{"id":719734,"date":"2026-01-31T19:15:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T19:15:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/719734\/"},"modified":"2026-01-31T19:15:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T19:15:18","slug":"john-harbaugh-opens-up-about-how-to-raise-the-bar-around-giants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/719734\/","title":{"rendered":"John Harbaugh opens up about how to ‘raise the bar’ around Giants"},"content":{"rendered":"

Blockbuster Giants coaching hire John Harbaugh<\/a>, who led the 2012 Ravens to a Super Bowl XLVII title and won Coach of the Year for Baltimore in 2019, takes a timeout during his transition to Big Blue and the Big Apple for some Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby.<\/p>\n

Q: Describe the feeling of holding the Lombardi Trophy.<\/p>\n

A: I was too young [49, chuckle] to realize at the time how momentous it really was and how hard it is to get. It\u2019s an ultimate type of a moment, but then like any moment, it\u2019s fleeting and it\u2019s gone, and the real accomplishment is in the ongoing moments and the relationships and things like that I think truly matters. The feeling in holding the Lombardi Trophy is the feeling that you\u2019re sharing an accomplishment with all your brothers, your family \u2026 that shared jubilation. That\u2019s what that moment\u2019s all about.<\/p>\n

Q: Have you noticed the Giants\u2019 four Lombardi Trophies in the glass class in the lobby?<\/p>\n

A: Yes I have, and I have a spot (laugh), I do, in my mind\u2019s eye, my dreams, I have a spot picked out for the fifth one. That\u2019ll be a great moment when it happens.<\/p>\n

Q: Are you into visualization?<\/p>\n

A: I have dreams, I have visions. I have a vision for what\u2019s possible and how to go about doing it. But I\u2019m not sitting here visualizing shooting free throws 50 times laying on my back so I could become a better free throw shooter, which was the exercise that we were taught in seventh grade. I\u2019m kind of past that one. \u2026 I visualize about the next team meeting, the next practice. When you start thinking about the Super Bowl, that\u2019s not how you get there. You got to earn your way in there.<\/p>\n

Q: Is it realistic or unrealistic to believe that you can do what Mike Vrabel has done in New England?<\/p>\n

A: Of course it\u2019s realistic<\/a>, I mean, all things are possible.<\/p>\n

Q: What are the traits of the ideal John Harbaugh football player?<\/p>\n

A: Any football player \u2014 a high school player, peewee player, you\u2019re All-Pro, you\u2019re a Hall of Famer \u2014 a true football player is a guy who loves football, who loves to play football and likes everything about football and plays football for the sake of the game, for the love of the game \u2026 not for what the game can give me or can provide me and anything like that \u2026 the high school star that plays football because he gets the pretty girl, so to speak, like the old song says, but because he likes what football is. To me, it all starts with that. And from that stem all those other qualities \u2014 how hard they play, how physical they are. I always feel like a player shows you how much he cares about the team, about the game and about his teammates by how hard he plays. Not always how well you play, but how you play.<\/p>\n

Q: What will \u201cplay like a Giant\u201d mean?<\/p>\n

A: We\u2019re not going to use that particular term. We\u2019re going to have our thing<\/a>, whatever it might be, that comports with the great history of the New York Football Giants. It\u2019ll be something that Giants fans can be proud of, I\u2019m quite sure. They\u2019ve seen a lot of great football. They know what it looks like. It\u2019s going to look like that, and not just that. \u2026 The goal of this generation is going to be to raise that standard, raise the bar, to that level. That can be wins and losses but it can also be what you see, how hard you play, how disciplined, how physical and what level of enthusiasm and joy do you bring to the game? Those are the things that we\u2019ll be trying to raise the bar on.<\/p>\n

Giants head coach John Harbaugh walking past a Super Bowl poster as he was introduced as the new head coach at a press conference at the Giants Training Facility.
\n Charles Wenzelberg \/ New York Post<\/p>\n

Q: Describe your leadership style.<\/p>\n

A: I would describe it as transformational. That\u2019s the goal: transformational, impactful hopefully.<\/p>\n

Q: What are your non-negotiable standards and principles?<\/p>\n

A: Well, our dad always told us you never lie, never cheat, never steal. That\u2019s a pretty good place to start. Try to not think too highly of yourself, probably the No. 1 thing. Pride goes before the fall.<\/p>\n

Q: What is your definition of mental toughness?<\/p>\n

A: Your ability to handle both triumph and disaster, and treat those two imposters just the same. You know where that comes from? Rudyard Kipling.<\/p>\n

Q: I was going to say Jack Harbaugh.<\/p>\n

A: No, no, no. You\u2019re a journalist, you should know literature! Rudyard Kipling (laugh).<\/p>\n

