Good morning, New York Giants fans!
From Big Blue View
Other Giant observations
O’Connor: In his heart, John Harbaugh always knew he was meant to be a Giant | The Athletic
Two days after he was fired by the Baltimore Ravens, John Harbaugh used the word “we” when he talked about the New York Giants. He did not catch himself or correct himself in our phone conversation, because it sounded right. It felt right.
“I think we can win games next year with this roster and the players coming back,” Harbaugh said. At age 63, Harbaugh wanted this monumental challenge in the worst way. “This is the job for me,” Harbaugh said that night last week.
Former Raven on what Giant players are in store for
Harbaugh is a great guy at whom the buck will stop. He’s a veteran with a track record. Players will respect his reputation, and coaches will be drawn to his staff. He was the best hire, and the right hire, and accordingly the Giants refused to let anyone else talk to him. Success isn’t guaranteed — it never is in the NFL — but this a successful hire. It’s a winning week in Giants history.
It won’t count in the record books and might be forgotten to time. But in January of 2026, the Giants are 1-0.
If it’s true that meeting with (for two hours, one-on-one!) and studying Dart played a big role in Harbaugh’s decision—so much so that Harbaugh pulled the plug on other chats—that’s a pretty bullish signal about the kid, the kind that could attract other top coaches and athletes to the franchise like a magnet. Harbaugh is expected to bring offensive coordinator Todd Monken—the architect of a 2024 Ravens unit that led the NFL in total offense and rushing—with him to New York, and Monken’s schemes would dovetail nicely with Dart’s dual-threat athleticism.
But with a still-high first-round draft pick, a favorable schedule, a coach getting a fresh start, and a young fun core of rising stars to whom Harbaugh can say I chose you, there’s a lot to love about the upcoming Giants season—and what can happen when you finally get the right guy in the building.
The inside story of how John Harbaugh became Giants coach, and the impact | The Record
There’s just something different about when Harbaugh walks into any room with anyone in the Giants organization, and the feeling is palpable. His voice is the one that matters. Everyone sits a little straighter, shakes the early-morning and late-night sleep from their eyes and pays attention that much more with their minds and hearts.
This was an orchestrated gamble by the Giants to swing for the fences in pursuit of their next head coach, and there were no guarantees Harbaugh was going to say yes. The Giants have stopped chasing ghosts of their own past; with Harbaugh at the forefront, they are finally chasing greatness again.
John Harbaugh is exactly the leader the Giants needed to hire at this point in their long history to bring a level of credibility and competence that this franchise has been lacking for more than a decade. Harbaugh Mania, however, is just a wee bit over the top.
These two things can be true at the same time.
NFL insider Dianna Russini reports that Harbaugh entered the process with notable reservations about working alongside general manager Joe Schoen, as did many of the team’s other head coaching candidates.
“There were candidates the Giants were interested in who had concerns about Joe Schoen. This was not a ‘nobody cared about Joe Schoen’ storyline — that is not true,” Russini said on Scoopy City. “I know that John Harbaugh entered this interview process with those concerns. He did a lot of homework, making calls to Brian Daboll and to people with connections to Joe Schoen who have known him for years, just to understand what he’s about and whether he felt he could work with him. From my understanding, he signed off on it. He thinks it can work, and he enjoyed those conversations. Joe was calling him every single day since [Steve] Bisciotti fired Harbaugh — they talked on the phone every day.”
Inside how the Giants landed John Harbaugh — and what’s next for franchise | New York Post
The list of coaches tied to Harbaugh who are expected to get strong consideration include his Ravens coordinators Todd Monken (offensive) and Zach Orr (defensive), former Ravens player Jim Leonhard, and former Ravens position coaches Anthony Weaver and Dennard Wilson. Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti’s recent criticisms of Harbaugh’s staff suggests that he won’t stand in the way of many assistants following their old boss to East Rutherford.
The list of in-house assistants who could be options to be retained is headed by outside linebackers coach Charlie Bullen — who was impressive as interim defensive coordinator and is on the Cowboys’ radar as a play-caller — and offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo. Prior to accepting the job, Harbaugh reportedly contacted positional coaches from former head coach Brian Daboll’s staff with whom he had no previous relationship to pick their brains on the roster for more than 30 minutes at a time. But not all of the assistants received such calls, sources told The Post.
Yep Jameis breaking down his first touchdown reception of his career
One 2026 free agent that every NFL team can’t afford to lose | PFF
New York Giants: T Jermaine Eluemunor The Giants may have finished with four or fewer wins for the second straight season, but reasons for hope have slowly permeated the organization. With a new head coach and young pieces on both sides of the ball, the team could turn things around — especially if Eluemunor returns.
There hasn’t been much positivity surrounding New York since 2024, but Eluemunor warrants that type of praise. Over the past two seasons, the right tackle ranks 16th among qualified tackles in PFF pass-blocking grade (76.8) while tying for seventh in pressure rate allowed (4.3%). As the Giants look to build more guardrails for Jaxson Dart in his second campaign, keeping the 31-year-old Eluemunor — and preserving a great tackle tandem with Andrew Thomas — should be high on the agenda.
No. 5: Giants – S Caleb Downs, Ohio State. With Tate gone (in this scenario), the Giants pivot to the best player available — a philosophy long embraced by John Harbaugh in Baltimore. Downs fits it perfectly. Downs can play in the box, patrol deep, cover receivers, or match tight ends. Yes, it’s an aggressive investment at safety after drafting Tyler Nubin in the second round and signing Jevon Holland last offseason. But Downs is more than a safety. He’s a playmaker. And the Giants desperately need those on the back end.
One note: The Giants don’t have a third-round pick this year because of the Dart trade. A trade back of their own here makes sense, if there’s another team wanting to come up for their guy. That could fetch the Giants a later Day 2 pick, and position them to select a receiver like Jordyn Tyson (Arizona State) or Makai Lemon (USC).
Around the league
The problems inside the Eagles’ offense went far beyond Kevin Patullo | The Athletic
Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey ‘likely’ to receive second-round tender | Blogging the Boys
Niners QB Brock Purdy: ‘You have to go earn every single yard’ against Seahawks defense | NFL.com
Patriots to list Christian Gonzalez, Harold Landry as questionable for Sunday | Pro Football Talk
NFL playoff divisional round game picks, predictions, schedule, odds | ESPN.com
BBV mailbag
Have a Giants-related question? E-mail it to [email protected] and it might be featured in our weekly mailbag.
BBV on X: Follow @BigBlueView | Ed Valentine: @Valentine_Ed |
Threads: @ed.valentine
Bluesky: @edvalentine
BBV on Facebook: Click here to like the Big Blue View Facebook page
BBV on YouTube: Subscribe to the Big Blue View YouTube channel
BBV on Instagram: Click here to follow our Instagram page
See More:
