Podcast Summary: Don, Hahn & Rosenberg

Episode: Hour 1: Championship-level Excitement
Date: January 15, 2026
Hosts: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg
Topic: The Giants’ Historic John Harbaugh Hire – Emotions, Analysis, and Franchise Impact

Episode Overview

This episode is energized by the breaking news that John Harbaugh, former Ravens Super Bowl-winning head coach, has agreed to coach the New York Giants. The trio—ecstatic Giants fan Don La Greca, Knicks broadcaster Alan Hahn, and skeptical but engaged Peter Rosenberg—dive into the significance of this hire, comparing it to the most major coaching moves in New York sports, reflecting on the Giants’ recent history, and exploring what Harbaugh’s arrival means for the franchise and its fans.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Magnitude of the Harbaugh Hire

• Don La Greca’s Excitement:

  • "I can't think of a better day ... than the day the Giants go out and have their biggest hire in franchise history." (00:36)
  • Don claims the franchise hasn’t made a hire of this size since Bill Parcells, and proposes Harbaugh brings ‘championship-level’ cachet instantly.

• Comparative Analysis of Coaching Hires:

  • The hosts list historic New York coaching hires, comparing Harbaugh’s credentials and immediate impact to Parcells with the Jets, Pat Riley with the Knicks, Chuck Daly with the Nets, and others.
  • Alan: "John Harbaugh is the most significant coaching hire made by a New York team since...is it Pat Riley with the Knicks?" (10:17)

• Instant Credibility:

  • Alan: "You have a functioning football team with a true leader and someone that has that kind of cachet around the league." (04:33)
  • Don: "You offered him the job and he took it. Despite all your embarrassments over recent years, you're still a respected enough franchise that somebody of significance wants to coach you." (37:10)

2. Theories on How the Hire Came Together

• Timeline Speculation:

  • Don suggests the Giants might have targeted Harbaugh immediately after letting go of Brian Dable.
  • "I believe that this was something the Giants knew they were going to do the second they fired Brian Dable." (01:18)
  • Alan and Peter push back, arguing Harbaugh might not have been available or on the radar initially, but agree the timing was fortuitous.

• Joe Schoen’s Role:

  • Alan proposes that the Giants’ GM may have played a key part in advocating for Harbaugh, possibly ensuring his own job security.
  • "What if it was Joe Shane who told the Maras and the Tisches...Harbaugh might be available?" (06:26)

3. Context: Decade of Bad Decisions

• Failed Coaches Sequence:

  • Don recites the string of Giants coaching misfires: "Ben McAdoo... Pat Shermer... Joe Judge... Brian Dable. Who’s the king of them all so far?...Oh, no, wait. John Harbaugh. Boom." (08:36)

• The Return to Respectability:

  • Don likens this hire to Pat Riley joining the Knicks—transformational at the moment, a sign of restored seriousness and aspiration.
  • "This is like the Giants version of the Knicks getting Pat Riley...from colossal embarrassment to a team that instantaneously becomes a team that will be in the conversation as a possible playoff team next year." (08:54)

4. Rosenberg’s Skepticism and the “Championship Adjacent” Debate

• Is This a ‘Championship’ Hire?

  • Don: "Giants history is...is championship adjacent." (07:50)
  • Peter pushes back: "I don't consider the team to be such a joke that gaining stability with a great coach like this is championship...adjacent." (09:52)

• Listener Confrontation:

  • Caller Tessa chides Peter for undercutting the excitement, sparking a lighthearted (if heated) back-and-forth for several minutes.
  • Tessa: “At the end of the day, you’re really, really hating right now. You’re really acting like a salty summer.” (28:11)
  • Peter: "You are an annoying caller who I don’t like talking to. Don’t call me." (29:11)

• Harbaugh’s Limitations:

  • Peter’s caution: Harbaugh is coming off being ousted from Baltimore and is not a savior on his own.
  • "An aging coach who was sent out of Baltimore because they don’t think he can win anymore with an MVP quarterback...And you guys are going, please, we'll take Baltimore's trash. Wow, it's exciting." (16:08)
  • Don counters with the Andy Reid-to-Kansas City example.

