The John Harbaugh Experience: Why Ny Giants Head Coach Is One Of A Kind

Talk to any New York Giants fan these days and you sense the excitement. The hope. The optimism. There has been some of that during a difficult 13-year stretch, but not like what you feel now.

NFL analysts who dare to predict that the downtrodden Giants might go from worst to first in the NFC East, or at least be good enough to compete for a playoff berth, are not scoffed at the way they would have been in recent years. Their opinions are given validity.

The reason for the change?

John Harbaugh.

Simple as that.

Harbaugh brings credibility to the head coaching position and to the organization that has not existed since Tom Coughlin coached the Giants. Harbaugh is 14th on the all-time win list for coaches with 180 regular-season victories. He has coached in 24 playoff games, sixth-most of all-time. In 18 years with the Baltimore Ravens, his teams won fewer than eight games just one time. The Ravens made the playoffs in 12 of those 18 seasons. They won a Super Bowl.

Harbaugh has brought much more to New York than a resume filled with gaudy accomplishments. He has brought a presence, a force of will, an uncommon energy, and an expectation of daily excellence that have changed the Giants organization for the better.

Before hiring Harbaugh, the Giants had gone through four full-time head coaches — Ben McAdoo, Pat Shurmur, Joe Judge, Brian Daboll — and two interim ones — Steve Spagnuolo and Mike Kafka — as they tried to find the right successor to two-time Super Bowl winner Tom Coughlin.

After the Ravens fired Harbaugh, the Giants saw a prize they had to have. They put on a full-court press, including trips to Baltimore by Chris Mara, communication from a cancer-stricken John Mara, changing their power structure to have the coach report to John Mara rather than GM Joe Schoen, and a top-of-market five-year, $100 million contract.

The day the Giants introduced Harbaugh, there was a sense that something different was about to unfold. There was an edginess around the facility, like everyone was afraid they would make a mistake that would dampen the day. There were more seats than usual set up in the practice facility for the press conference. There were a high number of players in attendance.

The Harbaugh Experience had begun.

What is the Harbaugh Experience? Let’s find out from the players and coaches who work with him every day, and from Harbaugh himself.

‘All about ball’

Offensive line coach Mike Bloomgren had never worked with Harbaugh before accepting a job on his coaching staff.

“He is all about ball, and he’s all about what can I do to help the players perform,” Bloomgren said. “And, I know you guys haven’t had an opportunity to go to his team meetings, but every day is like a TED Talk. And, like, I leave there ready to go take the field myself.

“And I think all of our groups do, too. It’s awesome to be a part of with somebody with this much of a laser focus on making the 2026 New York Giants the best they can be.”

Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, entering his ninth NFL season, admitted Harbaugh is one of the reasons he wanted to be a Giant.

“That goes into the decision of why I wanted to come here, to be around that, to know what he stands for,” Edmunds said. “Not just obviously on the field, but even talking with him, you know what I mean? He’s a guy that you just get the feel, like you know what, man, he’s all ball. It’s not just all talk. It’s based off his resumé. Just look at the things that he’s done.

“If you have any type of competitive drive in your blood or whatever, you want to be playing for a guy like that.”

At his introductory press conference, Harbaugh said his parents, Jack and Jackie Harbaugh, taught him to attack each day “with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind.”

While driving through Montana to visit friends earlier this month (yes, even “all ball” head coaches take some time off now and then), Harbaugh offered Big Blue View his perspective on the Harbaugh Experience and how others view it.

“I guess I take it as a compliment in the sense of, just that’s what we’re here for,” Harbaugh said. “I’ve become obsessed with it. I always have been.

“I have other things in my life and whatnot. But as far as when you walk into the building, and we talk about other things, too, but it’s always making it about that and not getting caught up in other trains of thought or other priorities or agendas. Just trying to keep it about what we’re here for, what’s important. And try to really be over the top in terms of that and have fun with it and make it important and just make what they do important and them important and all those kind of things.”

TED Talks?

TED Talks, for the uninitiated, are basically idea-filled, motivational speeches of 18 minutes or less. Bloomgren’s remark sent me scurrying to the Internet to find that out.

