Mike Kafka meets the media early Wednesday afternoon for the first time since being named interim coach of the New York Giants. So will begin the public portion of Kafka’s audition for the full-time Giants job, or for a head-coaching job somewhere else at the NFL or college level.
Kafka’s audition for the full-time head-coaching gig in 2026, or a head-coaching job elsewhere, will begin with his presence at the microphone.
During his 3+ season as Brian Daboll’s offensive coordinator, Kafka rarely showed
any personality to the media. This season he has been a little more expansive in his answers. Overall, though, think Daniel Jones — only more boring.
Part of that had to be on purpose. Daboll clearly never wanted his assistant coaches to say too much, and he chafed at the freewheeling Wink Martindale’s willingness to ignore that wish and say whatever he wanted. Which, to be honest, helped make Martindale a media darling. Until, of course, he wasn’t.
During our reaction podcast on Monday to the firing of Daboll, Nick Falato asked me if I thought this was a real audition for the 38-year-old Kafka, and what I was looking to learn. That interaction begins at the 2:50 mark of the show.
First and foremost, I want to see if his personality is as milquetoast in front of the media when he is the boss as it was when he was an underling. My biggest question about Kafka isn’t about play-calling or knowledge. My biggest question is whether or not he has the personality to be the front man for an organization, whether he has the ability and demeanor to gain the respect and attention of a team filled with highly-paid alpha males. His presence at the podium when he is on his own will be a clue.
I want to see his practice field and sideline demeanor. Players who have played for him when he has been a head coach at the East-West Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl have talked about the passion and the energy Kafka brought to those roles. That isn’t something we have seen over the past four seasons, when he was not the boss.
Here are a few topics I hope Kafka addresses Wednesday:
Who’s No. 2?
The Giants fan base has clearly seen enough of Russell Wilson. If Jaxson Dart has not cleared concussion protocol, will Kafka continue with Wilson as the next quarterback in line or turn to Winston? Even if Dart can play, will Kafka at least elevate Winston to the No. 2 role?
Honestly, I think Winston jumping the ineffective Wilson on the depth chart is something the vast majority of fans would like to see.
Player accountability
How players were being held accountable, of if they were being held accountable at all, became a major topic as the Brian Daboll era wound to its inevitable, failed conclusion.
Too often players have not seemed to face any repercussions for seeming not to give full effort on the field or for saying things to the media that can easily be interpreted as shots at teammates or a lack of recognition for a player’s own culpability in the team’s 2-8 record.
Kafka might not be able to give us specifics on how he would handle those situations, but I would like to see how he handles a question about whether or not there needs to better effort and accountability at times from players.
Will he call plays?
Kafka did that for two seasons, watched Daboll do that last year, and was given back that responsibility this season.
Will he continue to do that, or will he turn that over to someone like veteran wide receiver coach Mike Groh or quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney, a Daboll protege?
To me, it would make sense if Kafka leaned into his strength over the next seven games and continued to call the plays. That might also be the best thing for Dart, who has heard Kafka’s voice in his headset since practices began in the spring.
Protecting Jaxson Dart
Daboll was heavily criticized before his firing for using Dart too much in the running game and perhaps not getting him out of a couple of blowout losses rather than subject him to unnecessary punishment. Only it is important to remember that Kafka has been calling in the plays.
Does Kafka, as head coach, feel like he needs to be more cognizant of protecting the player the Giants hope will lead their franchise for the next decade?
Can, or would, he shuffle the staff?
This is Week 11. It’s not OTAs. Or even Week 2 or 3. There are seven weeks left. If there are coaches on the staff whose work he isn’t fond of, or whose fealty he might question, does he have the authority to make changes? Would he make any?
That is a murky area for an interim head coach, especially with two months left in the season.
Defense? What defense?
The Giants have given up 129 points over their last four games, 32.25 points per game. There are those in disbelief that defensive coordinator Shane Bowen was not ushered out the 1925 Giants Drive door before, or with, Daboll.
I am curious to see if Kafka will talk in specifics about anything he might like to see done differently on defense, or if it will simply be platitudes about how everyone is working hard and it just has to get better.
Personnel
This will be more of a “show me” beginning on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers rather than a “tell me on Wednesday” kind of thing. It will be interesting, though, to see if some roster shuffling is done between now and Sunday. It will also be interesting to see if forgotten players like Jalin Hyatt and Evan Neal get somewhat of a renewed opportunity.
[NOTE: Big Blue View will be in East Rutherford on Wednesday. So, stay tuned for in-person observations].
