New York Giants fans have been eagerly anticipating the first press conference of new head coach John Harbaugh, and he has delivered in a big way.
Harbaugh's arrival to the Giants is not simply symbolic of new beginnings, but it represents a complete shift in the culture of the franchise. This is a head coach who brings with him a reputation for winning, championship expectations, and fresh eyes on a roster that has been perceived as one of the best young collections of talent in the league.
And getting those fresh eyes on the roster will already put a number of important young players under the microscope.
One of the players in focus heading into the offseason is 2025 first-round pick Abdul Carter, whose rookie season was filled with ups and downs on and off the field. Without even saying his name, Harbaugh sent a pretty clear message to Carter from the podium.
John Harbaugh sends a clear warning to Abdul Carter at his first NY Giants press conference
One message rang loud and clear: Harbaugh wants guys who love football. His words felt like a subtle shot at Carter.
"We have to have guys who love football. You have to ... we need guys who love everything about football. They love the games, the practices, the meetings, the weightlifting ... if you love football, you're gonna wanna be here.
You're gonna wanna drive into that parking lot every single day. If there's guys around that don't love football, Joe, we're probably gonna let them play somewhere else."
How do we know this is a clear message being sent to Abdul Carter? Well, the off-field aspect of being a professional football player was clearly a big hurdle for him in his rookie NFL season. And although teams will have patience with high draft picks, there won't be a long leash from a coach like Harbaugh if a top draft pick is not in love with the process.
There were reports and rumors of Carter having issues with making it to meetings during his rookie seasons, GM Joe Schoen made excuses on his behalf at times, and Carter was even called out at one point by Dexter Lawrence, who stated that Carter needs to "grow up" after he was benched (twice) during the season.
Carter, for his part, took ownership and started to make strides at one point. We certainly saw his growth and impact on the football field, but this is a young player who was drafted to be a star.
The shift has to be permanent for Carter, whose work habits will be under the close watch of his new head coach. He won't simply be expected to fall in line, but as a high draft pick and star on the team, he'll be expected to set the example...or else.