“I think one thing that really stands out is just the messaging,” Edmunds said. “He’s a quote type guy. Every day he’s kind of giving us a little nugget here and there that we can put into our belt that we can take with us outside of football. Some stuff is just dedicated to football; some stuff is life skills, and I appreciate that, because you can relate to him just outside of the game.

“And us players, it’s going to make you want to play ten times harder for the coach, which is why he’s had success in the past, which now we all can see why like, you know what? That makes sense.”

Every opportunity to talk to his team, every chance to have a meeting, have a conversation, have a practice is important to Harbaugh. Nothing is meaningless.

“To me, it’s like if it’s worth, if we’re all going to be here, we’re doing something that we feel like is meaningful and important,” Harbaugh said. “Then, to me that goes through eternity. If you want to look at life that way, which is how I look at it, then let’s go, man. Let’s give it everything we got. Let’s be over the top for that.

“We’re not trying to be too cool, too cool for school, or act like this is just another day, or this is like old hat. Nothing is old hat. Everything is new. Everything is a new day, a new opportunity, just to be your best. Talk to them all the time. I mean, being your best is really hard to do. Doing your best is really hard to do. It takes a lot. You got to really be intentional about that.”

‘A good damn football coach’

Willie Taggart’s playing and coaching career has been associated with the Harbaugh family for more than 30 years. John and Jim Harbaugh helped recruit Taggart to play quarterback for their father, Jack, at Western Kentucky. He played there from 1995-98. Taggart then coached for Jack Harbaugh at Western Kentucky for a few seasons. He coached running backs at Stanford for Jim Harbaugh from 2007-2009. He coached running backs for John Harbaugh in Baltimore for the past three seasons.

No one around the Giants knows Harbaugh better than Taggart, who now coaches the team’s running backs. He knows why Harbaugh succeeds on the field, and earns respect off of it

“I just think it’s a Harbaugh thing,” Taggart said. “What I mean by that when it comes to coaching for the most part you either get one or the other, forcefulness or sincerity. Not many coaches have both. When you’re dealing with the Harbaughs, they have ‘em both. They know how to do ‘em both and they do ‘em very well. They’re great with people. As a player you appreciate that. You appreciate when a coach can get on you, and also when a coach can pat you on the back and tell you that you did a good job, as well.

“He’s a good damn football coach that can motivate players, motivate people, but also teach them.”

‘A great leader’

Odell Beckham Jr. was out of football when someone from the Giants reached out to him for an opinion on Harbaugh, whom Beckham played for in Baltimore in 2023.

“This is a man of God. This is a leader of men. And truly, from a football aspect, in those meetings, how attentive he was and those little things that come up in the game that sometimes you have to take for granted, he’s very much on it. And he leads in a very good way,” Beckham said. 

“And he just was one of my favorite coaches that I ever had. So, I spoke very highly of him when they asked me about who should be here.

“And I believe they got just the right man for the job, someone who could actually change the culture — or at least start it in the right direction.”

Patrick Ricard spent nine seasons playing for Harbaugh in Baltimore. As a free agent, the 300-pound fullback never hesitated about the idea of signing with the Giants and reunite with Harbaugh.

“I’m just very grateful for Coach Harbaugh. I mean, he’s been in my corner my whole career. He’s believed in me. And as soon as I saw he got the job here, I was definitely interested,” Ricard said. “I even told him, like, look, if you were coaching a Pop Warner football team, I’m interested. I’m there doing something. I don’t even know if I’m like the water boy, you know what I’m saying?

“So, like as soon as he was interested in me coming here, I was all in.”

Ricard knows what to expect from Harbaugh. He also knows his role in helping players new to the Harbaugh Experience understand it.

“He’s going to bring just that culture that he had in Baltimore in terms of being together, playing together, going through the adversities that a season brings, just being all the things that you want to see in a football team, smart, physical, disciplined, and I think that he’s done it for 19 years,” Ricard said. “He’s going to continue to bring it here, and I’m happy to be one of the players that’s going to kind of just kind of show the guys what he wants, what he expects out of us.

“I think that’s the biggest thing is he’s a great leader. He understands how to bring a group of men and make them one. And I think that’s the biggest thing is that we can all understand that he is our leader, and as long as we do right by him, we’ll be all right.”

