judge was fired after the 2021 season, and was replaced by current head coach Brian Daboll.

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Andrew Parsaud

ANDREW PARSAUD

Andrew Parsaud is currently attending Penn State, where he is studying digital journalism and media. He is an avid follower of the major New York sports teams. 

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