The NFL is a league where many teams recycle coaches (and players) left and right. In fact, Joe Judge’s staff may include two assistants who were head coaches this past season.
When the New York Giants named Jason Garrett their offensive coordinator, they got someone who had not only experience in the NFC East, but with the Giants organization as well.
Garrett was, of course, with the Dallas Cowboys since 2007 and served as their head coach for the last nine years. Dallas, like the Giants, have a lot of youth on their roster and for some, Jason Garrett is all they have known since coming into the NFL. It’s going to be weird enough for those players without Garrett, but now they will also be going up against him twice a year.
Dallas All-Pro linebacker Jaylon Smith admitted it is going to be odd going up against his former head coach.
“It’s going to be weird, because you’re so used to Jason, and one thing I loved about Jason, he’s the ultimate consistent [person], Never high, never low, just [clapping] — that’s him. He always stayed true to himself. I respect him for that. I learned a lot from Jason, looking forward to what’s next,” Smith said, via the New York Post.
Ezekiel Elliott also weighed in about going into his first NFL season without Garrett as his head coach:
“I think it will be weird, something that I’m not used to, But change is hard, but sometimes good. Sometimes you need change. We’ll see what we have going for us,” Elliott said.
We learned on Wednesday that Joe Judge is not only excited about the Giants’ roster but that he wants the Giants to be a run first team.
This may work out well for Garrett as he will be transitioning from coaching a great running back in Ezekiel Elliott to organizing an offense with Saquon Barkley.