‘Great to see him re-energized’

Despite Harbaugh’s boundless enthusiasm, it would only be human if he wasn’t quite as excited at the end of his 18-year tenure with the Ravens as he had been earlier. After 18 years of doing anything in the same place, it can’t be as fresh as it was in the early days.

“I had a lot of energy in Baltimore,” said Harbaugh, who turns 64 in September. “I’ve always had a lot of energy because I just did. I mean, I was just like, it’s just consumed with whatever I’m doing. But the idea, the energy sharing is a two-way street.”

Maybe Baltimore wasn’t excited about being coached by Harbaugh the last couple of years as it had been previously. The Ravens got off to an uncharacteristic 1-5 start in 2025 before rallying to reach 8-9 and fall a missed Tyler Loop field goal short of making the playoffs.

Ravens ownership thought it was time both the team and Harbaugh got a fresh start.

Taggart believes the move to New York has done Harbaugh some good.

“He’s John. He’s got a lot of energy. He’s very excited, and you see it every day. His message to the team has been awesome,” Taggart said. “It’s been great to see our guys pick up on his message daily, and absorb it, and go out and try to deliver on how Coach Harbaugh wants things done.

“It’s been great to see him re-energized and really getting after it with the guys.

Giants special teams coach Chris Horton was with Harbaugh in Baltimore for 12 seasons. He saw “a little more juice” in the veteran coach when he addressed the Giants for the first time.

“He’s about as authentic as they come,” Horton said. “Did I see a little more juice, more pop? He’s excited. We’re excited. You know, we’re excited to be here. We’re the New York Football Giants. We’re all excited to be here.”

Harbaugh said he feeds off what he gets from the players.

“These guys have given me a lot of energy because the way they come in every day and how into it they are, how fired up they are, how they’ll be in the locker room, and they’ll be in the locker room for hours after practice even debating something about some crazy thing about, like, which sport takes more athleticism. And they’re passionate about it. I’m like, really, that’s what you guys are talking about?,” Harbaugh said.

“I’m just glad that they’re in there with each other, because that’s how you build a team and all that. So, I guess if you want to say energized, that’s a good word. I think it’s just a different thing than the last couple years.

“But, 18 years in Baltimore or even before that in Philly or wherever, it’s really not that different. Every team’s in a different place. Every group of players is in a different place.

“But I really like, I’m fired up about this particular time and place with these particular people right now because I just think that they’re so motivated. They’re so determined. It means so much to them every single day. That is fun for me. And it’s not just me. It’s fun for all the coaches. I think the coaches feed off the players, players off the coaches. There’s just a lot of good vibe.”

‘I think he’s a maniac’

Harbaugh can take a joke. At least, he can play along with one. Giants’ edge defender Kayvon Thibodeaux peeled back that layer of Harbaugh’s personality during minicamp in June when he snuck into the coach’s press conference and asked “How do you feel about that defensive front?”

Harbaugh shot back:

“How do I feel about the defensive front? The Thibodeaux guy has got me a little concerned back there. He looks shorter to me.”

Thibodeaux has already formed a strong bond with Harbaugh.

“Coach Harbaugh, I think he’s a maniac. He’s obsessed,” Thibodeaux said.

“He’s kind of like me. I call him a maniac guy when you ask him a question and he goes to answer it and then he gets that twitch. And that twitch is when they just go rogue and they just keep talking and talking and talking and that’s me,” Thibodeaux said. “I kind of got that a little bit. And his first day, I noticed that in him. I’m like, yo, he reminds me of me a little bit. It’s similar. So, for me, I can tell he loves the sport and he’s going to give us our best opportunity.”

Thibodeaux is an intelligent person, and isn’t shy about telling you as much. Harbaugh says Thibodeaux, who likes to know the why of things, asks more questions than anyone.

“Whether it’s my head coach, whether it’s my mom, whether it’s the teacher, I want to know, and I’m going to believe you, but I’m also just curious,” Thibodeaux said. “If you can explain it to me, that means you really know your s—-.”

In Harbaugh, Thibodeaux has found a coach who loves the questions. And, more than that, loves it when players really want the answers.

Remember what Taggart said about Harbaugh’s ability to both motivate and teach. His answer regarding fielding questions from players reveals a great deal about why he can do both.

