John Harbaugh's Fingerprints Are Already All Over Giants Training Camp

From punishing padded practices to a technique-first mentality, the new head coach is reshaping how New York prepares — even if the preseason record won't show it yet.

New York Giants linebacker Brian Burns (0) speaks to members of the media after training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center, Aug 10, 2026, East Rutherford, NJ, USA. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

John Harbaugh's immediate impact on the New York Giants  can be seen at every practice, from the way drills are being done and the attention being paid to each detail to the players' fatigue at the end of the sessions.

Of course, the club won't face its first quiz until Saturday's preseason opener against the Minnesota Vikings at MetLife Stadium. But make no mistake about it: There is a different feel to the team as it goes through the third week of training camp, and its preseason record will not alter its preparation or its mission.

"We have a chance to be a good football team," Harbaugh said this week. "We're doing a lot of good things right now. Okay. Where do we go? This week, we told the guys the focus is execution, for sure, but the focus this week is technique. From now until Saturday, our individual focus is on your technique. All the little things to make you successful.

"Even at the end of practice when you're dead tired, that's a fourth quarter, win the game type drill, and you're down by 14. Okay? That's focus on your technique. Because if your technique is good, you can win the battle of fatigue. And that's what we're working on. So, I think that set us up for that. Now go forward this week and do that same idea."

The team already has gone through six fully-padded practices - sometimes in high heat, humidity and even rain. And the players aren't getting as many in-session breaks as they have under previous coaches, but they apparently understand the blueprint.

"Man, these days do stack on you, but as I said, it’s camp; it’s supposed to be hard. It isn’t really supposed to be easy," linebacker Brian Burns said.

"These days do stack on you, but it isn’t doing nothing but making us stronger. So, I'm glad to go through that with these boys, and everybody's still working hard, even though they're sore, don't feel like it, unmotivated. But that's part of camp."

Giants studio analyst and Super Bowl XLII champion center Shaun O'Hara offers his thoughts on the differences in this summer's training camp and discusses the key factors that are expected to get the team on the right track during the training camp edition of the Big Blue Breakdown podcast.

Listeners will also be able to ask questions of host Paul Dottino via chat or video call by clicking on this link, starting today at 8 p.m. ET.

Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook andX for the latest news,and send your mailbag questions to us.