Former Giants greats are believers in John Harbaugh: NFL is on notice - Giants Wire
The New York Giants have drawn plenty of praise after an impressive Week 1 win over the Dallas Cowboys. Ahead of Sunday’s Week 2 slate, a few former Giants talked about how much the John Harbaugh-led team impressed them after just one game.
Super Bowl XLII champion Antonio Pierce hyped up the Giants on CBS on Sunday morning.
“There’s one team in the National Football League, and they’re a problem. The New York Giants. The New York Giants. And it’s not a problem in the way you guys are thinking. They’re a problem for the National Football League," Pierce said.
“The whole league is on notice, fellas. That was bully ball last week. The Dallas Cowboys. The physicality, guys. The identity. NFL, I’m sorry, but you have a problem, and it’s the New York Giants.”
Pierce is clearly a believer in the way the Giants looked in Week 1 against an opponent that has owned Big Blue in recent memory.
Pierce’s Super Bowl XLII teammate turned TV personality Michael Strahan also got caught up in the excitement of the opening-week win.
“For every Giants fan out there and anyone watching the game, it was good to watch because you saw a clear game plan. You also saw a better-organized team. You saw a team that usually was in situations — I’m sure every Giants fan sat and held their breath going, ‘When is it going to go down? When are we going to blow it?’ And they didn’t," Strahan said. "They controlled the ball when they needed to control the ball. They were the more physical team, the way Skattebo ran the ball.
"The decisive decisions that Dart made at quarterback — looking at his first read, not there, turn, bam, hitting number two. And then, defensively, up front, the things they were able to do there. I think John Harbaugh has brought accountability and confidence that this team can finish games. Last year, six games they were up by 10 or more than 10 points in the fourth quarter and lost all of them. I have a feeling that he has taught this team you play to win, you don’t play not to lose, and that seems to be the difference.”
Harbaugh was named Ravens head coach the year after Strahan retired. Strahan has had plenty of time since then to watch Harbaugh’s teams from his seat on the NFL Sunday crew.
More high praise on Sunday came from the Giants’ Week 1 starter from a year ago. Russell Wilson talked about this year’s Giants as a potential NFC East winner.
“I like the reaction. I don’t like what the Dallas Cowboys did. Their defense struggled. I didn’t like what the Washington Commanders did. And the Eagles, I think they’re ready to be beat," he said. "I think what John Harbaugh is doing with the Giants is real. I think they’re playing real football. And my guy Jaxson Dart is going to ball. And Skattebo — who’s going to tackle him? He’s a little rhino.”
The Giants will need to keep producing the kind of output they showed in Week 1. It did not look like a fluky win, though, given how they controlled the tempo. A victory in Week 2 against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football would go a long way toward establishing their legitimacy in the NFC East.
Big Blue is off to a good start after Week 1.
