Boomer & Gio
Hour 2 - Harbaugh Outlook Excites Fans, Jets QB Search, Isles Mutilate Devils
07 Jan 2026
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What are the implications of John Harbaugh's departure from the Ravens?
It's the Boomer and Geo podcast from WFAN. Hi, Boomer and Geo coming to you live from the Build Forward Tough studio on the fan and CBS Sports Network on this foggy Wednesday with John Harbaugh out there. We saw yesterday afternoon that the Ravens had moved on, a parting of ways after 18 years, and of course, many teams interested. And the...
I can understand why the Falcons' job would be somewhat intriguing. I mean, Michael Penix and his injuries is a scary thing. I mean, you could make the case if you're one of these people that thinks that Jackson Dart's not going to stay healthy, that that could be a part of why someone would be scared to coach the Giants. But I think it's a different... I mean, Michael Penix...
History of injuries is just, there's a litany of them. And also, you know, you had changing of coaches there, just like you had in the Giants over the last couple of years where it seems like things are totally unsettled. But, you know, they play inside. The owner is very respected. I mean, the franchise, I feel like people speak highly of that franchise.
Maybe they're a team that John Harbaugh would be more interested in. I don't see it.
Chapter 2: How might the Giants attract John Harbaugh as their new coach?
But Arthur Blank is one of those guys that a lot of people in the NFL really like, and he could come in and convince someone like John Harbaugh that the Atlanta Falcons is the place for this part of his career. He may say to John Harbaugh, you come in and you bring in the— Bring in the GM and bring in this, bring in that.
That's a good point because Terry Fontenot got fired along with Raheem Morris. That's exactly right. That's the one thing the Giants don't have. You have to inherit a young GM here. But still, I think the quarterback situation here is better down there in Atlanta. And I think Atlanta just readjusted Kirk Cousins' contract. So I think...
They're planning on having him there, but then again, I don't know if a new coach and GM comes in. Are they going to want Kirk Cousins there? And are they going to want Michael Penix given his injury history? I'm a Penix fan. I think he's a terrific player who has been, unfortunately, this is his MO.
Chapter 3: What is the current status of the Jets' quarterback search?
That's the thing coming out of Washington that he had already had two knee injuries. Now he's got a third. He may turn into the next Sam Darnold. Go play somewhere else five years from now and turn out to be really good. The Red Pocket Mobile fan line is brought to you by your new ultimate cell carrier, Red Pocket Mobile. Mark in Westchester. What's going on, Mark?
Good morning, gentlemen. I'm curious your thoughts on Dart opening up the last two games, winning, giving up the first-round draft pick. Did the Giants have some inside information that Harbaugh was going to become available and they wanted to showcase how great Dart could be? They gave up a first-round pick for it, maybe.
Yeah, I don't think so. I don't think they needed to showcase anything. I think that Jackson Dart, earlier in the season, showed that he could play in the league. To me, no, that's not why they did it.
Chapter 4: How did the Islanders perform against the Devils?
And Jackson Dart also needs to play. I mean, I think that it's, yeah, you did not have the first overall pick, but luckily you have your quarterback in play, so it's not a situation like the Jets. And there was a benefit in him going out there and winning these two games.
And also, I don't know how many times we've got to say it, people forget how important beating the Cowboys in that last game of the season was to the human side of the people in the building because of what John Mara is going through. They wanted to win that game for him. Now, if that drives you crazy because you think that you lose and it's better for the franchise overall, whatever.
You can have that opinion. But no one shared that opinion in that building. They wanted to win for him. Let's go to Joe in Westchester. What's up, Joe? Good morning, gentlemen.
I just want to say that the coaching situation, I think the tier value is the Giants are the top job, probably the Raiders after that, and then maybe Atlanta. I see Stefanski as a really good fit for the Giants. He's really buttoned up.
Chapter 5: What are the potential legal ramifications of Matt Kalil's lawsuit?
And, Gio, I don't agree that these guys, the coaches, candidates, are that concerned about the ownership scenario with the Giants. It's a stable ownership group.
You want to take that one, Boomer? Yeah, well... There are a lot of owners you don't want to work for, and sometimes you end up having to work for them because that's the only job available, and you're going to take a job. Very few times do coaches do exactly what Ben Johnson did and turn down interviews.