Q: Your definition of physical toughness?<\/p>\n

A: There\u2019s a lot of different types of physical toughness. Physical toughness probably is embodied in mental toughness, emotional toughness. How about somebody that\u2019s in a tough relationship, you know? Somebody that\u2019s struggling with some certain situations. Maybe someone that\u2019s struggling even with like addiction or something like that, the physical pain that goes with things like that. It goes all across the board, it\u2019s not football related \u2026 it\u2019s human nature related. The ability to have hope under distress in the most challenging circumstances. I think you see it every day by people everywhere all the time. That\u2019s what I admire. Physical toughness on the field? Heck yeah, those guys love to put their bodies out there and put \u2019em on the line and throw their bodies around, and I admire that very much, and respect it. Although I still think it pales in comparison to the things that you\u2019ll see in everyday life that people face every single day in terms of mental and physical toughness that they display. Often for the cause of others, especially for their family and the people that they love to make the sacrifices that are required to make a difference in their lives.<\/p>\n

Kate Mara speaking to Jack Harbaugh at the press conference for the new New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh at the Giants Training Facility in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
\n Charles Wenzelberg \/ New York Post<\/p>\n

Q: What won\u2019t you tolerate?<\/p>\n

A: I won\u2019t tolerate a lack of effort. That\u2019s not negotiable, and you got to go out there and you got to play with great effort, play as hard as you can.<\/p>\n

Q: You\u2019ve been described as a problem solver.<\/p>\n

A: I do think problem solving is the essence of everything. Every journey is navigating circumstances, and it\u2019s one problem after another to solve and to conquer and to overcome \u2014 whether it\u2019s by being clever or sometimes by being, like you said before, tough, mentally tough, physically tough. Sometimes it\u2019s about being relentless, sometimes it\u2019s about just being really smart and try to figure something out. Sometimes it\u2019s listening to wise counsel. Sometimes it\u2019s being obedient and doing what you\u2019re told. It can be a lot of things, but generally speaking, yes, I would say that problem solving is a key.<\/p>\n

Q: How do you motivate?<\/p>\n

A: Probably just try to motivate every day by being who I am, showing my personality and bringing a lot of energy.<\/p>\n

Q: Who are coaches in other sports you admire?<\/p>\n

A: There\u2019s a lot. But guys like Tony La Russa. I just think his wisdom is unparalleled. I reach out to him all the time. Guys like Billy Cunningham and Doug Collins, a couple of guys when I was younger I looked up to and still stay in touch with \u2026 amazing, amazing coaches. And even guys that I don\u2019t know, I look at Erik Spoelstra down in Miami, I like the way his teams play.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGo behind the scenes with Big Blue\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for Inside the Giants by Paul Schwartz, a weekly Sports+ exclusive.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tThank you\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Q: What did you admire or respect most about Tom Coughlin?<\/p>\n

A: The thing I admired about Tom, and I still do, is his genuineness. His genuine, genuine belief in things that he thinks are important and believes in. And I also think that the things that he genuinely believes in are the things that are self-evident football truths. He is a relentless advocate of the self-evident football truths, and that\u2019s one of the reasons he was such a great coach. And he\u2019s a really honest man<\/a>, caring man. When we went to Iraq with a bunch of coaches \u2014 it was Coach Coughlin, Coach [Bill] Cowher, Coach [Jon] Gruden, Coach [Jeff] Fisher and myself \u2014 and he was definitely the Papa Bear for all of us, Coach Cowher too \u2026 he kept us all in line (laugh), like slapping the back of our necks, back of our heads when we were getting out of line and not paying attention.<\/p>\n

Q: What do you know about Bill Parcells?<\/p>\n

A: I\u2019ve only met him a couple of times before games when he was coaching. I think back to when he was in Dallas and I was in Philly as a special teams coach. I love his style, his creative unabashed honesty, man \u2026 his tell -it-like-it-is reality check. Probably the most I know about Coach Parcells other than I read his books, is Sean Landeta stories (laugh). Just the way he would make a point \u2026 kind of an offhand, even sarcastic way maybe, or funny way, and yet maybe it\u2019s such a dagger of a truth that you need to understand to be successful or whatever it might have been \u2026 reality genius kind of guy.<\/p>\n

Q: Are you a combination of those two?<\/p>\n

A: No, no, no, no, no \u2026 I\u2019m a combination of my mom and dad probably for sure.<\/p>\n

Q: How important is a leadership council for you?<\/p>\n

A: We believe in [the] leadership council, meet with them weekly as much as we can, and I think the players have a pulse on things, and ultimately it\u2019s the players\u2019 team, the players are responsible for the team in the end. It\u2019s their team, and they should have a say in things.<\/p>\n

Q: What are your first impressions of Abdul Carter?<\/p>\n

A: Loves the game. I would say a relentless determination, a big heart for football. \u2026 I like his play style, I think he\u2019s just scratching the surface.<\/p>\n

Q: Cam Skattebo?<\/p>\n

A: The first time I saw him he screamed from the treadmill. He didn\u2019t really say any words, it was just like a primal scream. That\u2019s how I picture him right now \u2014 he\u2019s a primal scream<\/a>, that\u2019s who he is.<\/p>\n

Robert Sabo for NY Post<\/p>\n

Q: Jaxson Dart.<\/p>\n

A: I like his enthusiasm for the game, his desire to do the work that is required in order to earn the right to play the game. That\u2019s what I love about him.<\/p>\n

