Draft Review Pt. 3: Do You Like Hard Coaching?

Over the course of the draft. Joe Judge seemed very involved, and the many ringers selected show that he was. That said, there is revisionism going on in the reports of how Judge was more involved than Shurmur had been. The videos from the last two drafts show clearly that Shurmur was involved and particularly that he badgered Gettleman to watch Saquon Barkley's tape.  And clearly, Daniel Jones would not be a Giant without Shurmur's blessing and he knowingly compared Dexter Lawrence to Linval Joseph. So, it's not like he was uninvolved or some sort of draft day dilettante. He wasn't.

The real difference in their relative immersion into their respective draft roles is that Judge has crazy college contacts and Shurmur had been a pro coach much longer. Judge has kept his college contacts fresh throughout his pro career - to wit - he saw Xavier McKinney running around on a visit to Alabama a few years ago and bookmarked him. That the Special Teams coordinator was down visiting the Crimson Tide is more interesting. Was he there for a Pats mission or was he watering his old garden in anticipation of a job like this. Or did he have other questions for Saban.

One of the concepts that was introduced as Judge reflected on the first two picks was their openness to "hard coaching." Tom Coughlin,  Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Nick Saban and Vince Lombardi all believe or believed in hard coaching. Coughlin finally won when he melded his humor and decency with his hard coaching. Judge and his staff are already post 42'd and seem to have already melded the lessons Coughlin learned with their coaching personalities.

So, clearly it's erroneous to say that Shurmur was less involved in the drafts, it's accurate to say that Judge is more connected and had the foresight to keep his roots well watered.

Also, Shurmur would have made sure they grabbed a Big WR and a C, having been the Michigan State C in his playing days.