John Harbaugh’s promise sets stage for new chapter of Giants football
NY Giants kicked off the John Harbaugh era with a Town Hall event at the Beacon Theatre in New York City.
NEW YORK - The standing ovation for John Harbaugh from the assembled New York Giants fans inside Beacon Theatre for the team's Town Hall event was only just the beginning. And Harbaugh, their head coach set to usher in yet another new era for the franchise in its 102nd year, certainly knew how to play to his audience moments later. With chants of "Cowboys suck" ringing out around him, Harbaugh was asked by a fan if he could promise the Giants were done being kicked around by their NFC rivals and most hated foes: the Dallas Cowboys, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Commanders .
That's when the 63-year-old Super Bowl winner with 193 career victories rallied a fan base with a pledge that felt an awful lot like a battle cry he might deliver when the Giants gather Tuesday morning for the next step in this team's evolution in the first OTA (offseason team activity) practice of the spring. "I could [not] care less about what's happened last year or the year before that or 10 years before that," Harbaugh said. "All I care about is tomorrow's practice, because if tomorrow's practice is the way it's supposed to be, that will be one more step in the direction of being a good enough football team to kick the Cowboys' ass.
" Harbaugh and Schoen kicked the night off together, taking questions from host Bob Papa and select fans. Then it was the players’ turn with quarterback Jaxson Dart and running back Cam Skattebo drawing the loudest cheers. They were joined by defensive captain Brian Burns, edge Kayvon Thibodeaux, tight end Isaiah Likely and inside linebacker Tremaine Edmunds.
“Everything that [Harbaugh] wants the team to be is himself when it comes to intensity, attention to detail,” Dart said. “From a player perspective, when you see a coach who is able to sacrifice a lot but has a chip on the shoulder at the same time, it’s someone we can all respect and want to play for. ” Co-hosts Shaun O’Hara and CBS’ Nate Burleson were up next, introducing the Giants’ draft class of first round picks Arvell Reese and Sisi Mauigoa, second round pick Colton Hood, third round pick Malachi Fields and sixth round picks Bobby Jamison-Travis, J.