Q: Describe your conversation with him at the facility when you met him.<\/p>\n

A: I had fun. I didn\u2019t want it to end<\/a>. I love talking to him, I love texting with him. But not just Jaxson, I mean all the guys you feel that way about. That\u2019s why, for me, that\u2019s why you coach, because you get to have these relationships with these guys that have a shared love for football and a shared determination to be the best that you can be, and you get to pursue that every single day with these guys in conversations and in actions, in the weight room, on the practice field, the meeting room. That\u2019s why you can\u2019t get enough of coaching, that\u2019s why this is just such a great job. It\u2019s the joy of all that.<\/p>\n

Q: Your former Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald is coaching the Seahawks in the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n

A: Proud, just so proud. So impressed. I\u2019ve seen his whole journey, from the first day he graduated from college and joined us as an intern coach in our coaching development program we started. We\u2019re still doing it, we\u2019re carrying it on to the Giants for young coaches. So many of these coaches go into the NFL and now we\u2019re going to have our first head coach in the Super Bowl, man! He\u2019s such a good dude, such a smart, hard-working good man. I\u2019m so proud of him.<\/p>\n

Q: You\u2019re a history buff. Who are some of your favorite historical figures?<\/p>\n

A: I like American history probably more than anything. I\u2019m a big fan of Ronald Reagan. I\u2019m a big fan of Teddy Roosevelt. Big fan of Abraham Lincoln. John F. Kennedy, real high on the list. Martin Luther King [Jr.]. \u2026 I like all the heavyweight boxers, like starting with Jack Johnson.<\/p>\n

Q: What drives you?<\/p>\n

A: What drives me is my desire to glorify our Heavenly Father. That\u2019s what drives me, to do the right thing, to do good works.<\/p>\n

Giants head coach John Harbaugh at a press conference where he was introduced as the new Giants head coach. Charles Wenzelberg \/ New York Post<\/p>\n

Q: Describe your father Jack.<\/p>\n

A: I think that [brother] Jim and I are both a reflection of him as a coach. We both have that enthusiastic style, but we also have that edgy style that he had that we saw growing up \u2026 got to have both. The biggest thing about our dad \u2014 and our mom, too \u2014 they always made us feel like we could do anything. We got in trouble a lot, we got disciplined a lot, we got spanked plenty. But we were always led to believe and feel like we were capable of doing anything. Anything and everything was possible if we worked hard and we did the right thing. That\u2019s always been there. We never thought that we couldn\u2019t do something.<\/p>\n

Q: Describe your brother Jim, who now coaches the Chargers.<\/p>\n

A: The most creative, funnest, toughest person I know. I think he\u2019s the best coach in football. Jim Harbaugh is so much fun. People have no idea. They have no idea what this guy\u2019s about. Everybody that knows him loves him.<\/p>\n

Q: What did you tell your Ravens team during the 2013 Super Bowl XLVII blackout against your brother\u2019s 49ers?<\/p>\n

A: I said, \u201cThere ain\u2019t no mountain high enough, there ain\u2019t no river wide enough, there ain\u2019t no valley deep enough to keep us from winning this game, so let\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Q: Three dinner guests?<\/p>\n

A: How about the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit? That\u2019d be the three. If we\u2019re going to get outside of the realm of the Almighty Deity, I would go with Lincoln, I would go with Thomas Aquinas, and I would probably go with Paul of Tarsus.<\/p>\n

Q: Favorite movie?<\/p>\n

A: Probably \u201cShawshank Redemption,\u201d \u201cRocky I\u201d and \u201cForrest Gump.\u201d I rotate between those three movies for which one\u2019s the best one.<\/p>\n

Q: Favorite actor?<\/p>\n

A: Marlon Brando in \u201cThe Godfather.\u201d I don\u2019t know if I can beat that.<\/p>\n

New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh arrives to be introduced at a news conference. AP<\/p>\n

Q: Favorite actress?<\/p>\n

A: Julia Roberts.<\/p>\n

Q: Favorite singer\/entertainer?<\/p>\n

A: Tom Petty.<\/p>\n

Q: Favorite meal?<\/p>\n

A: Football and pasta bolognese.<\/p>\n

Q: How do you want to be remembered in NFL legacy?<\/p>\n

A: I would like to be remembered as a guy that loved the game, and you knew a team coached by that guy, you could recognize it when you saw it, you knew what to expect from those kind of teams, his players loved playing with that style of football, and they loved coming to work every day.<\/p>\n

Q: One last message for Giants fans?<\/p>\n

A: You\u2019re going to get our very best every single day, I promise you that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Blockbuster Giants coaching hire John Harbaugh, who led the 2012 Ravens to a Super Bowl XLVII title and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":719735,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2067],"tags":[291,117,746,7,519,13,2909,1917,56,2321,2469,6,46040,9,20197],"class_list":["post-719734","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-giants","tag-abdul-carter","tag-baltimore-ravens","tag-cam-skattebo","tag-football","tag-giants","tag-jaxson-dart","tag-john-harbaugh","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-giants","tag-newyork","tag-newyorkgiants","tag-nfl","tag-serbys-qa","tag-sports","tag-tom-coughlin"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115991316377608140","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/719734","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=719734"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/719734\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/719735"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=719734"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=719734"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=719734"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}