The Giants.com crew members react to the hiring of John Harbaugh as the 21st head coach in franchise history.

John Schmeelk: Grand slam. Need more? The Giants got their white whale. Not enough? The best news from the Giants since they won the Super Bowl in February, 2012?

OK, maybe that final statement is a bit hyperbolic given the Giants won a playoff game following the 2022 season, but we had a caller to Big Blue Kickoff (shoutout Donnie from Queens) go with the Harbaugh hire over anything since the Super Bowl. To each their own.

Harbaugh was unique in this coaching search, given his success for one team over an extended period of time with few dips in performance while having multiple quarterbacks and coordinators. In 18 seasons with the Ravens, he won fewer than eight games once, and finished with double-digit wins 11 times.

Harbaugh knows what a winning building feels like and how to put that in place. He understands what is necessary to prepare his players to win a game every week, and what he needs to demand from his players in order achieve success. He will immediately have the respect of every player in the building with the understanding that they need to do things his way.

The Giants have not had a coach enter the building with his level of success … ever. He is the first coach in Giants history to be hired with a Super Bowl victory on his resume. Dan Reeves had coached in three Super Bowls with the Broncos but never won one. This hire could have the same impact that bringing in Tom Coughlin had in 2004, when he changed the entire tenor of the building. The result was two Super Bowl titles.

But nothing is guaranteed. There is a lot of work to be done. Coordinators and assistant coaches need to be hired. Head coaches are often only as good as their staff. The roster needs to be improved. The second-year quarterback has to continue to improve.

There is no question, however, that there couldn’t have been a better start to the process than this. Giants ownership and the front office deserve as much credit as anyone can muster for closing the deal with the top coach on the market, and getting him to come to New York. The team’s history, logo, and ownership still hold immense respect around the National Football League, and this hire proved that. Being in New York City and having some really good young players didn’t hurt either.

Now it’s time for the hard work to start.