Q: Pete Carroll has been around for a long time and has had success at every level. What do you get from one of his teams?
Kafka: Veteran coach with a really high pedigree, a Super Bowl pedigree. He’s going to have his guys prepared. He always has a great way about him and rallies his players. They play really well regardless of the situation. So, we anticipate nothing less than that.
Q: Ashton Jeanty is coming off a monster game. How does he stress a defense?
Kafka: He has an unbelievable skillset, being able to run in between the tackles, outside perimeter, out in space, break tackles. I think he’s a very complete back and on the verge of being one of those elite guys, those top one, two, three guys in the league. He’s going to be a challenge. And he doesn’t miss a snap. He plays almost every single play, and that’s really impressive to watch as a coach. You see a guy who’s playing at that kind of a level and playing consistently and playing every single snap, he doesn’t want to come off the field and it’s showing up. It’s cool to see from a young player.
Q: The story came out this week that defensive line coach Andre Patterson has dealt with prostate cancer this season. What can you say about everything he has gone through?
Kafka: What a tough person. I’m so grateful to have him on staff to be able to lean on him and his experience and his leadership. He’s been a great resource for me with all of his experiences. He has given an example to the players on real toughness, real ability to overcome. He’s a great example for not only just the players but the coaches as well.
Q: Carmen Bricillo previously coached with the Raiders before the Giants. What makes him such an effective offensive line coach?
Kafka: Carm has a very unique ability to be demanding yet also understanding and being able to have a personal touch with how he approaches each player. It’s not like every single player needs a cookie-cutter way. He understands how to really understand who he’s trying to coach. He learns the learner. He has an ability to reach them but also be demanding and get the best out of them. He’s great with our staff. He has a very calm demeanor but can turn it on when needed. I think having that flexibility and ability to adapt to the different situations and scenarios, whether it’s coaching, whether it’s in-game, whether it’s in the building, he has just a realness about him that you respect. I think everyone in the building understands where he’s coming from, and he’s authentic. Sometimes you get around coaches and they’ve got kind of a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde-type personality. He’s not like that. He’s the same guy every single day, and he’s going to be consistent and he’s going to be honest and up front and real with what he’s going through and what’ he’s talking about.
Q: By the time you ended last week’s game, you were without 60 percent of your starting offensive line after Andrew Thomas and John Michael Schmitz went down. Greg Van Roten has played every snap this season, though. He doesn’t get a lot of press. What does he bring as a veteran and steady presence?
Kafka: That’s exactly it. A veteran presence, the experience, the communication. He has played center. Obviously he’s playing guard now, so he’s able to communicate across the board and help out JMS, another young player that is ascending. And then, when needed, he has stepped up into the role to play the center role and has given us a lot of flexibility. He’s a leader not only on the offensive line on gameday but outside of that as well. He has been a great resource for me because you want to have that connector between the coaches and the locker room. He’s one of those guys who is a connector.
Q: Lastly, what are the Christmas plans for the team and you personally?
Kafka: The team, we’re getting our work days in early and then we’ll have Christmas off. That will be an opportunity for the players to go and spend some time with their family on Christmas Day and then we’ll come back on Friday and get back to work. Just talking with the leadership council and talking with the coaches, I thought that was the right thing to do. But for me, I’ll be with the family hanging out and opening presents early in the morning and then watching some movies and chilling. But the bulk of the work week is done early.