When the New York Giants hired John Harbaugh as head coach in January as part of a much-needed reformation, many players knew the party was over. It was time to work for a living again.
Like many Super Bowl-winning coaches, Harbaugh is a known task-master who is a stickler for details. He likes to practice hard and expects the players to be prepared at every twist and turn.
The new vibe was apparent at the team’s annual Town Hall gathering at the Beacon Theater in New York City on Monday night. Fans saw a side to the Giants they haven’t seen in years, from the front office all the way down to the new rookie class.
“This [expletive] is different,” linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux said of the recent changes, via the New York Post. “It’s hard. It’s different in a great way. The future is now.”
Quarterback Jaxson Dart, who, like Harbaugh, received a thunderous welcome from the audience of mostly fans, also chimed in on how things are changing under the new coach.
“Everything that he 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.”
Harbaugh himself had many things to say, mostly to stoke the crowd, but his comments were littered with honesty. When Dexter Lawrence, the All-Pro defensive lineman who forced the team to trade him this offseason, was booed by the crowd, Harbaugh quickly ended any further conversation on the matter.
“That’s right,” he said in response to the boos. “He’s got a life to live. We brought guys in here that wanted to be here.”
Cheers. Sitting alongside general manager Joe Schoen, Harbaugh was clearly the star of the evening. In charge and flaunting it. It’s time to be the New York Giants again.
“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’ [expletive].”
“That hate is well placed,” Harbaugh added. “Could you add a little bit for the Washington Commanders, too? Throw them in there.”
Things are different, indeed. And that’s exactly what this organization needed.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: New York Giants stars describe life under John Harbaugh: ‘It’s hard’
Reporting by John Fennelly, Giants Wire / Giants Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
