Joe Judge fired after two seasons as Giants head coach

Joe Judge was given two days to try to defend two bad seasons.

Ultimately, he could not. Who could?

The Giants announced on Tuesday that Judge had been relieved of his duties as head coach, ending a two-year tenure that began with the promise of a return to the franchise’s days of glory but wound up more reminiscent of its days of deep despair.

Judge went 10-23 in his two seasons, but it was the last month or so of inept performances that made it impossible for the Giants to retain him. They lost their final six games of the season, each by double-digit margins, with increasingly poor play that pushed ownership past its patience.

“I said before the season started that I wanted to feel good about the direction we were headed when we played our last game of the season,” co-owner John Mara said in an announcement on Tuesday evening. “Unfortunately, I cannot make that statement, which is why we have made this decision.”

The firing came a day after the team announced the retirement of general manager Dave Gettleman. It left the two most important leadership positions in the organization vacant, giving fans of the team who had been howling for a complete overhaul of the organization what they wanted: a fresh start at a rebuild and a complete do-over.

“We appreciate Joe’s efforts on behalf of the organization,” Mara said.

Irate fans long angered by Judge’s failures undoubtedly appreciated his dismissal more than his efforts. Many saw it as a promising sign that ownership is aware of the state of the franchise and is willing to attempt big strides to renovate it rather than baby-step fixes with in-house solutions that have become maddeningly routine.

The Giants are to begin interviews with general manager candidates — none of whom has ever worked in their front office, which is a rarity for the organization — on Wednesday morning, and Mara said whoever they hire will “lead the effort to hire a new head coach.”

All eight known candidates for the general manager position come from teams now preparing for the postseason, so time is not as critical to the coaching search; if any were to bring an assistant coach or coordinator from his current organization, such a hire could not be made until that team is eliminated from the playoffs anyway.

The Giants’ failures predated Judge’s arrival in 2020. It has been a decade of…