It took several weeks, but the New York Giants coaching staff under incoming head coach Joe Judge is now complete.
After initially announcing the hires of the team’s three main coordinators, things fell quiet as Judge worked to fill in the missing pieces. And after a long series of day-by-day leaks, the Giants’ 2020 coaching staff is officially set.
“Everybody brings a different type of experience to the job. I didn’t set out to hire anyone with former head coaching experience. That ended up being a plus of what different guys brought to their area,” Judge said on Wednesday, via Giants.com.
“The first thing I was prioritizing was good coaches who had a deep concern for the players that they were going to coach. It has to start with the relationship from the coach to the player and understanding that we’re working together. Next thing I was prioritizing was good teachers. We had to find guys who can paint that mental picture for a player and find a way to tap into how they learn and get the most out of them. To me, it’s a big trust factor with the guys I have on the staff. I have a personal relationship with a lot of these guys, professional relationships with nearly all of them. Guys who I have not worked with directly, I’ve competed against, I’ve known for some time. I’ve more than done my research on everybody on this staff, including the guys I’ve worked with. No stone has been unturned. I’m very excited about the group we have in here. I know they’re going to bring a lot to this organization. I know they’re going to be a great asset to the players they’re going to coach.”
Let’s take a look.
Offensive coaching staff
Offensive coordinator: Jason Garrett (more info)
Quarterbacks coach: Jerry Schuplinski (more info)
Wide receiver coach: Tyke Tolbert (more info)
Running backs coach: Burton Burns (more info)
Tight ends coach: Freddie Kitchens (more info)
Offensive line coach: Marc Colombo (more info)
Assistant offensive line coach: Ben Wilkerson (more info)
Senior assistant: Derek Dooley (more info)
Offensive assistant: Stephen Brown (more info)
Quality control: Bobby Blick
“Jerry is an incredible teacher,” said Judge. “He has done a phenomenal job of developing young quarterbacks in this league. He simplifies the game so the quarterback can play fast in terms of understanding our scheme and analyzing the opponent’s defense.
“I’ve worked with Burton, so I knew first-hand the impact he has on the players he coaches. He’s coached a number of great backs, he’s coached on a lot of championship teams, and he knows how to get the most out of his players. He’s tough. That’s one thing you’re going to find out about Burton right away. He’s tough. He’s hardnosed, he coaches tough, he demands his players to play tough. But he has as deep a care for the players he coaches as anybody out there. They respond to him because they know he’s in a foxhole with them.
“I’m excited to have Burton here, very excited to have Burton here. I know he’s looking forward to working with the guys on the roster.
“Tyke’s a guy I knew throughout the league from going against him. He’s a guy that came recommended by a lot of people that I know very personally. But ultimately, the deciding factor on Tyke is you turn his tape on, and his guys play hard, they play fundamentally sound, he’s been able to develop a number of receivers in different systems, and ultimately, the video tapes are what tells you how a guy is coaching.
“I think any position on offense is good for Freddie. He’s got a lot of experience at different positions. He’s been head coach, he’s been a coordinator, he’s been a position coach. He sees it through a lot of different perspectives. What I love about Freddie is he brings an element of toughness and discipline to his room. He brings outside the box thinking a lot of times to how he approaches the game from a game plan perspective. I think he’ll be an asset to working with our offensive coaches and developing the game plan throughout the week. But ultimately, I’ve worked with Freddie, I’ve played for Freddie, and I’ve called against Freddie, and I understand what his players are about.
“Continuity is very important, especially between the offensive coordinator and the offensive line coach, that they can be on the same page starting out. One of the challenges of a new staff is getting on the same page and working through some of the differences that maybe we’ve had from past experiences but making sure we’re working to one goal. I’d say with Marc, the deciding factor wasn’t his past experience with Jason. The deciding factor was he’s a tremendous coach. His body of work as you turn on the tape and watch how his guys play with technique, execution and toughness is ultimately what the deciding factor was.”
Defensive coaching staff
Defensive coordinator/assistant head coach: Patrick Graham (more info)
Defensive line coach: Sean Spencer (more info)
Outside linebackers coach/senior assistant: Bret Bielema (more info)
Inside linebackers coach: Kevin Sherrer (more info)
Defensive backs coach: Jerome Henderson (more info)
Assistant defensive backs coach: Anthony Blevins (more info)
Defensive assistant: Jody Wright (more info)
Quality control: Mike Treier (more info)
“I’ve known Sean through the business,” Judge said. “The most impressive thing about Sean is the players he’s developed through his time at both Vanderbilt (2011-13) and Penn State, among other stops in his career. Sean has a great energy about him, he has great command within a room, his players respond to him, they play hard and they play fundamentally sound.
“Kevin is just an old ball coach. When I met Kevin, he was coaching at Hoover High School in Alabama. The next year, he was on the staff with us at Alabama. I’ve watched him progress through his career as defensive coordinator at South Alabama, his time in Georgia, his time in Tennessee. I think Kevin is a phenomenal football coach, and he coaches from the ground up with fundamentals, his players play sound and they play hard.
“There’s a lot of things (to like) about Bret. I think Bret brings a great personality to the group, brings a great perspective on how he sees the game, he’s coached the front for some time, he’s coordinated defenses at a high level. Players respond to Bret in a positive way. He has a great way of teaching, he has a great way of getting the guys motivated, and he gets the most out of his players. He brings experience from the NFL, as well as college, so not only does he understand what’s going on in the league now, he understands what the players coming from college are used to and how to better translate the trends they’re going to see.
“Jerome has a great resume, he’s coached a lot of good players in a lot of good schemes. I think the more you check around with Jerome, I talked to guys that he coached, the way they responded to him and the way they respected him in the room definitely said a lot about him as a coach.
“I’ve known Blev for some time now, and he’s coached on all three sides of the ball. He brings great experience that he can contribute to a lot of different parts of developing players. One thing you learn working with the special teams is you’re learning how to develop techniques of a total player. He could easily have gone over to the offense and worked with a skilled position. He could have stayed on special teams and have been an asset. We thought right now, the best fit for Blev was to help with our defense and bring some experience he brought from the other sides of the ball and work with Jerome.”
Special teams coaching staff
Special teams coordinator: Thomas McGaughey (more info)
Assistant special teams coach: Tom Quinn (more info)
“The experience is important, but the success is more important,” Judge said. “They’ve been doing it at a high success rate for a long time. The fact that they had a relationship working together already, I had a relationship with both guys from going against them and have known them within the profession for some time now. T-Mac and Tom do a tremendous job. I love the way they relate to the players, I love the way they coach their guys. You know when you go against their units that they’re going to be sound and they’re going to play hard, and that’s critical. I have a lot of respect for both of them.”
Strength and conditioning staff
Strength and conditioning coach: Aaron Wellman
Assistant strength and conditioning coach: Sam Coad (more info)
Performance manager: N/A
Director of performance nutrition: N/A
There is obviously more to fill out here, but this staff was not a part of Wednesday’s announcement.
