Add former NFL head coach and current NFL Network analyst Steve Mariucci to the long list of ‘insiders’ who have no idea what the New York Giants have in new head coach Joe Judge.
“I’ll be honest, I didn’t know how Joe Judge was,” Mariucci said in a recent interview, via NJ Advance Media. “Did you? Did anyone? His press conference was very impressive. He’s going to have to rely on some good players.”
Mariucci, who coached both the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions, has been on both ends of the spectrum when it comes to rosters. He inherited a veteran roster in San Francisco and a young group in Detroit.
As a result, he was 57-39 over six seasons in San Fran with four playoff appearances. In Detroit, he was 15-28 over three seasons and ended up getting fired.
Mariucci sees the Giants as being more on a scale with the Lions teams he coached rather than his 49ers clubs.
“I had some guys in San Francisco that were grown men and had been there, done that, who knew how to train and were serious pros. In Detroit, I had a lot of young guys, who had no idea and nobody to look up to or lead the way,” he said.
For the Giants to get back into contention, Mariucci simplified things.
“They have to build that roster back up,” he said. “Because they aren’t the same roster as the Eagles or Dallas.”
Mariucci is right. The Giants simply need to continue to upgrade their roster if they have any designs of rejoining the winning ranks of the NFL.
