Chapter 1: What is the excitement around John Harbaugh becoming the Giants' head coach?
It's the Boomer and Geo podcast from WFAN. And we're coming to you live from the Build Forward Tough studio. Boomer Esaias and Greg Giannotti. It's Boomer and Geo on the fan. Cybercast across the country on CBS Sports Network. And wherever you are on the free Odyssey app. Good Thursday morning.
A feel-good football Thursday as all signs indicate that John Harbaugh is the next head coach of the New York Giants. Everything done but pen to paper is what Art Stapleton has said. Adam Schefter is on it. Jordan Renan is on it, barring some sort of unbelievable mistake. Setback John Harbaugh will be here coaching the New York Giants in 2026. It's what we wanted. It's what we were begging for.
It's what we were hoping for. And I feel great for Giants fans today because they... They got their guy, and this could be the franchise-shifting move that puts them back in the championship conversation. I believe that it does. This is going to be a fun one today. It's everything that every Giant fan wanted, and it happened last night.
They went all in to get their guy, and it looks like they did. Good morning, Boomer Howard! Yeah, good morning, G. And I would say, yes, I agree with you 100%. This is exactly what we were talking about last week. Before we thought maybe Stephen Ross would jump in and go grab John Harbaugh and just give him whatever he wanted down there in Miami when they let go of Mike McDaniel.
We were like, that caught us all off guard. But initially it was like the best fit was Kevin Stefanski. After Kevin Stefanski, then all of a sudden, John Harbaugh was let go by Steve Busciotti down in Baltimore, and he is the number one guy for the New York Giants. I hope this happens for the Giant fans. I hope it happens for John Harbaugh, and I hope it happens for the Giants and John Mara.
I really do. I mean, I want... If you want relevancy, you want legitimacy, you want excitement back into your team, you know, Jackson Dart has brought that. There's no question about that. But that's on the field. You need somebody to make sure they're running the ship and they are in control of the ship.
which is something that didn't shock me, is that Joe Shane is not in any way, shape, or form inhibiting this. Maybe it's amplifying. Maybe it's helping because it seems like Joe Shane and, by the way, Brian Dable, Eli Manning, Tom Coughlin, Jackson Dart, all these people have spoken with John Harbaugh to tell John Harbaugh just how great a job this is.
And unfortunately, over the last 10 years, they went to the playoffs once. We've been here, and it's not been great. And it's all due in large part to the quarterback situation and Daniel Jones not being able to stay healthy. So now I think... This is, like I said, an inflection point, a turning the page point for the Giants.
And, I mean, I would think the momentum going into the 2026 season is going to be off the charts. Oh, yeah. I mean, this is season tickets. This is everybody excited. All of a sudden, the feeling around the team does a complete 180. If they had lost out on John Harbaugh, we would have found a way to be excited about whoever the next guy was, if it was Kevin Stefanski.
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Chapter 2: What are the implications of Harbaugh's hiring for the Giants' future?
Sometimes it is timing, and this was the perfect time for the Giant job to be open. John Harbaugh and the Ravens had to part ways. It had gotten stale, Lamar Jackson and him, and now they're coming together. And I was concerned.
I was a little bit concerned that Tennessee or the Atlanta Falcons would present something to John Harbaugh that sounded better than what the Giants had because the Giants had been down for so long.
but they pulled out all the stops and everything they could do yesterday they did to get the guy and that means that you know John Arbol looks at the Giants as that premier job that it should be and now they have the quarterback they have the coach well they haven't signed anything yet it's No, he's the coach.
Come on.
I just want to make sure that the contracts are signed. That's all. What's going to happen? He's not Josh McDaniels. He's not going to go and then bail and go back to New England. Look, I'm really excited. I'll get really, really excited once that contract is signed. You know what that tells me? It's done.
If he signs this contract, what that tells me is that the Giants, not only have they gone all out for him and whatever they're going to pay him, but that means he is convinced that they're going to support whatever he feels like he needs in order to win here. They're not doing this on the cheap. They're doing this much like the Mets did with David Stearns.
Now, when David Stearns got hired, every Met fan was just, you know, goo-goo for Gaga over him. And look at what he's going through right now. And that's not going to happen to the Giants because this is not a GM. This is a coach. And he's going to bring in the best coaches he possibly can bring in. And I would think that he's got to be pretty excited, especially if he meets with the quarterback.
