The New York Giants are turning the page, and they’re doing it with a proven winner at the helm. John Harbaugh, the longtime Baltimore Ravens head coach, is now leading Big Blue-and he’s wasting no time laying out his vision.
His message? It starts-and maybe ends-with beating the Philadelphia Eagles.
During a recent appearance on The Howard Eskin Show, Harbaugh didn’t sugarcoat it. “It starts with the Eagles, let's just be honest about it,” he said.
“The Eagles are defending champs. So, you got to build a team to beat the Eagles.
Yeah, you got to beat the Commanders and you got to beat the Cowboys, but the Eagles are the champs. So, we have to build a team to beat the Eagles.
And everything we do, every practice we have, every film session will be with that in mind.”
That’s not just coach-speak. That’s a mission statement.
For a Giants franchise that’s spent much of the last decade trying to find its footing in a division that’s often run through Philly and Dallas, this is a bold, targeted approach. Harbaugh isn’t talking about incremental improvement or vague culture shifts-he’s talking about building a roster, a scheme, and a mindset with one clear goal: dethroning the Eagles.
And let’s be real-he’s not wrong to zero in on them. The Eagles have been the class of the NFC East and one of the toughest outs in the entire conference.
If you want to win the division, you have to go through them. Harbaugh knows that.
And he’s not hiding from it.
This isn’t about disrespecting the Cowboys or overlooking the Commanders. It’s about setting a standard. If you build a team that can go toe-to-toe with the Eagles-their physicality, their depth, their speed-you’re building a team that can hang with just about anyone in the league.
Harbaugh’s approach also sends a message to his locker room: we’re not here to play catch-up. We’re here to compete.
Right now. That kind of clarity can galvanize a team, especially one that’s been searching for an identity.
Of course, the road ahead won’t be easy. The Eagles aren’t going anywhere, and Dallas is always a threat.
Washington, too, is trying to turn the corner. But Harbaugh has never been one to back down from a challenge.
He’s a Super Bowl-winning coach with a reputation for building tough, disciplined football teams. Now, he’s bringing that mentality to New York-and he’s making it clear who the target is.
Year 1 under Harbaugh is shaping up to be a tone-setter. The Giants aren’t just trying to improve-they’re trying to climb the mountain. And they know exactly who’s standing at the summit.