Mike Kafka on Becoming Interim Head Coach | New York Giants

Mike Kafka on Becoming Interim Head Coach | New York Giants

How’s everyone doing? Okay, so um first I want first and foremost I want to thank the mayor and Tish family and our GM Joe Shane for giving me the opportunity here to to lead this team. Um this is a this is a league of incredibly difficult situations, decisions and um you know I just have the utmost respect for Daves and what he’s done for me not only as a friend but as a coach. you know, given me an opportunity here to be um an offensive coordinator. And so, you know, I just want to my thoughts with with him and his family. And I just appreciate, you know, things he’s done for me. And I’ve learned a lot from him. Um in terms of where we’re at right now, I’m excited to lead this group. Um you know, focusing each day, taking kind of just one step at a time with with the players and the coaches and getting organized. But, um you know, I’m excited and looking forward to the challenge. Um, just a couple things I would say is, um, first and foremost, I’m going to make Tim Kelly our offensive coordinator. Really smart coach. He’ll help us tie in the run game, the pass game. Does a great job with a lot of good experiences to bank on. Um, we’re also going to put Jameus Winston as our starting quarterback and he’ll do a great job. I have a lot of confidence in Jamus. Have a lot of confidence in Russ and he’ll be the backup as Jackson works through the concussion protocol. Um, I think our pro our players are pros, right? They’re pros. So, my job is to get them in the best position to be successful and work through the week here and continue to make adjustments with the staff as we’re continue to prep for for Green Bay, which is the most important thing. So, really taking our time, making sure we, you know, cross our tees, dot our eyes, and put together a great plan for the players because that’s really at the end of the day, those are the guys that have been on my mind the last 48 hours. So, um, again, I’m thankful and appreciative and now we’re back on track and we got a big task at hand and a big challenge in front of us. You still Mike, you still call play as you say Kelly as the offensive coordinator? Yes. Mike Mike, do you think of this as an audition for you? Listen, I just think my only focus is is this the players like I need to we need to make sure as a as a group, as a staff, we come together, put together a great plan, and, you know, really just think focus on what what the most important thing is. that’s today. Our practice, our prep, you know, the meetings that we’re in, the communication, and then just working through the details of the game plan because things are going to change and we got to be able to have some flexibility and adapt to it. So, that’s been probably our biggest messaging in terms of coaching staff to the players. Mike, you enjoyed that um Dave was just so instrumental in giving you the opportunity here as OC. Um, when you first heard that he was being relieved and that you would be the interim, what was were those initial emotions and reaction like? Yeah, you certainly didn’t, you know, I certainly didn’t anticipate it, but you know, it’s one of those things they they happened in this league. And again, I’m appreciative what Daves has done for me as a as a as a professional, as a coach, as a person, and you know, getting to understand and know his family. And, you know, these things are, you know, there’s a human element to it, too. So, you know, I’m very sensitive to that, and I wish him nothing but the best, and we’ll continue to, you know, stay in touch with him because he’s a he’s a great friend of mine. So, um, but you know, there’s there’s a time for us in in this group to continue to move forward and, um, and go enjoy this and enjoy this process and this journey. Mike, what went into, uh, what went to Jameus and turn it to Jamus. I think I think Jamus has done a great job since he’s been here, just like all our quarterback room. I got a lot of trust in in that room. Um, being in there all the time, you know, pretty much every single day since since we’ve been here. But, I got a good feel for those guys. I think I think Jameus did a heck of a job. He’s a great leader. Um he has a lot of production in this league and um I think he’s gonna do a great job leading that group. What was his reaction when you told him was obviously some pretty big part of he’s very excited. He’s very excited for the opportunity and and I think he’ll he’ll run with it. That was your decision to make that change. Say it again. That was your decision to make that change or Yes. Mike, did anyone else give input on that decision? No, it was mine. Mike, do you uh anticipate any more coaching changes down the pike right now? No. Right now, Tim Kelly would be the only move. I have a lot of trust in in our group and just being around these guys for the last several years. A lot of trust, a lot of confidence, and now we can kind of get together and and come together with a great plan for for the players. Mike, so confidence levels still pretty high with Shane Bowen side of the ball. I collectively as a as a unit and we’ve met several times over the past couple days getting on the same page the communication talking about some of just the minor little tweaks that we would do throughout the week um to make it more efficient and to you know to clean up some communication stuff. So that would be for us like that’s the probably the biggest thing is me getting on the same page with them. You know I’m not up until this point haven’t been privileged to those conversations. So you know getting caught up to speed and and communicating what I you know what I like and what I like to see and and then them going and doing it. Mike on game day Mike on game day um you’re going to be calling the plays you’re also going to be the head coach first time it’s