The New York Giants got their guy when they hired head coach John Harbaugh to be the 21st leader of one of the most proud organizations in the NFL. There hasn’t been much to be proud of over the past decade, but that could soon change with a proven leader now calling the shots.
From the moment he was fired by the Baltimore Ravens, it was Harbs or bust for Big Blue. It was reported that general manager Joe Schoen pulled out all the stops to bring the 63-year-old to East Rutherford, and early Thursday morning, the dream became reality as the two sides agreed on a deal.
As the ensuing week unfolded, reports flew around about the negotiating process and what Harbaugh’s decision-making power would look like. During the interview stage, it was rumored that he was seeking total team control, essentially rendering Schoen powerless. That wasn’t the case... well, not exactly.
Although Schoen is the GM and Harbaugh is the HC, the Super Bowl-winning coach won’t be reporting to the much-maligned exec. He’ll report directly to ownership, and he’ll also get final say in the “collaboration” process. I wonder how Schoen’s fragile ego is going to handle that.
Joe Schoen already feeling the shift in Giants power structure
Schoen spoke with the media on Tuesday afternoon, following Harbaugh’s press conference, and let’s just say he’s already doing his best to minimize his new limited power in the decision-making process.
When asked about how he felt about Harbs having the final say on the collaborative process, the 46-year-old was quick to let everyone know the semantics of the new reporting structure:
“I’m not worried about it. Like you said, that’s just something on a piece of paper. Doesn’t matter, we need to work together.”
That sure sounds like someone trying to convince himself everything’s going to be okay… when it definitely doesn’t feel like it is. The “just something on a piece of paper” line is eye-catching. Harbaugh coming in and essentially relieving Schoen of final authority -- a power given by John and Chris Mara -- is so much more than a dotted-line shrug-off.
Schoen’s ego has cost this team before. He’s been too proud to set it aside and make appropriate business decisions, suggesting that this new process might hurt him more than he’s letting on. Holding onto players he drafted highly, letting productive guys walk only to succeed elsewhere -- it’s set this team back. That stops now.
With Harbs calling the final shot, Giants fans can sleep well at night knowing someone who’s been there and done that is giving the final thumbs-up instead of one unproven executive’s pride. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out, especially with free agency, roster moves, and the draft coming up quickly. If they do work together, this thing might finally work.