John Harbaugh sends a crystal clear message about how the Giants will be run with him as head coach
The New York Giants are John Harbaugh’s team first. On Saturday, his hire was made official.
There is not a shadow of a doubt anymore: John Harbaugh will be the head coach of the New York Giants.
After initial reports emerged on the Giants and Harbaugh working to finalize a deal last Wednesday night, the franchise finally made an official announcement on Saturday. And now, after hours of negotiating on both financials and operational details behind the contract, the Harbaugh era begins.
And on the day of his introduction as head coach, Harbaugh is sending a clear message about how his Giants will be run.
Harbaugh makes it clear who he reports to
Since the Harbaugh news broke earlier in the week, a lot of fans and media members speculated on general manager Joe Schoen’s future, and in a directly related topic, the chain of command in New York. In Day 1 of his tenure, Harbaugh erased all doubts. He’s driving the bus.
“I report to (Giants owner) John Mara,” Harbaugh told The Athletic’s insider Ian O’Connor.
The message is crystal clear: The Giants’ hierarchy starts at Harbaugh, not Schoen. Though an important clarification, this shouldn’t be a surprise.
While other head coaches make their money from genius play-calling and strategy implementation, Harbaugh’s best attribute is in leading a program. Early reports suggest the Giants’ contract for offer is worth near $100 million over five years. You don’t sign someone to such a deal if you’re not planning to hand over the keys to the whole operation.
At Baltimore, Harbaugh was known for running a well-oiled machine. He’s expected to make changes on the Giants to build a similar all-encompassing program. For instance, the head coach already told O’Connor an area the Giants are going to make an immediate change is in the analytics department, which he expects to be boosted.
Harbaugh clarifies relationship with Schoen
Now, though Harbaugh is sitting at the driver’s seat of the Giants, fans shouldn’t confuse the team’s hierarchies with his relationship with Schoen being a negative one. Though it remains to be seen how they’ll split responsibilities, it’s clear Harbaugh appreciates the Giants GM.
“I really like Joe,” Harbaugh added. “We had great football talks and great life talks. He’s a hard worker and I’m ready for us to roll up our sleeves.”
The Giants expect Harbaugh to make their investment worth it. When does the head coach expect to see his process translate to winning football? Not too long.
“I expect and want to make the playoffs next year.”
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