a lot um so how do you plan to navigate your game day you know need a right-hand man because you can’t do everything yeah we have we have a great team upstairs in the box with Tai and Cade doing a great job of communicating that and just like we talked through it throughout the rest of the week um just going through our plan for how we’re going to manage the game fourth down decisions timeouts challenges you know all those things is that, you know, we talked throughout throughout the training camp. But now that I’m the decision maker that will be just kind of ramped up a little bit more, we have to, you know, spend a little bit more time on it. But that’s really all it is is just the communication aspect of it and talking through how we want to handle this game particularly. There’s a lot of factors that could that could roll up into it. You know, whether it’s the weather, whether it’s the time on the clock, timeouts, the opponent you’re going against, which is going to be a great challenge. Understanding understanding that Dart is in the protocol right now, when he does come back, how much of a priority is it to with the a great ability that he has to extend plays with his legs to get him to slide and be less injury susceptible? Yeah, just like you said, Jackson’s still in the protocol, I think, having having a great plan and again working in in unison with Coach Kelly and our offensive staff and putting together that plan that way when when he is ready to go that that we have a great plan to keep him healthy. Did you have a conversation? What have Jackson’s last couple days been like? Has he got additional evaluations? Where does he stand? Yeah, he’s just he’s in the middle of it and I’m not I’m to be honest with you like I have a lot of trust in our medical staff and our um our medical team and they’re they got they’re taking great care of him. So, you know, each day I get a little bit of an update. He’s right on track and right on pace in in the program. Mike, what what do you think of the talent of this team that that now you’re leading into battle? I I I really have a lot of belief in this team and a lot of trust in this team being around them how these guys fight and battle. I think, you know, we’ve we’ve just had some things right there at the end that we just got to go grasp and take it. So, you know, just keeping that aggressive mentality, keeping that that growth mindset, continue to learn from these situations and then when we get another opportunity to capitalize on it, then we got to go do it. Mike, a lot of times people are thrust into this sort of a role and and maybe they’re not ready for it. You’ve you’ve obviously thought about being a head coach for few offseasons now. What what makes you think you’re ready for this? Well, you know, I I appreciate I appreciate that question. Right now, my only focus really, you guys, is just on the players. Like these I’m I’ve been thinking about them for the last 48 hours and I’m sure not every single one of these guys have reacted the same way. So, I’m really sensitive to that and it’d be selfish of me to think any other anything else but the players. So getting these guys on the same page, getting them a great plan um with really decisive calls and decisive game plan so they can go and execute it at a high level. That’s most important. Mike, biggest change for you going to offensive coordinator to head coach here? Sorry. What’s the biggest change for you with this elevation to inter head coach? Yeah, you’re you uh you certainly have a few more meetings. um you know the scheduling of stuff and just there’s a lot of details that go into it that you know you have to make sure you make a good decision on you well thoughtout decision and not just take it for granted. You you want to be able to set up the player. It’s all built around the guys. How are how are we getting them to maximize the most amount of football time, the most amount of rest so they can have their bodies to be fresh and then the most efficient way to get the game plan so they can go out and play. So just as going through it and being with a couple, you know, leaning on mentors and leaning on people in my past and putting together a plan and talking with the experts that we have already on the team, what the best way to approach that is, that’s, you know, what I’ve been kind of dealing with the last couple days. Personally wise, you expect any other significant changes as you move forward here? No, we’re wise. Playerwise, oh, um, no. And again, working with Joe, we’ll have a good plan as in terms of, you know, as we get closer to game day, like working through the injuries and talking about how we want to handle the elevations and stuff, but right now, you know, it’s Wednesday, you know, we’re working through the just the uh the beginning part, beginning stages of that. What about practices? Do you anticipate changing or tweaking anything as far as the practice schedule goes? Yeah, we we’ll have some minor tweaks. I think one of the most important things I stressed to the players was we’re not just going to change stuff to change it for no reason. um we’re going to have a plan and have an intent on what we want to emphasize that day, whether it’s, you know, first and second down, whether it’s at the end of the game, whether it’s the pressure packages or any anything that we want to emphasize that week. And it’s just communicating with the coaches. And so, yeah, there’ll be some minor tweaks and some little things for for the players that they’ll need to be flexible on, but um we have again we have a great staff and we communicate great starting with Ly who’s who’s been doing a great job helping me get organized these last couple days and getting that to the players. How did Russ take being quarterback three now and do you expect him to spend the rest of the season here rather than ask to leave? Yeah, no Russ is a Russ is a true