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Perhaps New York Giants fans took the Eli Manning-Tom Coughlin era for granted.
From Nov. 21, 2004, through Jan. 3, 2016, that was the only quarterback–head coach tandem Big Blue had. Since then, including interims, they have had 17 — and five alone this season.
The Giants organization today looks unfamiliar compared with years past, but with the hiring of John Harbaugh, Eli Manning thinks the franchise could return to what it’s supposed to be.
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New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh speaks at the press conference announcing his hiring at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. (Ed Mulholland/Imagn Images)
“It couldn’t have worked out any better,” Manning told Fox News Digital in a recent interview regarding Harbaugh’s hire. “I knew the Giants had to hire a new coach, you’re just like, ‘Hey, you need someone with head coaching experience and a guy who’s been in this situation, who’s going to know how to deal with the New York media, who’s going to kind of take over as the CEO of not just the team, but the whole organization and the whole building around the Giants. The problem is that person probably doesn’t exist. He’s not out there.’
“And then, all of a sudden, there’s John Harbaugh sitting there. It’s just unbelievable, a person that’s had great success in the NFL. It just could not be a better fit. I’m so excited for him, I’ve had some long conversations with him about this, and I think he’s gonna do an unbelievable job and excited about getting the Giants back on track.”
Owner John Mara has taken the brunt of the criticism, understandably, regarding the Giants’ ongoing downward spiral, even dating back to Manning’s days. Manning was benched for Geno Smith in 2017, ending his Iron Man streak.
The following April, the Giants, fresh off a 3-13 season, drafted Saquon Barkley over Josh Allen and Sam Darnold (Lamar Jackson was picked 32nd) to try to get Manning one more ring. Then there were the general manager hires of Dave Gettleman and Joe Schoen and the coaching hires of Ben McAdoo, Pat Shurmur, Joe Judge and Brian Daboll. During that time, they also faced criticism for ignoring a domestic violence case involving former kicker John Brown, and other draft picks have faltered.
Despite the apparent mistakes, nobody wants the Giants to win more than Mara, and Manning knows that — admittedly, to a fault.
Eli Manning of the New York Giants poses with John Mara during a press conference announcing the quarterback’s retirement on Jan. 24, 2020 at Quest Diagnostic Training Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Elsa/Getty Images)
ELI MANNING TAKES ON YET ANOTHER JOB AS HE TEASES POSSIBLE OLYMPIC APPEARANCE
“That’s why I wanted to come to this franchise 20-plus years ago, because you saw their commitment to doing whatever possible to win a championship. That’s all they care about, is putting a great team out there. That was my idea of them before I got to the Giants. And after being this organization for the last 20 years, I can confirm that that is all they care about,” Manning said.
“They do everything for the players, for the coaches, for the people in the building that have been there, and there’s a reason people have been working there for 30 and 40 years. It is family. And the Maras and the Tisches, that’s all they care about, is putting a great product out there, getting the best coaches, getting the best players, doing everything possible to win games. That is their passion, is the New York Giants. And if they make a mistake, it’s because they want something too badly and they’re too committed to it, and they own up to it. They’re passionate about the Giants and that attitude is contagious. You hope that every player that comes through has their same passion and commitment to the team, and I know they want to do everything possible to get them back on track.”
Since their Super Bowl XLVI victory to cap the 2011 season, the Giants have made the playoffs only twice, winning one game. It’s apparent there’s a lack of culture in East Rutherford, and culture usually comes with winning. But Manning believes Harbaugh can bring that back.
New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh speaks to the media after being introduced during a news conference at the team’s NFL football training facility. The event took place in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (Adam Hunger/AP Photo)
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“I think it just comes down to a belief and everyone has to have it. It’s not just a few of the main players. It’s everyone in the building that, ‘Hey, what we’re building here, what we’re doing is correct.’ It’s everybody being held accountable. I think that’s what you need from that head coach, is holding everybody accountable, everybody to a high standard and not letting anything else be accepted. Just the importance of doing the common things uncommonly well. To being at practice, to having a great plan of how we’re going to get better each and every week in the offseason and handling all these things, bringing everybody in and creating that, that close-knit group that sort of believes that no matter what situation you’re in, whether you’re down, whether you’re up, that you’re going to have the ability to come back and win football games and overcome the tough times.
“It’s never easy. It’s not supposed to be easy. You want to make it difficult, and it should be hard at all times, but that’s what prepares you for those tough situations throughout the course of a game and a season.”
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