“It’s like, as a coach or even as a player, when someone asks you a question, don’t take it like you’re being questioned,” Harbaugh said. “You take it from the standpoint of someone who’s asking you a question because they really want to know the answer. So, I’m assuming that you’re asking the question because you really want to know the answer. You want to understand something.”

From there, Harbaugh has no issue rolling up his sleeves and going to work to help a player. Remember when he was willing to walk Malik Nabers through the reasons why the Giants did not draft Caleb Downs?

“You got to dig into it. I mean, there’s a lot of layers. There’s layers to everything,” Harbaugh said. “So nothing is too simple. Other than the fact that we’re all here to be our best. We can make that assumption, I hope.

“So it’s like from there, it’s like, well, how are we going to get there? And this is why we’re doing what we’re doing or whatever. And this is what would be up for discussion.And if it was, these would be the questions we’d be asking to try to have the best answer to. It’s like, OK, you really want to know? You really want to talk about this? Let’s dig in, man. Let’s talk about it.”

‘Love you hard … coach you harder’

Giants right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor played for Harbaugh in Baltimore in 2017 and 2018, when he was a player trying to make it in the NFL. Eleumunor said Harbaugh is “the exact same” coach he was then.

“I feel like I’m back in Baltimore,” Eleumunor said. “The workouts, the intensity, just the attention to detail. The way we get things done in the field, the reasons behind them. Also, the small things. And also just I’d say the things that you do in practice that really matter that is the difference between winning and losing in the league.”

That isn’t all Eluemunor, now an established starter in his 10th NFL season, appreciates about Harbaugh.

“Coach Harbs is the type of guy that’s going to love you hard, but he’s going to coach you harder,” Eluemunor said. And like I said, he’s going to hold you accountable for everything. He’s going to hold you to a certain standard and a certain expectation when you’re practicing out there, the way you carry yourself, the way you represent the franchise, and just the way you are as a person. He wants great players, but he also wants great men and great people, and he’s a big believer in that. I think that’s something he’s done a great job of throughout his career and how long I’ve known him.”

Edmunds is new to the Harbaugh Experience, but he feels Harbaugh’s desire to really get to know players.

“You can go to him, talk to him about whatever, and I think that’s the number one thing that’s sticking out right now,” Edmunds said.

Harbaugh said he feels a “responsibility” to help players understand how to be their best.

“I come in with the assumption, I make the charitable or the gracious assumption that they want to be their very best, that they’re here to do their best, to be their best,” Harbaugh said. “And if they are, then it’s kind of my responsibility to help transform their minds a little bit if needed towards what it takes, what it really takes. Because not everybody knows how hard it really is and what it’s really going to take.

“But once they do it and experience it, like probably Jermaine has over the course of his career now, like his thinking is transformed. You know, it’s like the biblical thing, the renewing of your mind. It’s a transformational process.

“I just think these guys are great. I mean, I love every one of them because they’ve done so much and given up so much to get where they’re at, to attain this level. Now, you know, my responsibility is to give them everything I’ve got to take it to the level that they dream of it being.

“And sometimes not everybody understands that. They’re not thinking that way. So, you try to transform their thinking in that way a little bit. And I think probably Jermaine is a great example of that kind of guy. I mean, he’s come a long way. He’s there now.

“The way he thinks is the way he should think.”

Can Harbaugh transform the Giants?

Former Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo used to remind media members that coaches are not miracle workers. Transforming the Giants, who have had only two winning seasons in the last 13, into consistent winners won’t be easy.

It is, though, the task Harbaugh signed up for.

“I know the challenges. I understand the expectations. I know the fans are hungry for a winner,” Harbaugh said at his introductory press conference. “We’re here with one mission, to earn the right to be called the world champions in New York.

“You go into every game planning to win that game. That’s that’s our expectation. That’s what we will be expecting, to do that, but we’ve got to earn the right to expect that by how we go to work and prepare and what kind of a team that we make ourselves into.”

A training camp that promises to be arduous is the next step in that process. Maybe the Harbaugh Experience will one day lead to a parade down the Canyon of Heroes. Maybe it won’t. If it doesn’t, that certainly won’t be for lack of effort.

Something else that is clear is that everyone touched by the Harbaugh Experience will remember it, and will be impacted in at least some small way.