Players see an energized John Harbaugh in his next act with the New York Giants

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — It is almost midnight, and the phone lights up. The message is from John Harbaugh .

“Something just hit his brain, and he has to text you right then and there,” fullback Patrick Ricard said. “It would be like talking about a play from the game that happened or from practice.”

Ricard has gotten a few of those late-night texts and knows plenty of other teammates Harbaugh has reached out to in the early-morning hours. It's nothing surprising for him now a decade into Harbaugh being the only coach Ricard has played for in the NFL, but it's a brand new ballgame for many of the New York Giants .

Harbaugh brings Super Bowl-winning experience with him to the next chapter of his career, a fresh start after 18 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. And while he chooses to stay so focused on the day-to-day job rather than reflect on the big picture, those who know Harbaugh notice a change in him.

“I can see a light in his eyes,” said punter Jordan Stout, one of a handful of players who followed Harbaugh up I-95. “He’s happy. He’s energized, refreshed, ready to go, try something new, and everyone is following him and trusting in him.”

Stout, who broke into the league in 2022 said, “That wasn't always the case in Baltimore."

“I feel like after being somewhere for 18 years, either fans or players, it’s almost as if it gets kind of stale: the same thing over and over again,” Stout said. “But why would you change something when it’s working?”

It took a missed kick at the buzzer in Week 18 by a rookie kicker to conclude a season with championship expectations without a playoff appearance . Owner Steve Bisciotti fired Harbaugh, calling it his decision alone and citing his instincts .

Ricard believed the locker room was always behind Harbaugh and did not see it coming.

“I was shocked,” Ricard said. “I was just shocked just because you just never think he would be coaching anywhere besides the Ravens. You thought he was going to be there forever and retire there.”

Harbaugh immediately became the top candidate for the Giants' vacancy. He was out of work for barely over a week before reaching a deal with ownership that put him in charge of football operations.

At his introductory news conference , his old team — the one that gave him his first NFL head-coaching job in 2008 — got a shoutout.

“To the Ravens, I’d like to extend a profound thank you to Steve and Ozzie (Newsome) for the opportunity, for the guidance that they provided every single day. To all the players and coaches who have been unrelenting brothers all along the way through the years, we did great things," Harbaugh said.

Tight end Isaiah Likely, safety Ar'Darius Washington, offensive lineman Daniel Faalele, Ricard and Stout signed with the Giants after playing for Harbaugh with the Ravens. Faalele was traded to Jacksonville to give him a chance to play that he would not have had, but the others all made the 53-man roster.

“He’s got a winning algorithm,” Stout said. “He wins a lot of games. And when we don’t win, I feel like it’s not his fault."

Likely believes Harbaugh, who is set to turn 64 on Sept. 23, motivates players to be their best. He figured out over time that even Harbaugh's tough love is more love than hate.

His first big lesson did not take long. It was Likely's first pro training camp in 2022, he was always smiling and goofing off — until Harbaugh walked over, punched the ball out of his hands and told the rookie to take a lap.

"That’s just him keeping me honest,” Likely said. "When you have a good day, he’ll praise you, and when you have a bad play, bad day — whatever it is — he’ll obviously get on you about that, too, because he wants you to have more good days than bad days. That’s just keeping the team honest, and that’s from a starter to an undrafted player.”

Ricard, who joined Baltimore as an undrafted free agent in 2017, has seen Harbaugh evolve and become more selective about picking his spots for when to yell and get in players' faces. The intensity remains, and it might be perfect for New York.

“He’s great leader of men,” Ricard said. “He’s just a great leader for the city, just in terms of who he is and the man he is, that I feel like people can just rally behind and believe in.”

A vast majority of players had no previous connection to Harbaugh. After four years under Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh, receiver Calvin Austin marveled before his knee injury at what it was like watching Harbaugh take control.

“This is the first time I get to see how a coach of coach Harbaugh’s caliber establishes a culture," Austin said. “I see how culture is established, maintained through consistency and little things. Allowing the players to have voice but also be accountable to what they say and the things that they tell the team.”

Accountability has been a crux of Harbaugh's new era, as has his passion for the sport that Ricard singled out as a defining characteristic. Tight ends coach Tim Kelly, one of just three holdovers from the previous coaching staff, talked recently to his wife about just how great personally and professionally it had been to work with Harbaugh.

"I’m lucky enough to be kept on and to be able to see how he operates and how he functions on a daily basis," Kelly said. “Very authentic, very genuine and just a good human being: Those would be the top ways for me to describe him.”

After overseeing his 23rd Giants practice before an extended break leading into the preparations for the season opener, Harbaugh was not prepared to get introspective about what is different from his world for much of the past two decades.

“You work every day at the football, and that’s really what it is,” Harbaugh said. “It’s this team at this time with these guys in this setting and this city with our fans. That’s what’s different about it. And it’s all new, and we’re ready to go.”

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