Joe Judge, Giants not completely void of Christmas joy
Joe Judge of the Giants reacts in the second half against the Arizona Cardinals at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Joe Judge sounded like he wanted to bypass the holidays in favor of football earlier this week when, appearing on NFL Network, he said: "We have the Ravens this weekend. It's going to take everything we have to beat them and they're the only thing that matters to us right now. Look, with all due respect to Christmas, let's forget about Christmas for a little while and focus on the Ravens."
But that doesn’t mean the Giants aren’t in the holiday spirit… and open to gifts from various sources.
Tight ends coach Freddie Kitchens, who spoke to reporters on Thursday with offensive coordinator Jason Garrett still away from the team after testing positive for COVID-19, got a kick out of being asked if the Giants’ struggling offense needs "a little help from Santa" this Christmas Eve. The Giants have scored 13 points in their past two games.
"I love the timing of the Christmas question," he said. "First time I’ve ever heard that. That’s great."
Chuckles aside, Kitchens was not above considering the option.
"If you know him and you want to get him to send us some of whatever you were talking about, please feel free," Kitchens told reporters. "Him, Elf on a Shelf, Mrs. Claus, anything. Just let us know."
Judge, by the way, isn’t a total Grinch.
"There is a time for holidays," Judge said on Thursday.
He has an "abbreviated day" scheduled for the team on Friday with a shorter practice and some meetings between noon and three. That will give the players and coaches time to be with families and loved ones on Christmas morning as well as for dinner later in the evening. To make up for the lost time, the Giants will have some extra meeting time on Thursday evening.
"They’ve done a very good job of coming in and being locked in and focused," Judge said. "At some point today we’ll take some time to wish them holiday cheer, have a few smiles, and then get out of the building."
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
