Over the weekend, it became official that John Harbaugh was named the new head coach of the New York Giants, the 21st in franchise history.
On Tuesday, he was introduced to the media at the team’s facilities, where he delivered his first remarks and stated that it is an honor to represent a franchise that has won four Super Bowls.
John Harbaugh was fired a few days after being eliminated and losing the AFC North lead to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Weeks earlier, reports had surfaced about a rift between him and quarterback Lamar Jackson, which is why the dismissal did not come as a complete surprise.
During his 18 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, Harbaugh recorded 180 regular-season wins and won a Super Bowl in 2012. He also developed players such as Joe Flacco and, of course, two-time MVP Lamar Jackson. Now, he faces the challenge of developing another gem in Jaxson Dart, the current star of the New York Giants.
John Harbaugh’s first message to Jaxson Dart
There is no doubt that Jaxson Dart quickly became an NFL star after taking over as the starter in Week 4. In 12 games, he accounted for 24 total touchdowns. However, his biggest flaw has been his aggressive style of play, which led to a serious concussion in Week 10 against the Chicago Bears and caused him to miss a couple of games.
Dart did not change his playing style and continued to take heavy hits. Because of this, Harbaugh was asked about the situation and responded with the following statement: “It’s going to be the Jaxson Dart way. It’s going to be whatever is best for him. We have a lot to work with in him. People are excited about him for a reason. He’s a tough competitor. He’s got tons of talent. He loves football. He wants to work hard. Those ingredients work pretty well,” said the new Giants head coach.
It is worth noting that John Harbaugh previously worked with Lamar Jackson, another mobile quarterback who has not taken as much punishment throughout his career as Jaxson Dart did in just one season, during which he was evaluated multiple times for possible concussions. Harbaugh will need to find a way to adjust Dart’s playing style.
Since John Harbaugh was fired, several teams in need of a head coach-and even some that already had one-reached out to his agent. However, it was clear that the Giants were the perfect destination for the experienced coach, and the opportunity to work with a player like Jaxson Dart made the challenge even more appealing.
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