#Joe Judge’s past experiences prepare him for Giants challenge

There is so much discussion as to how Joe Judge is at a disadvantage as he embarks on his first head coaching assignment at any level.

He does not get to assemble his players, en masse, until the month of August. Think about that. The first time this 38-year-old novice head coach meets most of his players face to face has yet to arrive. In a job fraught with uphill battles, this is quite a steep one.

Yet Judge might be better prepared for this than is appears he should be. His background as a special teams coach and coordinator is atypical, as far as ascending to the top of the NFL coaching rung. Coordinators specializing on offense are more in vogue than ever. Still, hiring defensive-minded coaches is certainly not rare. Special teams? John Harbaugh of the Ravens was the only one in the league, until the Giants took a gamble on Judge.

Head coaches who call the plays on offense must spend a great deal of time in one specific meeting room. The same holds true for coaches specializing on defense. Judge is not bound by any such requirements. He has coordinators on offense (Jason Garrett), defense (Patrick Graham) and special teams (Thomas McGaughey), and all three get to run their own meetings. Judge can bounce from one to another, wherever he feels he is needed most. He can be all things to all players.

“It’s important for all the players to understand I’m working with every single one of ’em,’’ Judge told The Post this offseason. “That’s important. I can’t be the head offensive coach or the head defensive coach. I can be the head football coach. That accounts for all of our players and all the situations.’’

In some ways, this is nothing new for Judge. The past five years, he served as special teams coordinator with the Patriots, meaning Judge spent more time up in front of the entire team than any other coach besides Bill Belichick. Judge worked with the kickers and punters and long-snappers, of course, but also the gunners — primarily defensive backs or wide receivers — linemen involved in the coverage schemes and loads and loads of linebackers. Tom Brady was not involved in special teams, but most everyone else on the roster was, at one time or another.

“Special teams coordinators have to know everyone on the team,’’ Geoff Schwartz, a former NFL offensive lineman for the Giants, Panthers, Vikings and Chiefs told The Post. “They have to know what everyone does, what role they have on the team, how to evaluate players of all positions. Just from a leadership standpoint you’re reading a large group all the time. That part of it is very good.

“A lot of times you go from being offensive coordinator or defensive coordinator, where you run just one side of the room. Specials teams guys run everything. They talk to every player, they’re in charge of different meetings and schemes and whatnot. I think it can work. Especially when you hire a Jason Garrett, a longtime head coach. Surrounding yourself with other coaches who have had a lot of experience in the NFL is really good for a first-time head coach.’’

Even though Judge’s expertise is on special teams, he makes sure to acknowledge he will not infringe on McGaughey’s territory. McGaughey ran the Giants special teams the past two seasons for Pat Shurmur — in addition to previously running the special teams show for the Jets, 49ers and Panthers — and was retained by Judge.

This is not to say Judge will be laissez-faire when it comes to special teams. His interest in that department was highlighted by the Giants selecting four linebackers in the sixth and seventh rounds of the NFL draft.

“You don’t think that’s a direct reflection of the head coach saying ‘I want my special teams to be the best aspect out of these three, I need more athletes,’ ’’ said Shaun O’Hara, former Giants center and currently an NFL Network analyst.

If this works out for Judge and the Giants, perhaps it sparks more interest in special teams coordinators moving into head coaching vacancies. Judge at the moment is not concerned with being a trendsetter.

“I don’t know that anyone necessarily does or does not have an advantage,’’ Judge said. “I just know what I’m going to be involved in. I’m gonna be involved in all three sides of the ball. I’ve been able to be around some great coaches who are truly involved in all three sides of the ball. That’s really the example I’ve leaned on to how to do it myself, in terms of how to balance it out and how to make sure we’re operating as a true team, with complementary football. That will be the biggest thing for me, being involved across the board.’’