Giants coach Joe Judge speaks at MetLife Stadium on Thursday,...

Giants coach Joe Judge speaks at MetLife Stadium on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020. Credit: Corey Sipkin

Joe Judge is at an epic disadvantage never before seen among NFL coaches.

Just weeks after the glow of his hiring in January began to recede, the country was virtually shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving Judge unable to see his players except when they’re on his computer screen at home.

With no immediate end in sight to the restrictions that have closed team facilities to players, the Giants’ first-time, first-year coach is left to try to establish team chemistry via virtual means and install his playbook through internet chats.

But as you would expect from a no-nonsense coach who has learned at the feet of Nick Saban and then Bill Belichick, there is neither complaining nor excuse-making. He understands that there are things far more important than football right now and makes a point of putting the health and safety of his players above anything else.

“All I’m focused on is putting our team in position to play their best ball right now,” Judge said Tuesday on a Zoom chat. “I’m not thinking about anything outside the scope of that. Whatever we have to work with, we’re going to make work for us.”

No excuses. 

“We’re not thinking about what we don’t have now,” he said. “That’s not an option. We’re thinking about what we have access to, and every day we’re focused on what we can do to get better. That’s my only focus right now.”

The reality, of course, is that Judge is faced with the near-impossible task of getting a football team ready for a season unlike any before it. Although the NFL believes it can complete its full 16-game schedule and playoffs, league officials know there might have to be major modifications, up to and including a delayed start or the elimination of the entire season.

But even if the league manages to have at least a semblance of a season, Judge and fellow first-year, first-time coaches Kevin Stefanski of the Browns and Matt Rhule of the Panthers face an extraordinary challenge in getting a team ready without the benefit of an offseason program. Or at least a traditional one that includes on-field practice, throwing and catching, and blocking and tackling. Right now, there is none of that, and it’s anyone’s guess when the time will be right to open the training facilities and prepare the players for the most physically challenging team sport on Earth.

Bottom line: Judge gets a pass this season, regardless of what happens. It is simply unrealistic to expect a first-time coach to succeed with a young roster featuring a rebuilt offensive line, a questionable defense, and an overall roster that still needs talent upgrades at too many positions to count.

There is no woe-is-me dynamic from Judge as far his own approach is concerned, nor should there be. He has a dream job with a flagship franchise, stable ownership and a promising young quarterback in Daniel Jones.

But there’s simply no getting around the monumental hurdles he faces, not the least of which is coaching through a pandemic.

These are unsettling times that have rocked the country to its core, and everyone is struggling to one degree or another — some more than others. Some much, much more.

Which is why Judge is mindful of the more urgent reality of the moment. It’s football, not a matter of life or death.

But inside the bubble of his preparation, he does see progress toward the ultimate goal of getting his team ready to play. Even if there is uncertainty about just when — or even if — that will happen.

“On the front end, there was a lot of talk about what we can’t do,” he said. “I think [what] we’re finding out along the way is we’re getting a lot done because this is the asset we have to use and we’re finding ways to use it. These players, they’re inventive. They’re going to find different ways with each other and socially interact and study with each other and get caught up on material and help each other out with notes. Maybe even more so now than some other springs in the past, because the reality is everyone’s situation is different around the country.”

He can tell by looking at his computer what kind of players he has.

“You can see a lot of guys through interactions in meetings,” he said. “You can see who’s going to take the reins and start the communication. You can identify with different players, who’s standing out in front and organizing some extra communication, exercise on their own time. You still have the ability to see who’s stepping out in front. As I’m talking to these players individually, you can tell how engaged and how invested they really are in the program by the answers they give you. It’s been very telling.”

He’d much rather look his players in the eye, but for now, looking at their eyes through Zoom chats will have to do.

Judge faces an unforeseen test, and nothing could have prepared him for this moment. But like everyone else, he’s feeling his way through and still managing to stick to the lessons imparted to him by Saban, Belichick and all the other coaching influences from his past.

It is a rookie season unlike any other, one that Judge surely will learn from for the rest of his career. And even if he can’t be reasonably expected to build a playoff-worthy team right away, Judge no doubt will come away from the experience better for it. His players, too.

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