5. Franchise Trajectory and the Intangibles

• Stability and Attractiveness:

  • Alan: "This will be a desirable spot for top coordinator candidates...That’s what they're feeling in the building." (14:29)
  • Don: "Bringing in a coach like this...does shake a franchise... Brings not just, ‘hey, this guy we know can coach, he’s got a resume’—people are going to want to coach with him, and be there." (14:20)

• Importance of Standard and Tone:

  • Don: "Remember, we said the problem with the Giants, their standard walked out the door when Tom Coughlin left. ...The standard you expect will come back." (17:32)
  • Peter: "I still do believe in it to some extent that this is a class organization. John Harbaugh is of the ilk that should be with this team." (17:54)

6. Cautions and Open Questions

• No Guarantees:

  • Don: "There’s a lot that can go wrong...dart could turn out not to be the guy, there could be injuries, maybe they fall short..." (17:15)
  • Alan: "The first concern...are that Todd Monken's coming with him to be the offensive coordinator, and Monken and Lamar Jackson did not get a lot like it just didn’t happen...If the first year, and you’re seeing Jackson Dart kind of having the same...with this offense, that’s the one thing I would wonder." (38:32)

• Coach vs. Quarterback:

  • Alan and Don debate whether it’s better to have the coach or the quarterback in place—concluding optimistically that you have to have the coach to build the rest. (38:06)

7. Community & Culture

• The Day Feels Like a Win:

  • Don: "My team went away and now they’re back. ...That makes me feel prideful to be a Giants fan." (30:04)
  • Alan: "You have legitimate reasons to think young players will develop and become quality players and free agents will want to come. There’s stability, or at least it feels like it..." (25:07)
  • Multiple callers chime in to share excitement and relief that the team now has “an adult in the room.” (35:34)

• Good for Business:

  • Hosts note that covering bad teams makes for hard radio: "All three of us prefer the teams here win...because covering football year in, year out with two terrible teams makes our job insufferable." (48:08)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "I can't think of a better day...than the day the Giants go out and have their biggest hire in franchise history." (Don La Greca, 00:36)
• "Are you ready for this? I believe this was something the Giants knew they were going to do the second they fired Brian Dable." (Don La Greca, 01:18)
• "John Harbaugh is the most significant coaching hire made by a New York team since...is it Pat Riley with the Knicks?" (Alan Hahn, 10:17)
• "This is the equivalent...the Giants’ version of the Knicks getting Pat Riley. Now, Pat Riley was much bigger...But from the availability standpoint...the Giants go from colossal embarrassment to a team that instantaneously becomes a team that will be in the conversation as a possible playoff team next year." (Don La Greca, 08:54)
• "I don't consider the team to be such a joke that gaining stability with a great coach like this is championship...adjacent." (Peter Rosenberg, 09:52)
• "You have a functioning football team with a true leader and someone that has that kind of cachet around the league." (Alan Hahn, 04:33)
• "This day right now—how I feel—Giants history is championship adjacent." (Don, 07:50)
• "I'm not going to guarantee anything, but it's not crazy to think the Giants going into next season could be a team that could challenge for a wild card spot instantaneously. So why can't I get excited?" (Don, 09:48)
• "This will be a desirable spot for top coordinator candidates. ...We just won't have to settle like the last time around." (Alan, reading a text from an inside source, 14:29)
• "You have to have a coach, a standard, leadership, all the things that are important. Giants finally have that." (Alan, 37:59)
• After sparring with Tessa: "You are an annoying caller who I don't like talking to. Don't call me." (Peter, 29:11)

Key Timestamps

• 00:36–01:18 – Don’s opening excitement, declaring the day historic for the Giants.
• 03:11–06:59 – The hosts debate whether Harbaugh-to-Giants was long in the making and Joe Schoen’s possible inside role.
• 08:36–09:48 – Don lists failed Giants coaches, compares Harbaugh hire to Pat Riley with the Knicks.
• 10:17–13:39 – Ranking Harbaugh among historic New York coaching hires.
• 14:20–15:12 – The “destination” factor for coordinators and players with Harbaugh at the helm.
• 17:15–18:42 – Realism check: Harbaugh isn’t a miracle worker, but a huge step up.
• 28:01–32:10 – Caller showdown: Tessa scolds Peter for not “celebrating” enough, leading to a classic Rosenberg rant.
• 35:34–37:10 – Caller Frank and the hosts reflect on the Giants’ bad coach hires and why this is different.
• 38:32 – Alan raises the Todd Monken concern regarding offense and quarterback fit.
• 45:00–46:58 – Is this the biggest Giants coaching hire ever? The hosts agree—it is.
• 48:08–50:53 – Why it matters for business and sports radio to have relevant, winning teams in New York.

Tone & Flow

The episode is energetic and emotional, led by Don’s exuberance and offset by Peter’s insistence on measured optimism. There’s a playful, argumentative, and authentic back-and-forth, highlighted by listener calls that reflect the fanbase’s excitement and a classic New York sports radio brashness. The hosts revel in both the hope and the reality-check aspects of the hire—ultimately agreeing that the Giants, at last, feel like a serious football organization again.

In essence, this episode captures the pulse of a franchise that may have just changed its fortunes overnight. The Giants are back in the spotlight, and New York sports radio has a reason to believe again.