Giants coach Judge is no fan of the Eagles this week
Joe Judge may be the head coach of the New York Giants, but he knows all about Eagles football.
Judge, 38, grew up in suburban Philadelphia, starred at Lansdale Catholic in Montgomery County from 1996-99 and rooted on the team in green.
“It’s a great city,” Judge said on his Tuesday Zoom call ahead of Thursday night’s meeting between the NFC East rivals. “It has great, passionate fans. It’s an excellent team. It’s obviously a great rivalry. I grew up watching these games. They were always tough games, blue-collar type games, when the Eagles and the Giants were playing when I was growing up watching the games.”
Judge recalls his brother running around in a Lawrence Taylor No. 56 Giants jersey as the oddball in a family of Eagles fans. But he also knows all the folks in that household are proud of where he is now – even if it means wearing blue.
“Go get ‘em,” Judge said when asked what his friends and family would have said to him if he told them he’d one day coach the Giants. “My brother walked around in a LT jersey his entire life, I think, mostly to make us mad because we were all rooting for the Eagles. Eventually you get used to seeing it and you understand why he was wearing it.”
Any boyhood allegiance, of course, is out the window now. Judge finally got his first victory in charge of the Giants (1-5) on Sunday, and in the ever-forgiving NFC East a win over the Eagles (1-4-1) would put Big Blue squarely in contention for the division crown.
“You’re so focused on the opponent, the emotion doesn’t really get tied into it,” Judge said. “We just know we have a heck of a team we have to match up against.”
Judge said he’s had many ticket requests – the Eagles are allowing a small number of fans to attend – but he has rules for those who do.
“The opportunity that it’s such a close game and the opportunity that it’s the first game they are going to be available to go with fans, they definitely don’t want to miss it,” he said. “My only rule is anybody who shows up that I either grew up with or have blood ties with, they have to wear blue. I respect their love for the Eagles from being in the town, but hey, look man, you ain’t showing up cheering against my kids’ Christmas. You better come out in some blue cheering for us.”
If the game goes the way he hopes, Judge joked he’s definitely prepared for that. “I’ll probably buy a helmet, too, because my in-laws are already buying batteries,” Judge said.