<\/p>\n
New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh speaks during a press conference at rookie minicamp at the NFL football team’s practice facility, Saturday, May 9, 2026, in East Rutherford, N.J.<\/p>\n
Yuki Iwamura\/AP<\/p>\n
For most of\u00a0Dak Prescott\u2019s<\/a> mercurial career, the New York Giants have been the light at the end of the tunnel, a port in the storm, a candle in the window. Fourteen straight times he beat them until losing last season\u2019s meaningless finale. No matter what else might go wrong for\u00a0Dak or the Cowboys, you knew the Giants would make it right.<\/p>\n This history did not go unspoken at the Giants\u2019 annual Town Hall meeting Monday, when one of the faithful asked their new coach, John\u00a0Harbaugh<\/a>, what he planned to do about it.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The long-time Ravens coach started by saying he cared less about the Giants\u2019 woeful history over the last 10 years than their future, then finished with a flourish.<\/p>\n \u201cAll I care about is tomorrow\u2019s practice,\u201d he said, \u201cbecause if tomorrow\u2019s practice is the way it\u2019s supposed to be, that\u2019ll be one more step in the direction of being a good enough football team to kick the Cowboys\u2019 ass.\u201d<\/p>\n Certainly one way to\u00a0kickstart OTAs, anyway.<\/p>\n Make Dallas News a preferred source so your search results prioritize writing by actual people, not AI.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n In fairness,\u00a0Harbaugh didn\u2019t actually guarantee he\u2019ll kick the Cowboys\u2019 can. He only said they\u2019d be in a position to do so if they prepare properly, a pretty reasonable caveat. Still, it sounded like a promise to me.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n And, unfortunately, he has the track record to back it up.<\/p>\n Harbaugh is 4-1 against the Cowboys, and lest you think that was all Lamar Jackson, the latter quarterbacked only two of those wins. If you hadn\u2019t noticed, Harbaugh is a good coach.<\/a> Second only to Mike Tomlin among those available in the last decade or so, much to the good fortune of the Giants.<\/p>\n As head coaches come and go, you could say the Giants were due. For an idea of what I\u2019m talking about, without looking, name the Giants\u2019 previous four head coaches. Go ahead. I\u2019ll wait.<\/p>\n If you answered Brian\u00a0Daboll, Joe Judge, Pat Shurmur and Ben McAdoo, you cheated. Had to look ’em up myself. First names, too. They certainly didn\u2019t do anything to make themselves memorable. Over the last 10 years, the quartet produced a total of two winning seasons and just one in the last nine.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The Giants\u2019 last real head coach? Tom\u00a0Coughlin, who won two Lombardi Trophies in 12 years.<\/a> A no-nonsense type, like Bill Parcells before him and Harbaugh now. A defining quality in most good head coaches, too, which should serve the Cowboys notice.<\/p>\n Now, I don\u2019t necessarily mean to imply\u00a0Dak took advantage of the ineptitude of Harbaugh\u2019s immediate predecessors, but … yes. Yes, I do.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t all\u00a0McAdoo\/Shurmer\/Judge\/Daboll\u2019s fault. The Giants have made poor personnel decisions for years. The biggest? Letting Saquon Barkley walk to Philadelphia, where he ran for more than 2,000 yards all the way to a Super Bowl title in his first season.<\/a><\/p>\n Crazy thing is, it\u2019s not just the Giants who have been bad during\u00a0Dak\u2019s membership in the NFC East. The Commanders haven\u2019t been much better. Made the playoffs twice over the last 10 years. Just when it looked like they were on their way in Dan Quinn\u2019s 12-5 debut, they flip-flopped to 5-12 last season.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n All of which is to tell you that\u00a0Dak\u2019s 83-55-1 record is built on the back of a 37-10 mark in the East. He\u2019s 46-45-1 against everyone else. Frankly, the saving grace of such a disproportionate record is that he\u2019s 10-5 over the Eagles, who have won two Super Bowls in the last 10 years and showed up for another.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the thing: From all appearances, the Eagles and Cowboys may not have it so easy from here on out in the East. We know the Eagles will be playoff material because\u00a0Howie Roseman, their general manager, will settle for nothing less. Time will tell if the Commanders are closer to 12-5 or 5-12. I\u2019m guessing Jayden Daniels\u2019 health will play a large part in determining the difference.<\/p>\n As for the Giants, I can practically guarantee they won\u2019t be the pushover they\u2019ve been for most of\u00a0Dak\u2019s tenure. Jaxson Dart looks promising, and their already stout defense picked up one of the draft\u2019s best talents in Arvell Reese.<\/p>\n But those aren\u2019t the reasons I like their chances of at least giving the Cowboys trouble in the Sunday night opener Sept. 13 in MetLife Stadium.<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n John\u00a0Harbaugh will have conducted a whole summer\u2019s worth of practices by then, and my guess is he\u2019ll have the Giants in position to potentially make good on his prediction at Monday\u2019s Town Hall. Of course, he may not. The Cowboys have made a few nice moves of their own this offseason. But, at the very least, the Giants are no longer a gimme on the schedule. Their new coach, their first real one in a decade, will make sure of it. Buckle up, Dak.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n