John Harbaugh ready to learn what Giants-Cowboys rivalry really means

He is here to save the franchise, but that does not mean he is the franchise. This is John Harbaugh’s 19th NFL season opener and his first with the Giants.He knows plenty about the tradition and history yet he is not part of the lore.

Yet.  Get texts from Paul Schwartz with all the latest Giants news and insights, exclusive to Sports+ subscribers.Giants-Cowboys conjures up images and memories and reactions for all those who have scars or triumphs or raging emotions spawned from these annual NFC East battles.

Harbaugh? He goes into Sunday night’s debut as the Giants’ head coach with a pure and pristine résumé, when it comes to this slice of history. “It’s the first time for me, personally, in this rivalry,’’ he said. It sure is.About three hours after kickoff, he figures to have quite an understanding of what all the Giants-Cowboys antagonism is all about.

The home fans at MetLife Stadium will be abuzz because he is now running the football operation.Imaginations can run wild: This proven winner, with one Super Bowl victory under his belt and 12 playoff qualifications in 18 years with the Ravens, has the ability to enliven players and a fan base sick and tired about what has gone on for most of the past 14 years since the Giants last hoisted the Lombardi Trophy. In those 14 seasons, there were 10 years with double-digit losses.

Harbaugh in that span is the sixth head coach — eight if you count interim place-holders Steve Spagnoulo in 2017 and Mike Kafka in 2025 — to try to right the Giants’ ship.His five-year, $100 million contract means ownership has given him every assurance that this is his program, from top to bottom, as he tries to lift the Giants from bottom to the top. “It feels like a big game, an opening game that we have against a division team,’’ Harbaugh said.

“And I’m excited about it. “It’s going to be the first time — like some of the other guys on the team, too, and some of the other coaches to be i...