exclusive details New York Giants Giants, John Harbaugh taking heavy approach in hopes of fixing fumble woes By Ryan Dunleavy Published Oct. 8, 2026, 8:18 p.m. ET Najee Harris fumbles the ball during the fourth quarter of the Giants' Week 4 win over the Cardinals at MetLife Stadium. Bill Kostroun for New York Post The Giants are trying to prevent the weight of the world from crashing onto a fumbler’s shoulders by sticking a 12.5-pound football in the hands of their ball carriers during drills.
Faced with a sudden ball-security problem, head coach John Harbaugh is counting on weighted footballs — a staple of practice since training camp — to reinforce the high-and-tight teaching point with running backs and tight ends.
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“It’s just harder to hold up, and you have to be really thoughtful about it,” Harbaugh told The Post. “A normal ball, it’s natural to swing it away [from your body] when you run because it’s so light. A weighted ball, you swing it away, and it falls. You can’t even hold onto it. They are forced to hold that position all the way through the run.”
The Giants (3-1) have survived seven fumbles (only two lost) in four games. Is the drill working?
