New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh knows his way around a football team. To say he’s been there, done that would be a massive understatement. He didn’t win a Super Bowl, pile up 180 wins, and last 18 years as a head coach by not knowing what he’s talking about.
The 63-year-old has had his fair share of quarterbacks to praise -- it hasn’t exactly been hard with guys like Joe Flacco and Lamar Jackson under center -- so when Harby starts dropping unsolicited Jaxson Dart praise, Big Blue Nation should be all ears.
When asked about his vision for the offense with Dart under center, Harbaugh didn’t leave much room for interpretation when it comes to the 22-year-old, telling the media:
“I want a high-powered offense. I want an offense that scores a lot of points, protects the football, is efficient, is effective, is in sync with all three phases. ... One of the many great things about Jaxson Dart is that he does so many things so well. He can live in a lot of different worlds. ... I’m not sure what he really can’t do."
I'm not sure either, John. Great minds think alike.
John Harbaugh just let everyone know how he feels about Jaxson Dart
Harbaugh is not a "let me feed the media quotes for the sake of it" kind of guy. He wouldn't just spew nonsense about Dart if he didn't truly believe in what he was saying. That's what makes his comment about "I'm not sure what he really can't do" hit even harder.
That doesn't mean he's perfect by any means, but it's clear that Harby saw what most of Big Blue Nation saw last year: the guy has all the tools to be something special.
The Utah native finished his rookie season going 4-8, throwing for 2,272 yards, 15 touchdowns, five interceptions, with a 63.7% completion percentage. For context, with the same roster, not even veterans Russell Wilson (0-3) or Jameis Winston (0-2) could win a game when given the opportunity.
He added 487 yards and nine scores with his legs, which lines up with Harbaugh's "different worlds" comment -- it's not just his arm that can win football games.
Fortunately for Dart, his new head coach has made it very clear what he expects the offense to look like on Sundays, and the team went out and added players in free agency accordingly. Isaiah Likely, Patrick Ricard, and Darnell Mooney were added to the offense to provide a much-needed facelift and to bring a more physical style of football.
Judging by the way Dart clawed, scraped, and fought... and took too many unnecessary hits for extra yards last year, I don't think he's going to have a hard time embracing the shift at all.