Not even Saquon can escape wrath of Joe

Joe Judge got after Saquon Barkley Tuesday evening as the Giants ramped up their pace and tempo in practice, setting the tone that no one on this roster is special or different.

Some teams treat certain players differently due to their pedigrees. There wasn’t always consistency with how the previous regime treated players here in that regard.

It’s easier to chew out rookies than veterans, to lash into a backup and not a star.

Judge, however, let No. 26 have it at one point during Tuesday’s heavier padded practice. And while the media is not allowed to quote or paraphrase the Giants coaches’ comments to their players during these practices, trust that everyone saw it and heard it.

And Judge acknowledged he had done so after.

“We coach everyone the same,” the Giants’ first-year head coach said. “We’re trying to demand the best out of everybody and make them improve every day. We’re not letting details slip. The thing I’m most impressed with is how coachable this team is. They come in every day they’re looking for coaching points they want to do better. They understand it’s about the message and not how the message is always delivered.”

Barkley appeared to take the harsh criticism in stride.

“We coach hard. We’re very demanding,” Judge continued. “This is a tough job, OK? We’re in New York City. This is a tough place to play and coach. We have to have guys who have thick skin and understand we have to operate in high-pressure situations. So we can’t just go out there on the field and sing “Kumbaya” together and think we’re gonna advance.”

Judge also responded to criticism from pundits such as Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe, who said of his making players and coaches run at practice: “This isn’t going to end well.”

“Everything we do has a purpose,” Judge said. “And we’re very intent on explaining to our team why we’re doing things we’re doing … We’re not just blindly out there winging it and trying to go ahead and force punishment. When you make mistakes on the field, there’s consequences. In the game it’s penalty yards. At practice we have to understand there’s consequences for mistakes. This isn’t a punishment, it’s a reminder we have to draw our attention and be more detailed in how we approach things.”

On Tuesday, running back Wayne Gallman and rookie edge Cam Brown had to run laps late in practice. Brown actually had to run several, the first while getting chewed out by position coach Bret Bielema.

The Giants return to practice early this afternoon.