Shortly after Joe Judge was fired by the New York Giants, reports began to surface about the culture inside the building. It was very militaristic with both players and coaches “walking on eggshells.”
Judge’s Patriot-style practices were also not popular among players, while some of his outbursts and verbal exchanges happened under the bright lights.
That has apparently carried over in Judge’s return to the New England Patriots.
Not only has Judge navigated a tense relationship with quarterback Mac Jones, but he’s fallen out of favor with head coach Bill Belichick and isn’t well-liked in the locker room, reports the Boston Herald.
As Patricia came under outside fire as the face of the offense, Judge drew increasing criticism from within. Belichick would blast him in practice, and it wasn’t uncommon for Judge and Jones to trade profanity-laced outbursts. Jones’ trust in his position coach was effectively non-existent.
“Mac didn’t like him,” one source said. “At all.”
“(Judge) would speak extra loudly in meetings, trying to project like he was the guy,” another source said. “And I think that kind of rubbed people the wrong way.”
“A lot of people were frustrated with (Judge),” a third added.
Judge will return to the Patriots in 2023 but with a reduced role. The team has hired Bill O’Brien as their offensive coordinator, leaving both Judge and Matt Patricia further down in the pecking order.
