Former New England Patriots assistant Joe Judge isn't getting nostalgic upon his return to Foxboro for the first time as head coach of the New York Giants for joint practices this week.
"This isn’t some kind of trip down memory lane," said Judge, who coached under Bill Belichick from 2012-19, via SB Nation's Big Blue View. "I wouldn’t take the team up there for any kind of personal reasons."
However, joint practices between the clubs could become an annual occurrence, Judge said.
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"We have discussed as organizations continuing these as an annual event," Judge said. "This is a team that we play in preseason, anyway."
Save for last year, when the pandemic cancelled the entire preseason, the teams have met annually for an exhibition since 2005.
The Patriots held joint practices against another NFC East opponent last week, the Philadelphia Eagles, prior to a preseason game. The Giants held joint sessions with the Cleveland Browns earlier this month.
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Judge served as an assistant special teams coach for three seasons before taking over as special teams coordinator from 2015-18. In 2019, he coached both special teams and wide receivers for New England.
Several notable core special teamers remain on the roster for the Patriots from Judge's stay, including Matthew Slater, Justin Bethel, Brandon Bolden and Brandon King.
"I'm sure it’ll be a little bit different coaching against a lot of those players for the first time, but to be honest with you I'm a New York Giant," Judge said. "My focus is on getting our team developed and ready for the season. This is a great opportunity to work against a good opponent."
Judge went 6-10 in 2020 with the Giants in his first year as a head coach at any level of football.