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Jordan Raanan
East Rutherford, NJ — The New York Giants On Tuesday, John Harbaugh was introduced as the 21st head coach in the team’s storied history. But with 12 playoff appearances and a Super Bowl win on his resume, he arrives with a stronger pedigree and more power than most, if not all, of his predecessors.
Harbaugh, who spent 18 seasons with Baltimore Ravens, signed a five-year agreement Multiple league sources with the Giants told ESPN it is closer to $100 million. With that huge salary also comes additional responsibility on personnel issues.
He will report directly to ownership instead of general manager Joe Schoen. The Giants have traditionally reported their coaches to the general manager, who would then report to ownership.
Not this time.
Harbaugh and Schoen will work collaboratively and cooperatively, but he is expected to be the stronger voice given Harbaugh’s track record of success.
“To me it’s really not that important in the big picture, in the big scheme of things. I think it’s overblown in terms of how it works,” Harbaugh said. “But the main thing is that it works and we work together. That’s what I’m used to and I thought it was a good way to start. I think we’re all going to work together.
“I promise you, we all report to the boss. And the boss is the boss.”
The Mara and Tisch families are the primary owners of the Giants. After John Mara was diagnosed with cancer, his brother Chris took a more active role in recruiting Harbaugh.
Chris Mara visited Harbaugh several times, including a lunch hosted by former Giants coach Tom Coughlin at the beginning of the recruiting process several weeks ago. It was a pre-determined approach of “act and not react”.
When all was said and done, the Giants gave Harbaugh significant power regarding personnel and the overall organization.
Chris Mara said, “I know it’s a big thing here: ‘Have the final say.’ “[Harbaugh] There is no final decision. It’s collaborative and he’s the first to admit it. He wouldn’t be able to do his job if he had the final say on everything in that building.
“He’s going to be the most important part of the wheel. Let’s put it this way. But in terms of the final decision, it’s going to be a collaborative effort between ownership, the general manager and the coaches.”
Schoen played a key role in Harbaugh’s recruitment. Both sides said they spoke several times and respected each other’s knowledge of football.
They see it as a good foundation for a working relationship, even though Harbaugh is the more powerful of the two.
Schoen said, “I’m not worried about it. I’ve been in the league 26 years, so everywhere I’ve been, the head coach and general manager work together. That’s the only way it’s going to work.” “Get on the same page, go through the process. We’ve done it everywhere I’ve been, so I’m not worried about it. It’s just something on a piece of paper that doesn’t matter.
“We need to work together, and we will come to the final conclusion and it will always be about what is best for the New York Giants. I have no problem with that, and I look forward to working with them.”
Harbaugh can now get to work. He walked into Tuesday’s press conference and walked toward the two Giants players present, including quarterback jameis winston. He shook hands with them and said something quickly.
He plans to build a new culture from day one. It starts with finding the right players.
“For me, the No. 1 thing is we’ve got to have guys that love football. You’ve just got to do that,” Harbaugh said. “This is football. What are we here for? What do we do? What is this building for? This is for football. This is a football team. We need people who love everything about football. They love games, they love practices, they love weightlifting, they love meetings, they love the dining hall. They love every part of football. And if you love football, you’ll want to be here.”
This is what Harbaugh built during his 18 seasons in Baltimore. This is what he saw his mentor Andy Reid use as the foundation of his success philadelphia.
Harbaugh talked to Reed about changing locations. Reed has enjoyed a highly successful second act. kansas city. Harbaugh said he would sign for the same success that Reid has had with the Chiefs, including three Super Bowl victories.
Reed’s advice to Harbaugh indicates that leaving Baltimore for New York could be a positive.
“Change,” Harbaugh said Reid told him, “could be good.”
