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Editor's note: This is Part 5 of 26 in Art Stapleton's New York Giants summer series Q&A
The New York Giants have a Super Bowl winner and possible Hall of Famer at head coach in John Harbaugh, with whom the entire team can strive for a championship standard the franchise has failed to meet for far too long now.
The standing ovation for Harbaugh from the assembled Giants fans inside Beacon Theatre back in May for the team's Town Hall event was only just the beginning.
And Harbaugh, their head coach set to usher in yet another new era for the franchise in its 102nd year, certainly knew how to play to his audience moments later.
With chants of "Cowboys suck" ringing out around him, Harbaugh was asked by a fan if he could promise the Giants were done being kicked around by their NFC rivals and most hated foes: the Dallas Cowboys, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Commanders.
That's when Harbaugh with 193 career victories rallied a fan base with a pledge that felt an awful lot like a battle cry he will repeatedly deliver between now and the start of the season.
"I could [not] care less about what's happened last year or the year before that or 10 years before that," Harbaugh said. "All I care about is tomorrow's practice, because if tomorrow's practice is the way it's supposed to be, that will be one more step in the direction of being a good enough football team to kick the Cowboys' ass."
26 QUESTIONS: See our growing list of Giants questions for 2026 season
For now, there are far more questions than answers. But we hope to set the table for the summer and beyond with 26 questions that will define the 2026 Giants season.
The Giants have lived through the horror movie on the offensive line before. Too often, to be honest.
As a franchise, from top to bottom, they believe Francis "Sisi" Mauigoa is ready to flip the script.
Ereck Flowers and Evan Neal took their lumps as immediate starters, tagged with bust labels early.
So did Andrew Thomas, although his turnaround remains a cautionary tale for not giving up on talent.
John Michael Schmitz and Weston Richburg were inconsistent at center as the talent fluctuated around them.
Joshua Ezeudu showed flashes, but he was bounced around with too much asked of him too soon.
None of those experiences mean Mauigoa will fail, of course. He was slotted into the right guard spot in between Schmitz and right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor, and his two months as a pro have been encouraging.
"He’s a rookie, of course, and you’re always scared to death of freshmen in college and rookies in the NFL,” Giants offensive line coach Mike Bloomgren said of Mauigoa. “It’s like the old, scary movies. You tell her not to go around the corner and she still does. And there’s going to be some incidents like that. There have been times at practice where, as a rookie, even though you told him, sometimes you have to live that moment. But the thing Sisi’s doing a great job of is not making the same mistake twice.”
There's no question the Giants will expect a lot from Arvell Reese, and rightfully so. Colton Hood and Malachi Fields will have their chances to contribute. Even undrafted kicker Dominic Zvada could find himself in a position to impact the 2026 season provided he wins the job as expected.
But the pick here to play the most important role is Mauigoa. The Giants had a gaping hole between Schmitz and Eluemunor with veteran Greg Van Roten still unsigned despite playing every snap the past two years here. A patchwork collection of one-year, prove-it hopefuls including former Ravens starter Daniel Faalele, Neal and Ezeudu was the reason for plenty of apprehension as offseason plans unfolded.
It's still early to judge linemen on both sides of the ball with no pads and full contact until Week 2 of training camp, but the best compliment I can pay is that Mauigoa blends in and holds his own. We know he's powerful, but the ability to get out in space for tight end screens, especially those to Isaiah Likely, was apparent and next level.
“He just wants to learn,” Eluemunor said of Mauigoa. “He asks a bunch of questions. He’ll watch film, he’ll ask me a question about this, or a set and he’ll ask for my opinion and be talking to [left guard Jon] Runyan, be talking to Schmitz, but he’s also a really confident guy. A really hard worker and doesn’t take BS from anyone.”
In moving from tackle to guard, Mauigoa is focused on securing the depth of the pocket, and with that he will rely on his power and quickness. The technique is there, but at tackle, it's about maintaining the width of the pocket.
"I came in with a mindset, as a rookie, my No. 1 goal is earning people's trust," Mauigoa told NorthJersey.com and The Record. "I'm going to keep working, and on an offensive line with veterans, I need to focus on playing my part. There are five guys, but it's all about working as one. Run the ball, move the pile, keep defenders off the quarterback. That's the job and I'm ready for us to dominate."
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Who will be NY Giants’ most impactful rookie in 2026 season?
