The New York Giants got their guy, officially introducing John Harbaugh as the team’s head coach in a press conference on Tuesday. The veteran coach immediately made it clear that this was the place he wanted to be, and that’s why he and the franchise were able to handle business so quickly.
However, there was one hiccup that slowed down negotiations, and that was, reportedly, Harbaugh’s desire to report directly to ownership instead of general manager Joe Schoen.
Of course, the Giants’ new head coach was asked about that on Tuesday, and he did what coaches do when in front of a microphone: downplayed the situation. Harbaugh was asked why it’s important to report to ownership and not the GM, and he said it’s not that important, calling the situation overblown a little bit. He explained that this is what he’s used to, but emphasized we’re all going to work together.
John Harbaugh downplays reporting to the New York Giants' ownership and GM Joe Schoen
Chris Mara, senior player personnel executive and brother of John Mara, echoed a similar sentiment, saying structure isn’t a big deal because it’s all about collaboration. He did admit that the structure was unlikely to change for any other candidate, but also made clear that Harbaugh and Schoen “hit it off well.”
This may be Harbaugh‘s first example of coach speak in New York, because a negotiation doesn’t get hung up for days over something that isn’t a big deal.
Whatever the case, John Harbaugh is the Giants' head coach and will report to ownership, and Joe Schoen remains on as the team's general manager. Surely, in New York, the relationship between the two will be closely monitored.
Harbaugh expressed that he was impressed with Schoen, picking up early in their conversations that the general manager is “a football man.” The head coach explained that Schoen’s knowledge of football and the league shows that he lives and breathes the game. Because of that, Harbaugh believes there will be great collaboration between the two.
With the initial press conference out of the way, it’s now time for the two to get to work and showcase that great collaboration. The Giants already have a promising roster, but the work is far from done. As New York works to hire a coaching staff and add new players, it’ll be interesting to see how this relationship evolves as they try to build the Giants into a contender.