The plan is coming into sharper focus.
As of Sunday afternoon, John Harbaugh did not have any interviews on the books with any of the seven teams working through a head coaching vacancy. He and his camp will meet on Monday, the list will be cut down and a schedule will be finalized.
For those salivating at Harbaugh coming to the Giants, have no fear about their standing at the moment. However many teams he ends up meeting with, the Giants will be one of those teams.
At this point, the wheres and whens are undetermined. If Harbaugh narrows the contenders for his services to three teams, perhaps he has those teams meet him closer to his home in Baltimore — Philadelphia, perhaps. If the list of contenders is only two teams, Harbaugh could make two trips, check out the team facility at both stops and proceed with the interview process.
How will Harbaugh pare down the list? He has been studying the rosters, watching tape and speaking with personnel people about the strengths and weaknesses of the teams vying for his services.
And here is some advice to teams that are convinced that Harbaugh is the right person to turn around the fortunes of the franchise: Once you sit down with him, do everything possible to make that interview the last one he has, even if it is the first one he takes.
In addition to the Giants, the Dolphins, Falcons and Titans are believed to be the top tier of contenders. If the Packers’ job comes open, that would also be an attractive option.
The Giants, led by general manager Joe Schoen, have been aggressive with their interest in Harbaugh, fully knowing he is a top candidate in a year with several strong options, including Mike McCarthy and Kevin Stefanski, both former NFL head coaches.