pro. Russ is a true pro and I know he’s you know he’s been through a couple tough things and you know listen the way he responds is is unbelievable and I have a ton of respect for Russ and again he’s going to be the backup this week. He’s one play away just like he was last week and so we need him and he’s a crucial part of our offense. He’s a crucial part of our of our unit and our group and our leadership group. So um I’d expect nothing less from him and um how he would respond to the news. Mike, how things changed with Mike? How have things changed with with Russell? because this was a guy that that going into the camp he was your unquestioned quarterback taking Aubrey first team rep with a somebody that that this organization was very adamant on having a lot of football left and believing they had football left and now he’s gone from starter to lost the job to to Jackson and now he’s lost the job to Jamus as well. Yeah, you know, I think those those are I mean that’s a valid question because I I love Russ. I love Russ, but it’s like I don’t want to I don’t want to continue to revisit that. Russ understands the direction we’re going moving forward. That’s really where our focus is is like today and moving forward and Russ is part of that plan. Um, and his role is defined as the backup and he’s ready to to attack that role. You know, we had a good conversation. I’m sure it’s, you know, wasn’t necessarily easy for him. I I understand that human element of it, but Russ is going to Russ is a team, one of the best team players I’ve ever been around. He’s one of the best locker room guys I’ve ever been around and I know he’ll attack this role with everything he has. Mike, what did Steve uh what did Steve Fish and John Mar tell you about the expectations for you now going into loss through the end of the season? Yeah, those are it was a great it was a great conversation. I’ll leave it privately between us, but it was a great conversation and um you know it was it was it was cool to kind of talk through a little bit of my plan and and I’ll go put in implement it and put it in place. The rest of the year will James back up the rest of the year when when Jackson’s healthy. We’re we’re just gonna for this week, this is where it’s at and we’ll just evaluate it. I think Jackson, he’s in the protocol. We’ll make that decision and go through it. But right now, we’re just going to live in this week and live in just today. You know, I’m I’m trying to just, you know, you get into this role and there’s a lot of things going on. You don’t want to get yourself too far overextended into the future. You want to just make sure that we’re we’re ready and prepared for this for today. Get the things going and get start getting prepared for the rest of the remainder of this week. And uh I mean because we have a huge challenge. I mean, I understand why you’re asking that, but you know, there’s there’s some other things that we got to make sure we get accomplished before we get to that point. Challenging Green Bay. Um, what do you what do you hope on 1:00 kickoff on Sunday? What do you hope at 1:00 kickoff on Sunday that the fans see from this team that maybe they haven’t seen before with you at the helm? Yeah, that’s that’s great. I think again, we’re focused on today like and I want I want to make sure our players understand that like we’re not we don’t play the game today. So, our guys are going to be prepared where where we’re at today is in first second down. We’re talking through the first second down blitzes, the run game, um the pass game. We’re talking about what our strengths and weaknesses going into this game are going to be and how we’re going to attack the other crew um in in the Green Bay Packers. So, you know, it’s it’s going to be a great challenge. We’re we’re just taking it day by day and I think that’s what’s most important. Our guys got to live in this moment right now and then we’ll put them again in another plan and we’ll attack that tomorrow. Mike, what do you think? Obviously, it was such a big defensive battle. What did you see in Michael Parsons and and and that you know that whole unit that just made the battle in the trenches so intense? Yeah, it’s a it’s a great unit. All really all three phases. They have talented players everywhere. Micah, particularly Gary. I mean, those guys stand out because of the sack production and but their defenses are really they’re well coached. They’re very aggressive and um they they know how to rush the passer and um it’s a tough group. So, you know, I think it’s a great challenge for us and our offensive staff will be a great challenge for our special teams unit and our defensive units as well. And I think our coaches are I know our coaches are doing a hell of a job prepping for this and and getting our guys ready. defensive side. All right, Mike. Go ahead, Mike. Mike, what what what makes a great head coach in your mind? And how does that compare to the challenge of having to step in as an interim head coach when there’s a lot that’s already, you know, put in place for you? I think I think the best the best head coaches I’ve been around are guys that are are confident, poised, have a direction, have a plan, and then go execute the plan. And if it if something goes just a little bit different, then you go you go back and you adjust. You have flexibility to adjust. Um accountability, holding guys accountable to the highest standard. If it’s not right, fix it. Don’t wait and let things just kind of trickle and and and snowball, right? So, you want to be able to to be able to do that. Guys that empower players to be their best. Um and so those are things that I’ve learned over my past that I think are great great qualities in head coach and things that I try to mirror.

Interim head coach Mike Kafka speaks to the media Wednesday from the Quest Diagnostics Training Center.

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