After his first win with Big Blue, it's hard to imagine anybody but John Harbaugh coaching the New York Giants. But if we turned the clock back to January, we could end up with a drastically different outcome.
Early in the Giants' coaching search, multiple candidates were rumored to be top options. For a while, Mike McCarthy seemed to be the most likely hire. Of course, McCarthy would eventually land with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Now that Harbaugh and McCarthy have been through their first week with their new teams, it's more obvious than ever that New York made the right decision.
Giants couldn't be happier they chose John Harbaugh over Mike McCarthy
On the surface, the two coaches seem similar enough. They're two of the most experienced head coaches in the league. Harbaugh ranks 14th in all-time wins, and McCarthy ranks 15th. They both have one Super Bowl win.
So the Giants couldn't have gone wrong with either option, right?
Week 1 showed just how different Harbaugh and McCarthy really are. Both coaches came away with a win in their first game, but the way that they won left their fan bases feeling different.
McCarthy's Steelers limped to a 20-13 win over the Atlanta Falcons, who were quarterbacked by Cooper Rush. Yes, the same Cooper Rush who spent most of his career as a backup for the Dallas Cowboys.
The Falcons couldn't do much of anything on offense throughout the game, but the Steelers still struggled to take control. If not for a pick-six from T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh might have even lost.
McCarthy's reliance on familiarity and simplicity has made for a mediocre team with a limited ceiling. He might lead the Steelers to another winning record, maybe even a playoff appearance, but that's where his team is capped out.
Harbaugh's Giants, on the other hand, have their fans buzzing after their opener against Dallas. He and his staff brought the discipline and consistency you'd expect from a veteran coach, but they were also willing to adapt.
Whether it was with explosive Jaxson Dart runs or creative Isaiah Likely screens, the Giants showed creativity that just doesn't exist in an offense led by McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers. Had New York hired McCarthy, Dart would be boxed into a scheme that doesn't bring out the best in him.
The Giants didn't need any added confirmation that Harbaugh was the right choice, but McCarthy gave it to them anyway.
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