John Harbaugh knew the time was right to send a message to Tyrone Tracy Jr. after the running back’s latest fumble for the New York Giants, but the head coach didn’t send the message many might’ve expected to the player who’s struggled through a nightmare month.
Rather than reading the riot act to Tracy for putting the ball on the ground during the 28-20 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1, Harbaugh offered reassurance after sending the third-year pro to the bench.
Asked to explain the apparent mixed signals sent by benching a player then embracing him, Harbaugh said, “You want to make sure he knows before we leave that we love him still and he’s a big part of our plans. That was it,” per Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.
Harbaugh’s words would’ve been welcome for Tracy after his miserable preseason form extended into the real action. Particularly when the Giants subsequently added a new running back, amid Tracy missing practice on Wednesday, September 16, prompting increased speculation about his future.
The positive exchange between player and coach also showed the Giants have a more thoughtful and nuanced leader this season. Harbaugh isn’t always going to rant at players on the sideline, the way predecessor Brian Daboll often did. Instead, the Giants’ boss is going to take a more controlled approach based on what’s in the best long-term interests of his team.
That’s important, not only for winning over players like Tracy, but also for ensuring the Giants have what they need to continue winning games in 2026.
Giants Still Need Tyrone Tracy Jr.
There’s a growing sense the Giants should cut ties with Tracy, but Harbaugh’s offense could still use his dual-threat talents. Those skills have largely been forgotten amid Tracy’s litany of recent mistakes.
His worst errors include missing a block that led to quarterback Jaxson Dart taking an almighty thump against the Minnesota Vikings in preseason. The botched assignment earned Tracy the wrong kind of call out from Harbaugh.
Tracy was unable to escape his coach’s critical eye when he fumbled in the next exhibition game against the Miami Dolphins. That turnover prompted a sobering recap of Tracy’s history of struggling to hang onto the football.
He’d already fumbled five six times during his career, before he coughed up the ball in the final two minutes of the first half against Dallas.
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The latest takeaway only furthered the idea Harbaugh can’t trust Tracy, but there are compelling reasons why he should. Reasons like Tracy topping 1,000 all-purpose yards in each of his first two seasons in the pros.
He still offers valuable versatility as a converted wide receiver who can be an asset in the passing game. Tracy’s speedy, slashing running style is also the ideal complement to the straight-ahead, bruising approach of lead workhorse Cam Skattebo.
Harbaugh’s primary job is to get the most out of the different talents at his disposal, so he’ll know Tracy can still be useful. That’s why the Super Bowl-winning former head coach of the Baltimore Ravens also knows the value of approaching players differently.
John Harbaugh Using More Nuanced Coaching Style
Words like discipline and culture are thrown around ad hoc when talking about how to rebuild a losing team, but there’s more nuance to the job. Harbaugh appreciates that nuance, which is why he’s being smart and selective about when to be tough and when to be understanding.
His public statements after he offered encouragement to Tracy show the subtleties in Harbaugh’s coaching style. The 63-year-old was blunt when calling out the Giants’ issues with ball security in Week 1.
Harbaugh used a stern tone to get his point across to the whole team about setting a collective standard of excellence. Communicating those same standards to individual players takes more flexibility.
Some will respond to the classic, gruff, fire-and-brimstone coach speak. Others will need a lighter approach, so their mistakes don’t become psychological shackles that completely restrain their physical talents.
Contrast the varied and measured way Harbaugh’s approached Tracy’s struggles with how Daboll handled floundering ex-Giants quarterback Daniel Jones. Daboll’s public, verbal beatdowns after Jones committed a turnover did nothing to improve the signal-caller’s psyche, nor his efficiency.
Harbaugh is taking a different approach, although that method is easier to adopt when you’re winning. The coach’s reaction to Tracy’s fumble might not have been so warm had the Cowboys been the ones protecting an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter.
That will be the real test of Harbaugh’s coaching style, but if he can maintain the same measured management of players in defeat, he’ll win over every member of the Giants’ roster.
John Harbaugh Reveals Strong Message to Benched Giants’ RB Tyrone Tracy Jr.