The quarterback sits down with him, talks to him, and gives him a sense of, I think, at ease that he is going to be the guy that's going to be leading the team on the field. So... I mean, everything points to the perfect marriage, the perfect situation, and now finally the Giants maybe, just maybe, have gotten out of this abyss where they have been stuck in reverse, actually.
and they finally hired the guy that hopefully will be here for at least the next eight to ten years, and then he can walk off and retire, kind of like Tom Coughlin, maybe with two Super Bowls.
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Chapter 3: How does the quarterback situation affect the Giants' coaching decisions?
But, I mean, John Harbaugh... built most of the Ravens' legacy. He won that next Super Bowl and coached all of these guys. I mean, he won a Super Bowl against his brother with Joe Flacco. I mean, he had Lamar Jackson, two MVPs. He did coach Ray Lewis at the end of his career. I mean, John Harbaugh is as big to Ravens' history as anybody else is since they moved over from Cleveland.
I feel like they're hiring the greatest... Well, at least at the moment. At the moment, they're hiring the best curator they possibly could for the greatest museum in the world. And he's got to come in, and he's got to lead that, and he's got to restore the pride and fabric of the football organization, which he will. And I think Joe Shane is going to be excited about this.
I think everybody over in that building has got to be really excited about this. When he puts ink to paper... it is going to be a huge celebration. But then the real work starts, and that's where now he's got to go out and hire a staff, put a group together, and it sounds like the Giants are going to be supporting all of that, which is really important for a lot of these coaches.
They want to know what they can spend on their coaching staff, how many coaches they can bring in, who are they targeting as offensive and defensive coordinators, how are they going to work with the personality that is Jackson Dart.
A lot of this stuff is personality-driven, so it's important that they get the right quarterback coach in here, the right offensive coordinator in here, and get the most out of that young man because he is going to be the key to their future.
Yeah, and that's one thing that is very, very important about John Harbaugh is who will be the coordinators because he is the head coach, which is what we want. We want that guy to be the CEO, head coach, and buck stops here. And make decisions in the game. Game time decisions. Go for it on fourth down. Don't go for it on fourth down. Punt. Kick the field goal. Take the points.
All the things that we see. Throw the red flag when you need to throw the red flag. Have a good line of communication with your coordinators, with your players. I don't know. It's a... You can't lose with this signing. I don't necessarily know that I've been this excited about somebody signing with a team that so desperately needed the credibility at that head coaching position.
Yeah, the head coaching position, sure. But I remember being this excited about Aaron Rodgers coming to the Jets before everything happened.
got hurt no no but I'm saying no no I know but what I'm not saying see this is my point being I'm not saying that that's going to work out negatively my point being is that that was like Aaron Rodgers seemed like the perfect fit for the Jets I was really fired up about that I'm really fired up about this as well I expect this to work I expected the Aaron Rodgers thing to work but
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Chapter 4: What are the expectations for the Giants' coaching staff under Harbaugh?
I wanted him to stay in. But I don't want to tell a person what to do with their own money, though. That's the thing. And then when you realize that... how much he would have been guaranteed as a first-round pick as a quarterback would have been significant money.
And somebody else may have liked him better than the Jets did, and maybe the Jets could have traded out of that second pick to allow, say, whoever who wants a quarterback like Dante Moore. But, look, I like the kid. I think he needs to play more in college, which is what I've been saying for months now. And I'm glad he made the decision, but it is a $50 million bet on himself.
Yeah, and I think this is great for the Jets because they're not going to have the pressure to draft him. And next year, from all indications, there's going to be a deeper and better quarterback class than this year. And I think that this is probably the best way to build a team if you're the Jets. You're still going to be right back up there.
You're still going to have a ton of draft capital with all the trades and everything else you've made. They're probably not going to win more than four or five games as it is. So they can get their quarterback next year in the draft. Most likely. So this is very good. And just one note on that Dylan Raiola. Everybody said, well, he's going to transfer. He transferred over to Oregon.
And now Dante Moore is going to come back and play. He fractured. He broke his leg last year. So he may not be ready totally. And also, there was a similar situation there with Dante Moore, where Dante Moore went and Dylan Gabriel decided to come back. And Dante Moore sat, learned the offense, came back, and then ended up having a very good year.
