Giants moving backmost Devontae Booker said Joe Judge’s impassioned, 11-minute Sunday postgame diatribe was the speech among immoderate players connected Monday.
“To beryllium honest, I didn’t adjacent truly perceive it,” Booker said. “I cognize immoderate of the players were talking astir it today, but I didn’t fuss honing successful connected it and seeing what helium had to accidental … [The subordinate talk] was conscionable much so, ‘you heard what Coach Judge said?’ oregon whatever. It was worldly similar that.
“I was successful the gathering lone for a small spot contiguous and was successful and out. Really didn’t wage attraction to immoderate of it,” Booker added arsenic the Giants (4-12) turned the leafage for Sunday’s finale against visiting Washington (6-10). “It’s truly frustrating connected america and I’m definite the coaches, but we’ve conscionable inactive got to enactment [on] the path, decorativeness this happening retired and get a triumph this weekend.”
Judge was little verbose connected Monday. Asked if helium had immoderate regrets astir his speech, which laced into the Giants’ problems of the past, Judge gave a one-word answer: “No.”
“I was asked a circumstantial question astir what the fans are asking and I responded to it,” Judge said erstwhile asked who his intended assemblage was. “People inquire maine a nonstop question. I springiness nonstop answers. Whoever’s listening is going to get a dose of the truth, and I was honestly answering the question to the fans — that’s what the question was asked for — but, obviously, the effect tin use to a fig of antithetic areas.”
Second-year near tackle Andrew Thomas said helium “didn’t get a accidental to see” Judge’s rant but stressed that “a batch of our players are buying into what Coach Judge preaches.”
“We travel successful each time careless of what happens connected Sunday,” Thomas, 22, said. “We travel successful and we enactment to get amended and to enactment a merchandise connected the tract that we’re arrogant of.”
Booker, 29, said “this play hasn’t been going astatine each anyhow that we each wanted it to go, but helium “we each kept a bully focus” adjacent though typically erstwhile NFL teams slide, “some players could beryllium bushed and acceptable for this happening to beryllium over.”
“Guys are showing up and wanting to play week-in and week-out, and that’s the lone happening we tin inquire for astatine least, my teammates and the coaches is [to] come, conscionable amusement up and combat day-in and day-out,” helium said.
Booker said unluckily he’s utilized to this having played for the Broncos and Raiders earlier this, truthful he’s conscionable moving the lone mode helium knows how.
“I haven’t been to the playoffs yet since my six years present successful the NFL,” helium said. “It tin beryllium frustrating and worldly astatine times, but erstwhile you cognize the play is going similar this, you lone revert to 1 way, and that’s conscionable trying to decorativeness the happening retired strong.
“You lone tin power what we tin power astatine this point,” helium added. “That’s truly conscionable been my full mindset done the full downfall of our season. It’s conscionable finishing everything, finishing retired strong, finishing each run, and conscionable going retired determination and playing hard and competing. That’s the lone mode I know.”
Judge was asked to support whether helium believes the Giants are well-coached. He said they are, but “obviously the astir important happening successful this league is winning, truthful we’ve got to bash a amended occupation putting ourselves successful presumption to finalize and decorativeness retired immoderate games with a win.”
Pressed to accidental for the grounds that a deficiency of subordinate endowment was the portion of the problem, Judge bristled: “I’m not going to marque immoderate statements close present that’s going to enactment immoderate 1 of my players nether the bus.”
He would not specify which players person been calling him from different organizations saying they wished were inactive with the Giants, arsenic helium said connected Sunday.
“I wouldn’t privation to effort to place names and I deliberation that would beryllium axenic speculation,” Judge said. “It’s a tiny league, I support successful interaction with a batch of players I’ve coached elsewhere because, obviously, determination are things that we’re precise cautious with tampering and we ne'er effort to get thing successful that mix.
“But everyone supports each other,” helium said. “You person guys who person bully games from crossed the way, you whitethorn sprout them a substance and say, ‘Hey man, I liked the mode you played. A definite method oregon a definite play, support it going.’ Guys volition scope backmost retired to you. There are a fig of players who person been present done the years. I’m not going to spell into individuals close now, I’m not going to effort to unfastened up that benignant of section of guessing of what it whitethorn be.”
But Judge asserted “I conscionable cognize that we person a beardown culture, arsenic players from different teams that I cognize scope retired to our players presently and person reached retired to maine arsenic good done antithetic avenues.
“Nothing that needs to beryllium looked into oregon thing of that nature, but I cognize this is simply a spot that players privation to play,” helium said. “I cognize this is simply a spot that players privation to play. It’s a spot that a batch of players are going to privation to play for a agelong time. I’m going to permission it astatine that.”
Thomas admitted it hasn’t been casual pressing connected done the losing, particularly losing truthful galore cardinal players.
“It’s pugnacious honestly with a batch of guys going down this year,” Thomas said. “We had a batch of leaders spell down this year, which is hard for a team. But different guys stepped up and we conscionable effort to enslaved unneurotic and support moving hard for each other.”
One much week for the Giants to enactment done the futility.