Continue reading...
The New York Giants have a Super Bowl winner and possible Hall of Famer at head coach in John Harbaugh, with whom the entire team can strive for a championship standard the franchise has failed to meet for far too long now.
The standing ovation for Harbaugh from the assembled Giants fans inside Beacon Theatre back in May for the team's Town Hall event was only just the beginning.
And Harbaugh, their head coach set to usher in yet another new era for the franchise in its 102nd year, certainly knew how to play to his audience moments later.
With chants of "Cowboys suck" ringing out around him, Harbaugh was asked by a fan if he could promise the Giants were done being kicked around by their NFC rivals and most hated foes: the Dallas Cowboys, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Commanders.
That's when Harbaugh with 193 career victories rallied a fan base with a pledge that felt an awful lot like a battle cry he will repeatedly deliver between now and the start of the season.
"I could [not] care less about what's happened last year or the year before that or 10 years before that," Harbaugh said. "All I care about is tomorrow's practice, because if tomorrow's practice is the way it's supposed to be, that will be one more step in the direction of being a good enough football team to kick the Cowboys' ass."
26 QUESTIONS: See our growing list of Giants questions for 2026 season
For now, there are far more questions than answers. But we hope to set the table for the summer and beyond with 26 questions that will define the 2026 Giants season.
Question #5: Who will be the Giants' most impactful rookie?
The Giants have lived through the horror movie on the offensive line before. Too often, to be honest.
As a franchise, from top to bottom, they believe Francis "Sisi" Mauigoa is ready to flip the script.
Ereck Flowers and Evan Neal took their lumps as immediate starters, tagged with bust labels early.
So did Andrew Thomas, although his turnaround remains a cautionary tale for not giving up on talent.
John Michael Schmitz and Weston Richburg were inconsistent at center as the talent fluctuated around them.
Joshua Ezeudu showed flashes, but he was bounced around with too much asked of him too soon.
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None of those experiences mean Mauigoa will fail, of course. He was slotted into the right guard spot in between Schmitz and right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor, and his two months as a pro have been encouraging.
"He’s a rookie, of course, and you’re always scared to death of freshmen in college and rookies in the NFL,” Giants offensive line coach Mike Bloomgren said of Mauigoa. “It’s like the old, scary movies. You tell her not to go around the corner and she still does. And there’s going to be some incidents like that. There have been times at practice where, as a rookie, even though you told him, sometimes you have to live that moment. But the thing Sisi’s doing a great job of is not making the same mistake twice.”
There's no question the Giants will expect a lot from Arvell Reese, and rightfully so. Colton Hood and Malachi Fields will have their chances to contribute. Even undrafted kicker Dominic Zvada could find himself in a position to impact the 2026 season provided he wins the job as expected.
But the pick here to play the most important role is Mauigoa. The Giants had a gaping hole between Schmitz and Eluemunor with veteran Greg Van Roten still unsigned despite playing every snap the past two years here. A patchwork collection of one-year, prove-it hopefuls including former Ravens starter Daniel Faalele, Neal and Ezeudu was the reason for plenty of apprehension as offseason plans unfolded.
It's still early to judge linemen on both sides of the ball with no pads and full contact until Week 2 of training camp, but the best compliment I can pay is that Mauigoa blends in and holds his own. We know he's powerful, but the ability to get out in space for tight end screens, especially those to Isaiah Likely, was apparent and next level.
“He just wants to learn,” Eluemunor said of Mauigoa. “He asks a bunch of questions. He’ll watch film, he’ll ask me a question about this, or a set and he’ll ask for my opinion and be talking to [left guard Jon] Runyan, be talking to Schmitz, but he’s also a really confident guy. A really hard worker and doesn’t take BS from anyone.”
In moving from tackle to guard, Mauigoa is focused on securing the depth of the pocket, and with that he will rely on his power and quickness. The technique is there, but at tackle, it's about maintaining the width of the pocket.
"I came in with a mindset, as a rookie, my No. 1 goal is earning people's trust," Mauigoa told NorthJersey.com and The Record. "I'm going to keep working, and on an offensive line with veterans, I need to focus on playing my part. There are five guys, but it's all about working as one. Run the ball, move the pile, keep defenders off the quarterback. That's the job and I'm ready for us to dominate."
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Who will be NY Giants’ most impactful rookie in 2026 season?
Continue reading...