So that's probably what Dylan Riola's thinking as well. So I don't think that was some sort of surprise. It's interesting, when you watch Dylan Rayola play, he tries to recreate Patrick Mahomes. He walks like Patrick Mahomes, he looks like Patrick Mahomes. He has the same haircut, everything. He does a lot of weird things that, you know, it's kind of a little strange, but...
Yeah, another year for him, too, would probably be good. And in Dan Lanning's offense out there at Oregon, most likely he will be a high draft pick in 2027. But, you know, looking ā it's interesting thinking about these kids and moving around and making these decisions. But for him, for Dante more specifically, I think another ā
hopefully 12, 13 games is only going to make him even more of an exciting player and a hope for a team next year when the draft comes around again. He did not do this because the Jets have the second overall pick. I don't believe he did it for that reason. Yeah, I'm not sure. I'm sure. But, I mean, the Jets are a very unattractive place to go right now if you're a quarterback.
But I think that he probably thought he needed to play more. Who knows? Maybe the Jets take Carson Beck or somebody like that, a second- or a third-round pick or something of that nature, somebody maybe that they really like. I'm not saying that that would be true of your franchise, but they do have to get a younger player in here. And maybe it's a stopgap. I don't know.
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Chapter 5: What excitement surrounds John Harbaugh's hiring as Giants head coach?
Yes. Sod, Long Island. We've got to get that right. Sod companies. Come on. D'Elia. D'Elia. That's it.
D'Elia Sod. Right.
Because, you know, we're out there and you've seen them. Oh, they're all over the place. You've seen all the 2,400 acres of sod out in the North Fork of Long Island. Damn right. It's out there by the rock. That's right. Baiting Hollow, all that stuff. Yeah. It's the Boomer and Geo podcast from WFAN. Hi, Boomer and Geo.
Coming to you live from the Bill Ford Talk Studio on the fan and CBS Sports Network. It's Happy Harbaugh Day on WFAN. It's John Harbaugh. You all right? What? You all right? I'm fine. If I asked you if you were all right every time you had phlegm, that's all we would do for four hours. I really thought you were choking. No, I'm fine. It's okay. I'm sorry.
No, no, it's all right. I care.
You just let it go. I can give you tips on how to let it go. I let it go.
I usually do let it go. Six, seven times a day. We all let it go.
Yeah, yeah. Let it go. Just let it go, kid. Yeah, we're letting it go. Don't worry about it. Yeah. Just want to make sure you're okay. I didn't know if I was going to have to give you a Heimlich or... No, no, no. It's just phlegm. Residual phlegm. That's all it is. It comes up. You don't know when it's going to happen. That's what happens when you talk for four hours. That's exactly right.
Sometimes a phlegm in this time of year at the cold and flu season, it hits you. But nothing's holding me down today. Not a goddamn thing.
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Chapter 6: How does John Harbaugh's arrival impact Jackson Dart's future?
I mean, Drake May had an MVP-type season. Why can't Jackson Dart do that next year? Why can't he? It's all on the table. And it is a Giants life-changing, franchise-changing, potential franchise-changing day for them. Let's go to Stevie in Point Pleasant. What's going on, Stevie? Stevie! Hey, I'm here. What's up, Stevie? I'm here. Hey, gentlemen, how you guys doing today? Good, Stevie. What's up?
Right on. GL, a question for you and Boomer. Boomer and you. is some time ago there was a conflict with some lady, Nikki, and Marash about Brian Duvall's firing, who posted what first. Would she know more about John being hired as the head coach for sure? Yeah, I remember it. It's not DeBall. It's Brian Dayball. And there was, it was Nikki Gist and Sean Morash about Dayball's firing.
Let's see what Nikki has to say about this. I haven't checked her account in a while. I don't even know if I started following her. I did not. And we'll see if she's on top of this. There she is. Nikki Gist. And the latest thing she posted is... No one is saying... Not to be excited. Be excited about J.H. It's great for the franchise.
It will be nice to have a winning culture here after years of losing. But your expectation can't be seriously Super Bowl or bust, right?
Chapter 7: What expectations do fans have for the Giants moving forward?
