The New York Giants facility brimmed with excitement on Tuesday as John Harbaugh was formally introduced as the club's new head coach -- the beginning of what's hoped to become a turnaround of one of the NFL's most historic franchises.
New York has struggled to find a replacement following Tom Coughlin's 12-season run that included two Super Bowl victories, having produced just one playoff win since 2015 while cycling through four full-time head coaches.
Harbaugh told reporters on Tuesday that it's a "profound honor to be entrusted" with the job, a position he desired after spending nearly two decades in Baltimore.
"I wanted this job," Harbaugh said. "I think I told you that, Mr. Mara: I wanted this job, and to be on the biggest stage in the biggest sport. I know the challenges; I understand the expectations, I know the fans are hungry for a winner. We're here with one mission: to become, to earn the right to be called the world champions in New York. And that's what we plan to do."
Harbaugh notched 12 playoff berths and a title in Super Bowl XLVII during his 18-year tenure as Ravens head coach that ended when Baltimore fired Harbaugh on Jan. 6 after failing to make the playoffs.
Harbaugh brings a wealth of experience and a championship pedigree to New York.
He becomes the 21st full-time head coach in New York Giants history, and is the first hire to have previously won a Super Bowl as head coach. Only Hall of Fame coach Curly Lambeau, who coached 29 seasons with Packers before moving on to the Cardinals, had a longer stint with one franchise before joining another, per NFL Research.
Harbaugh's 180 regular-season wins as a head coach ranks him 14th all-time. Only Chiefs HC Andy Reid (279) and Broncos HC Sean Payton (184) have more wins among active coaches.
Harbaugh's arrival in New York parallels Reid's in Kansas City in 2013, which followed a successful 13-season run with the Eagles. Reid would go on to win three Super Bowls and create the league's most-recent dynasty with Patrick Mahomes in his second act.
Harbaugh, who was part of Reid's staff in Philadelphia before joining the Ravens in 2008, aims to replicate that type of success with the Giants.
“Andy is a man of few words and his four words to me were: ‘Change can be good.’ That’s what he said," Harbaugh said. "Change can be good. He was excited. He’s fired up for us. He’s a good friend.
"How about we do this. We’ll sign up for that deal right now, what he did in Kansas City. Let’s do that.”
The 63-year-old coach also brings stability. Just two quarterbacks have been featured along Harbaugh's nearly two-decade watch in Baltimore: Joe Flacco, who won Super Bowl XLVII MVP, and Lamar Jackson, a two-time regular-season MVP.
Giants QB Jaxson Dart showed great promise along his rookie campaign, scoring 24 touchdowns (15 passing, nine rushing) while generating a 91.7 passer rating. Dart's intro was the silver lining along a dark season that saw Brian Daboll's mid-season dismissal following a 2-8 start, and the first-round pick made the Giants job one of the more appealing HC positions in the NFL.
Harbaugh said he's "excited" to begin working with the 22-year-old QB.
"It starts with the quarterback for sure," he said. "You build your team around your quarterback. You build your team around your players and what they do well. I like the way he plays. I like his talent, skill set, all the things he’s accomplished. But more than that I like who he is and what he’s about. To me, he’s about football. This young guy loves football. He wants to talk football all the time. That’s what I liked doing, too. So we’re going to have a lot of great conversations. I can’t wait to get started with him.”
The Giants also have a wealth of talent around Dart, including wide receiver Malik Nabers and a stalwart left tackle in Andrew Thomas. New York's defense is also well-equipped with Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence and Kayvon Thibodeaux on the front line and a talented secondary on the back end.
Harbaugh recognized what type of expectations he will be facing and is expecting a quick turn around.
"We have an opportunity to go win, you know, and I like these players, man," Harbaugh said. "I had a chance to watch tape. I like the way they play. I liked their style. I like how physical and how tough they are, and I know they want to be successful, and they want to go to work, so absolutely, we can do that, and that's our plan to do that. The plan is to win every game. I mean, one game at a time. You go into every game, playing to win that game. That's our expectation. We will be expecting to do that. But we've got to earn the right to expect that. By how we go to work and prepare, and what kind of a team that we make ourselves into."
There's still work to do to complete Harbaugh's undertaking in terms of completing his coaching staff. It's a process Harbaugh said will begin on Wednesday, indicating he could be bringing along some of his coaches from Baltimore.
Harbaugh said that while he "learned a lot" following his run with the Ravens, his vision and principles for a football team are "written in stone." His leadership in Baltimore brought a consistent level of success, and it's why New York decided to hire Harbaugh on a deal that's expected to make him one of the highest-paid coaches in the NFL.
"It's a bunch of guys that see the game the same way," he said of what he envisions his Giants being. "It's a bunch of guys that want to play the game together the same way. It's a relentless brotherhood, having each other's back, being unwilling to give up because that guy next year is unwilling to give up. You know, all these things that these guys believe in will decide what the culture looks like together every single day by what we do together. All right? And that's how you build it together."