{"id":145957,"date":"2026-02-26T11:28:05","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T11:28:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/145957\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T11:28:05","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T11:28:05","slug":"giants-john-harbaugh-looks-to-mike-macdonalds-blueprint-in-new-york","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/145957\/","title":{"rendered":"Giants’ John Harbaugh looks to Mike Macdonald\u2019s blueprint in New York"},"content":{"rendered":"

Feb. 26, 2026, 6:05 a.m. ET<\/p>\n

Usually, incoming NFL head coaches aim to emulate the head of the coaching tree from which they derive. In the case of New York Giants<\/a>‘ first-year head coach John Harbaugh, he’s looking to copy the success of one of his proteges.<\/p>\n

Mike Macdonald, Harbaugh’s former defensive coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens, is coming off a Super Bowl victory in just his second season as the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The two men were reunited at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday. Harbaugh discussed the encounter with the media during his press conference later that day.<\/p>\n

“It was a big hug, congratulations, and he’s always smiles right now,” Harbaugh said of Macdonald. “I can’t imagine why. And well-deserved. Proud of Mike. One of my favorite people.”<\/p>\n

Harbaugh said he’s looking at Macdonald’s methods as a roadmap to success for the Giants.<\/p>\n

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“Mike’s amazing, and to see that happen for them, the type of team they built \u2014 I guess probably more than anything \u2014 is really kind of studying the kind of team that they built,” Harbaugh said. “He and Leslie Frazier, as partners in that process, Jay Harbaugh, a part of that too. Seeing the team that they\u2019ve built is reflective, I would say, for sure of the team that we want to build in New York.”<\/p>\n

Macdonald built a dominant defense in Seattle, accompanied by a strong running game on offense. If that formula sounds familiar, it should for Giants fans. They won four Super Bowls going that route.<\/p>\n

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