Giants fire Garrett after offense sputters vs. Bucs
New York recorded season lows in points, yards, time of possession in 30-10 loss
All the hope Joe Judge generated with a strong second-half finish to his rookie season as New York Giants coach is gone.
If there is any doubt, take another look at the Giants’ embarrassing 3010 loss to Tom Brady and the reigning Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.
The game was not competitive. Not even close. Pat Graham’s defense was shredded by Brady and company. Jason Garrett’s offense was worse, turning in season lows in points, yards and time of possession as New York fell to 3-7 with seven games to play.
Instead of throwing his team under the bus, Judge pinned the blame on his coaching staff after the game. Garrett bore the brunt on Tuesday, being fired after less than two years on the job.
“This is simply a move to make sure that I make the best decision for the team,” Judge said Tuesday. “Right now, we have to do things to be more productive on offense and score more points and we have to do something to change it up. And this is the time we decided to make it.“
While the move seemed imminent after Judge spoke on Monday night, it’s hard to say whether changing play callers will help. While the Giants are getting a couple of skill players back from injury with Saquon Barkley (ankle) and Kenny Golladay (knee) returning, the team on Sunday will have mostly the same players who will be working with elements of the old playbook.
“Ultimately, when you have to do something to help the team, it doesn’t matter when it happens, you just have to go ahead and do it,” Judge said.
“Ultimately, we felt this was the best time. There’s not really ever an ideal time to make a change like this in a season. You know, you don’t really want to have to do this, but you have to make whatever decision is best for the team.”
Jets: Zach Wilson is back — and just in time for the New York Jets. The No. 2 overall pick will return as the starting quarterback Sunday against the Texans in Houston, according to a person with direct knowledge of the decision. Wilson missed the past four games with a sprained posterior collateral ligament in his right knee. Wilson returning to action comes just as backup quarterbacks Mike White and Joe Flacco were both placed on the reserve/ COVID-19 list Tuesday. That leaves just Wilson and Josh Johnson, who’s on the practice squad, at the quarterback position.
Bears: Chicago coach Matt Nagy said Tuesday Andy Dalton will start against the Detroit Lions for injured Justin Fields, then spent half of his press conference dealing with a report saying he has been told he will no longer coach the Bears after Thursday’s game. “That is not accurate,” Nagy said of the report, which appeared on Patch.com. The Bears have lost five straight and for three straight years have had losing streaks of four games or more. So Nagy’s job status going forward has been a hot debate throughout Chicago. Chants of “Fire Nagy,” were heard at times in Soldier Field during Sunday’s 16-13 loss to Baltimore — and even at the United Center during a Chicago Bulls game. The report about the firing was by Pulitzer Prize winner Mark Konkol, a former news reporter for the Chicago Sun-times. It did not indicate a source.
Saints: New Orleans placed tight end Adam Trautman and rookie offensive lineman Landon Young on injured reserve. Trautman injured his knee and Young hurt his foot during Sunday’s loss to the Eagles in Philadelphia.
Titans: Tennessee waived 2012 NFL MVP Adrian Peterson after three games in a flurry of roster moves Tuesday. The Titans signed running back Dontrell Hilliard from the practice squad to replace Peterson. They also signed defensive back Buster Skrine and brought back outside linebacker John Simon. They also placed defensive back Chris Jackson (foot) and wide receiver Marcus Johnson on injured reserve.
Vikings: Minnesota placed defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson on the COVID-19 reserve list on Tuesday, further testing their depth on the defensive line.