Interim head coach Mike Kafka stood by the New York Giants‘ ultra-conservative, run-heavy approach in Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings, insisting the strategy was deliberate despite a historically inept passing attack that finished with just 13 net yards.
“I wouldn’t call running the ball conservative,” Kafka said. “We just wanted to try and minimize some of that pressure package and let our run game go. So, we were mixing a couple different personnel groupings — getting into some 13 personnel, some 12, a little bit of 11 — but trying to create an advantage for us.”
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The Giants attempted only four passes in the first half and never found rhythm through the air. Kafka acknowledged the execution breakdowns.
“On the field, it just felt like we had some opportunities and we missed them,” he said. “Whether it’s protection, whether it’s the scheme, whether it’s ball location or just drops.”
Tight end Theo Johnson, who had two drops Sunday, drew specific mention.
“Theo is a guy that we really rely on,” Kafka said, brushing off the drops. “I have a lot of confidence in Theo and him being able to make big-time plays for us.”
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Kafka felt “really clean” about the plan to neutralize Minnesota’s aggressive coordinator, Brian Flores, and blitz looks through screens, max protection, and a ground-focused attack.
“When you have a coordinator that likes to pressure, and that’s a strength of theirs, you can minimize it by a couple things,” he said, “or the run game, which helps neutralize that.”
Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, operating behind a battered offensive line, showed understanding of the scheme but needs refinement in processing speed and avoiding sacks, per Kafka. The coach promised a “hypercritical” film review to address the disconnects across the unit.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: New York Giants’ Mike Kafka defends vanilla Week 16 gameplan