There's so much work that needs to be done first. Yeah, well, it's a pretty reasonable take. And that's what we expect out of Nikki. And we also said just like, well, she gets pretty passionate when they're losing. They look like they stink and they don't care. And I can feel her pain because that's exactly how I feel about my hockey team.
But when you are actually bringing in a guy like John Harbaugh, now it's not only putting a staff together ā This is where Joe Shane now has to shine because he's got the draft picks. He's got the money for the free agency. He's got to make the decisions about the roster along with John Harbaugh, along with his coordinators.
And they'll try to rebuild this team and get this team back into the playoffs next year. Why not? I mean, like Dallas will still be good. Philadelphia will be good. Washington will be better with Jaden Daniels back and healthy. So this is going to be one of the more competitive divisions, I believe, next year just simply because they've already hired the coach that brings the credibility.
If you could pick between any team in the NFC East next year, put them in order right now. Put them in order in the team that you expect how they're going to finish next year. I'll say the Eagles still number one. I got the Giants second. I got the Commanders third. And I got the Cowboys fourth. That's the way I would put it right now. That's how good I feel about the Giants.
I can't say they're going to win the division. I can't do it. I got the Cowboys last now. Down, down, down. Well, it'll be interesting to see what happens with all the salary cap ramifications. Salary cap's going to go up over $300 million this year. Holy God. Man.
And what that does to some of the decision-making for some of these teams and which free agents they may end up losing or players they may have to release just simply to give them some cap relief. But, yeah, I would... The Giants...
Sitting here right now, they do have a good foundation of young players, and they do have a good, solid offensive line, and they have the electric quarterback to make it all go. So to me, they have to fix their defense, and they've got to make sure they get a goddamn kicker in here that actually can kick. Justin Tucker. Yeah, well, John Harbaugh knows him.
Kicked all those years for John Harbaugh. Now's the time for John Harbaugh to do something controversial because there isn't a single Giant fan that doesn't want him here and is going to support every decision he makes. Want to bring in the pervert kicker? Bring in the pervert kicker! I don't understand all that. Deshaun Watson's playing.
He's active playing, getting the biggest contract in NFL history. He was also a massage pervert. Why is he playing and why doesn't Justin Tucker get a second chance? I think it's the quarterback position versus the kicker position.
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Chapter 8: How do the Giants' prospects compare to other NFC East teams?
Well, we found that we know how important the kicker position is.
But it's not as important as the quarterback position.
John Harbaugh is probably available because his kicker missed a kick. Yeah, but, well, Steve Bishotti said yesterday for one more week he would have been the coach. Yeah, if they would have won that week. Well, yeah, maybe. Maybe he was hanging on by a thread. Maybe he wanted to see them go deeper in the playoffs.
Yeah, I still think, though, I mean, I can't believe I'm trying to convince you of this, but the quarterback, a little bit more important. So what happened to the Green Bay Packers missing kicks? Is the quarterback more important than the kicker? Of course he is. Can men get pregnant? No. Okay. Did you see that yesterday? Yes. That was the most mind-numbing thing I've ever seen in my life.
Well, I don't know if anybody knows what I'm referencing. It was a congressional hearing, and there was a doctor that was there, and there was a representative. I want to say, was it Nebraska? And he asked this woman, this doctor, can men get pregnant? She wouldn't answer it. She would not answer the question. She would not answer it.
She was like, well, I mean, I don't really think that yes or no questions can men get pregnant. I, well, I mean, now we're defining and we're putting people, can men get pregnant? You know, once again, what I'm going to... Can men get pregnant? It just kept going and going and going and going. A lot of these congressional hearings are doing that right now. Insert right into there.
Bing, bang, boom, you're pregnant. Let's go to Phil, who's calling from Staten Island. What's going on, Phil?
Hey, good morning, guys. I got two quick points, one for Boomer and one for Gio. Let me just finish them, and then I'll listen to you guys. All right, Boomer, when you mentioned before that this will work out, What's your definition of that? To me, if they don't make the playoffs every year pretty much, it's a bust. And, Gio, McCarthy would have been my sound choice.
But you said because he got fired twice in his looks didn't really make him attractive. Second of all, I mean, in Dallas he got fired because of Jerry Jones, and the Cowboys haven't been that great ever since he got fired. That proves a point. And second of all, looks only matters if you sleep with him, Gio.
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