Giants co-owner John Mara sums up end of Joe Judge era perfectly: 'I kept thinking we had hit rock bottom'
New York Giants co-owner John Mara knew firing Joe Judge was the right decision. Mara spoke about that choice Wednesday, explaining he felt the team hit "rock bottom" toward the end of the season.
Mara's full quote is actually much worse. He thought the team hit rock bottom weeks ago, only for the team to one-up its own failure every single week.
Quote from John Mara, saying this is the lowest moment of his lifelong affiliation with the Giants: "I kept thinking we had hit rock bottom and then each week we got a little worse."
— Judy Battista (@judybattista) January 12, 2022
That's an honest — and scathing — assessment of Judge's final weeks with the team. Judge drew headlines after a blowout loss against the Chicago Bears in Week 17. After the game, Judge went on a lengthy rant trying to explain why fans should continue supporting the team. Things got worse in Week 18, when Judge ran a quarterback sneak on third-and-9 to give his team more room to punt the ball.
Despite that, Mara still believes, "There is a good head coach inside Joe Judge."
John Mara: "I still believe there is a good head coach inside Joe Judge. But, given where we are right now, and searching for a new GM, I feel we needed a fresh start." #Giants #NFL
— Matt Lombardo (@MattLombardoNFL) January 12, 2022
With the team also searching for a new general manager, Mara said it made sense to start over at both positions.
John Mara admits mistake in Joe Judge hiring process
Mara also reflected on the team's hiring process when Judge was picked to coach the Giants. Mara said the team should have explored more options, and that it should have been more patient.
John Mara: Looking back, I wish our process would have been more extensive, seen more people, taken our time a little more with it. We aren't going to make that mistake this time. #Giants #NFL
— Matt Lombardo (@MattLombardoNFL) January 12, 2022
Mara vowed to make the right decision this time around.
Whoever the Giants hire next will face some tough decisions. Quarterback Daniel Jones could be on his way out after failing to progress in Year 3, the offensive line struggled to open up holes for Saquon Barkley and the team's defense ranked 25th against opposing rushers.
The Giants do own two of the top seven picks in the 2022 NFL draft. The right combination of general manager and coach could infuse the team with two impact players immediately, which would go a long way toward making them competitive again.