Most of the time, a coach is going to take an interview hoping that he becomes the head coach and gets the contract that comes along with that. But a lot of it does have to do with ownership and the stability of ownership. And I think that, you know, Given what's going on with the Giants, the history of the Giants, it's a very attractive job. There's no question about that.
But I'm sure the first question you're going to be asking is, like, you know, who am I directly reporting to? Yeah, and who am I going to be reporting to in a couple of years? I mean, that's really what it comes down to.
Chapter 6: How does ownership uncertainty affect NFL coaching decisions?
Well, I mean, it's every job you go into. So I want to know. Not everyone. I mean, he knew Steve Bishotti was going to be there forever. You know, Arthur Blank's going to be there until he passes away. Some people have succession plans, but we don't know what the Giants' succession plan is because there is a chance, and this is just hypothetical, me bringing this up in my own brain.
I have not read this or heard this. Just kind of putting dots together. You know, the Koch family bought 10% of the Giants. John Mara is ill. Do we know that the rest of the Mara family wants to keep the rest of the Giants? Do we know that the Tishes want to keep the rest of the Giants? The Koch family has unlimited funds.
If they're getting in for 10%, they probably want to get in for more at some point. So they could be the majority owners, the Koch family, in the Giants within the next decade or so.
Chapter 7: What factors contribute to a successful NFL coaching hire?
It's a possibility. So when you say it's stable, there are ways where it's not stable. Yeah, I mean, the point being is that there's always been one man, whether it be Wellington Mara, and then it was, you know, obviously George Young when they brought him in as the general manager to fix the franchise. And then since then, it's really been John Mara's been the face of the franchise.
He really has been. And, you know... All I know is that every coach wants to know who he's reporting to. So what happened to the Colts over this past week, a lot of people probably didn't see it or hear it. I think they're going back to a more traditional way of doing things where the coach is reporting to the GM, the GM is reporting to the owner.
Now, if the owner wants to go talk to the coach, of course she can do that. I mean, that's her right. She's the owner. But we always talk about the hierarchy and how it is set up.
And I'm sure one of the things that each of these coaches, Stefanski and Harbaugh and any other coach that has interviewed for it, Mike Kafka, is going to want to know what is the reporting structure within the building. That's a part of the business of football, and they want to know.
Chapter 8: What are the broader implications of the NFL's coaching diversity initiatives?
That's all. Yeah, I mean, and we don't know. So you had Wellington, then you had John. Do we know for a fact that Chris wants to be the guy to do that? Not everybody wants that. I don't know. I mean, these are why John Harbaugh has been around NFL football for a long time with a stable owner. If you don't think that he's not asking those questions, you're nuts.
The other thing I will say, though, that's another reason why John Harbaugh would be extremely attractive to the Giants. Oh, yeah. Because of his history, because of, like I said, what he has done down there in Baltimore and how he worked with the front office. And I keep saying it, one of the best front offices in football. It was led by Ozzie Newsome.
And Ozzie's still hanging around, still consulting with the Ravens. I think Steve Busciotti really does love him and admire him for all he did for that team as the GM. And, you know, they have kept a very, very competitive team together for many, many years. And that would be helpful for the Giants, I think, if you hire a guy with that kind of credibility and resume.
Let's go to Tom in Dutchess County. What's going on, Tom? Hey, good morning, guys. At first, I got to say, moment of 2025 Boomer and Geo. I almost crashed when Boomer mistakenly thought Richard Neer was jamming a dribble up the A-gap. I literally almost rear-ended the car. Oh, yeah, that was great. That was in December. I was talking about Richard Gere, not Richard Neer.
Yes, that was a very, very funny. That was a very funny moment there, Tom.
So before Jim Harbaugh,
What is the attractiveness to Stephanski? I can't figure it out. We have a deficit of coaching in-game decisions. We have the inability to keep a good offensive scheme going in a game.
The defense is just missing pieces, but I think the defensive prowess is there in the Giants.
What does Stephanski do? Because I don't see it in Cleveland. I don't see what's going on in Cleveland that he's doing all these things that we're lacking. Yeah, well, first of all, I would hope that Jim Schwartz would come along with Kevin Stefanski because that team is a really good, the two of those guys together work well.
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