Well, it’s all starting to come together for the New York Giants. We’ve got our head coach, who just so happened to be the best available candidate this offseason. Thank you again to the Mara and Tisch families!
John Harbaugh has been hard at work recruiting his coaching staff, hiring new defensive and special teams coordinators, and you have to trust he will continue to assemble the best coaching staff.
We’ve got our franchise quarterback in Jaxson Dart, who has been nothing but amazing since arriving in New York, and now you’re telling me we can add another weapon for him on offense, like Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate, with the fifth pick in the NFL Draft, sign me up!
The future looks bright for the New York Giants, thanks to Coach Harbaugh and a reenergized approach. Now the question is: where do we go from here, Joe Schoen and the Giants front office?
Well, it starts with building a culture from day one. The G-Men have lacked that sense of culture since Tom Coughlin left the franchise, but now is the time to get it back or even start fresh as a new chapter begins with brand-new leadership.
It starts with Coach Harbaugh, who talked a lot about building a culture at his press conference. He set the tone early by stating he is seeking passionate, "football-first" individuals, meaning he wants to work with players and people who love football, and said he is willing to let go of those who are not dedicated, hardworking, and do not prioritize the game and abide by the culture.
Coach Harbaugh isn’t just any head coach taking on this job, as the last four coaches to coach the Giants following Coughlin were first-timers. Harbaugh was the Baltimore Ravens' head coach for 18 years and knows what it takes to win and succeed.
Let’s just say he’s been around the block and has seen it all in the NFL. So, you have to trust he will use his experience to help build the Giants’ new culture. He might even gain inspiration from what other teams around the league are doing.
Take the New England Patriots, for example, who are back in the Super Bowl this year. They hired former Patriots linebacker and Titans head coach Mike Vrabel last year, have a second-year quarterback in Drake Maye, and brought in brilliant complementary assistants like offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who's helped develop their 23-year-old star.
Not to mention, they spent money in free agency to add veterans like Stefon Diggs and Milton Williams, who have panned out perfectly.
The Giants have a former head coach, a second-year quarterback, and a clear path to a ton of money to spend on free agents. They could take a page from the Patriots' playbook and try to replicate Vrabel's success with the right ingredients now in place.
I'm not saying they will make the Super Bowl next season. However, we'd all love to see that, but surrounding Dart with the weapons for him to succeed, bringing in a coaching staff who will work well with Harbaugh, and going out in free agency to get players that will buy into the Giants' new culture and will help the roster, may be the recipe for success.
There you have it! Harbaugh and the Giants must build a culture in their own way, while also looking to a team like the Patriots as an example of what they hope to become.
Consider it written in blue.
Follow along my "Written in Blue" series with these other opinion-focused articles: