For almost 18 years, John Harbaugh led the Baltimore Ravens into battle, reaching the postseason 12 times. Now, he takes on a fresh challenge as head coach of a New York Giants team that has only been to the playoffs four times in that same span.
Interestingly, both franchises have won a Super Bowl in that time, but things have changed drastically on both fronts.
Recognizing that the Giants have just one playoff win since they hoisted the Lombardi Trophy back in February 2012, coach Harbaugh is bringing a unique approach to changing the culture of Big Blue.
John Harbaugh’s Camp is ‘Opposite’ of a Country Club
Some teams take their training camps elsewhere to try to get their personnel to really lock in and focus on football, almost as if they were away at college.
The Giants did hit the road for practices in West Virginia, but this was no trip to the country club.
As ESPN’s Peter Schrager reported from “First Take, if anything, Harbaugh has tried to create an atmosphere that is the “opposite” of a cushy country club. At least, that was his takeaway after visiting Giants training camp.
“Think about a country club, or somewhere really fancy, a nice, five-star hotel or resort, and take the exact opposite of that,” Schrager said. “That is what Harbaugh is trying to make training camp for the Giants. They’re building calluses by making them tough and hard.
“They hit for 2.5 hours yesterday. They had to go to West Virginia due to construction at the facility. They went for 13 days and had 10 practices; they had the maximum amount of padded practices possible.”
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Even though some of Harbaugh’s biggest complaints in Baltimore centered on how far he would push his players, that seems to be the trait that the Giants arguably like most about the Super Bowl-winning head coach.
“Some of the complaints in Baltimore on the way out for Harbaugh were, ‘It was just too hard, too tough, this guy is just trying to beat each other up.’ This is what the Giants were seeking,” Schrager added.
“It feels like it’s the toughest Giants team we’ve seen since the Tom Coughlin era. With such a young roster, they are building a culture. Harbaugh is making sure this is gonna be a team that, come November and December, is ready for adversity, and he’s doing it by making it as hard as possible in August.”
“Think about a country club, or somewhere really fancy, a nice five star hotel and resort and take the exact opposite of that. And THAT is what Harbaugh’s trying to make training camp for the Giants.”
—@PSchrags on John Harbaugh changing the New York Giants’ culture ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/bh1ohp034V
— First Take (@FirstTake) August 11, 2026
After combining to win just seven games across the past two seasons, it’s about time the Giants get a change of scenery, and Harbaugh is providing just that.
