What should we expect from John Harbaugh's Giants in training camp?

Editor's note: This is the 26th and final entry in Art Stapleton's New York Giants summer series Q&A

>The Giants have been pushed around for too long on both sides of the ball. They've emphasized building a team that refuses to get shoved without consequence between the lines, in back page headlines and on banners pulled by planes over MetLife Stadium.

>That was going to take making over a locker room last year that needed to not only help establish a shift in expectations and results, but also do what is needed to change perspective and performance.

>Enter John Harbaugh, who wants to build the Giants into a bully in NFC East, and for that to happen, the tone will be set in camp at the Greenbrier in West Virginia when they hit the practice fields beginning Wednesday.

>Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo represented that change in attitude last season in a Thursday night upset of the Eagles, breaking free of the old buttoned-down Giants way that had gotten stale with all the losing around here for more than a decade.

>The Eagles, the Cowboys and as of the 2024 season the Commanders all took turns pushing the Giants around, mocking their existence regardless of the four Vince Lombardi trophies that sit in the lobby of their training facility.

>Harbaugh believes it's time for the Giants to answer back despite the perception around the team that a while ago became a pushover in the NFC East and beyond.

>For now, there are far more questions than answers as Harbaugh prepares to kick off his first training camp on the road. But we hope to set the table for the summer and beyond with 26 questions that will define the 2026 Giants season.

class="related-link">26 QUESTIONS: See our growing list of Giants questions for 2026 season

Question #26: What do we expect from John Harbaugh's Giants in camp?We talk about creating identity, and for years - during this decade-plus of despair in particular - the Giants were quick to try and steal that from their past, instead of coming up with a new way of defining themselves.

>Harbaugh wants the identity of this team to be about its attitude. There must be a refusal to let opponents force their will upon the Giants, which has happened far too often. That begins with 10 practices in 11 days, a change in philosophy from previous coaching regimes that pulled back from the physicality out of fear of injury.

>That's not going to happen under Harbaugh, but the toughness needs to come from the players, and it's not solely about want-to. Some players are just made that way, and in order to compete with the Eagles, Cowboys and the Commanders, the Giants will not measure up until they match that edge not only with talent, but in their hearts and minds.

>These Giants want to play with attitude. They want to hit you and hit you hard, and if they take a punch, be resilient enough to hit back just as hard, even harder. For years, the Eagles have been that way, and it's shown up on the scoreboard and in the standings - especially against the Giants, who have not won in Philadelphia since 2013.

>If the Giants are going to compete at that level, they must alter the mindset - not just the football - from the inside out.

>This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: What should we expect from John Harbaugh's Giants in training camp?