November 14, 2025 • 15 mins
Giants Interim Head Coach, Mike Kafka, discusses what the Green Bay Packers present in this matchup, talks about his messaging to the team this week, and chats about what his plan is in his new leadership role.
:00 - Messaging to the team
3:55 - Tim Kelly as Offensive Coordinator
5:45 - Jameis Winston as the starter
10:30 - Lessons from Andy Reid
11:50 - Leading this staff
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to The Giants Huddle podcast, brought to you by Citizens,
the official bank of the New York Giants. Please subscribe
to the Giants Official podcast network and The Giants Huddle
by searching for it on your favorite podcast platform. We
welcome the head coach of the New York Giants, Mike
Kafka is The Giants gets set to take on the
Green Bay Packers at MetLife Stadium this afternoon. And Mike,
(00:22):
it's been a whirlwind week for you. How has it
gone as far as just trying to keep everything sort
of in order and get ready to play a football game.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
It's been great. It's been great. You know. I've been very,
very lucky to have a great staff around me to
get me organized and keep me organized and and really
kind of follow the vision and the way I kind
of want to run things. And they've been able to
really knock out a lot of the main, like big
picture items that I've been thinking about. And it's been
really cool to kind of see the players adjust as well,
(00:53):
just and adapt, and they've done a heck of a job.
I'm really proud of that group and really proud of
the organization for stepping up what.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
Was the first messaging to the team when you address
them for the first time, as far as what you
expect and what you want Mike Kafka's football team to
look like.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
I think what's really important and things that I've learned
from the head coaches I've been around, is you know,
the football team, it really is a representation of the
personality of your head coach. And so I think if
you approach it with confidence, with poise, with detail, I
think the players will follow suit. And so I think,
you know, you just go on there, you be yourself,
(01:29):
let them understand, here are the things we got to
do to win this football game. Here are the things
that we got to do to continue to get better
and grow as a team. And then you lay out
a platform and then you let them go execute it.
And if there's things that we got to change and
adjust along the way and just continue to stay flexible,
then we go ahead and do that and make those adjustments.
All right.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
I'm sure your phone was blowing up this week where
there's some significant people in your life outside of obviously
family and loved ones that reached out to you via
text or we gave you a call and wanted give
you a little advice.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Yeah, there was such so many people that reached out
and still working through getting back to everybody. But it's
really cool to feel the support from from former Giants players,
from current Giants players, from family, from people and coaches
around the league. It was really cool to to you know,
to feel that, you know, that kind of love and support,
(02:24):
and you know it's it makes it easier when you're
going through a situation like this and you want to
do your best to really feel that support from from
a lot of people.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
How valuable was it for you having an opportunity at
the East West Shrine Game and at the Senior Bowl
to kind of serve in this role and to be
able to manage a staff and manage a game that
experience that. I mean, I know this is different, this
is an NFL game, but still to be in that
seat and understand all of the different dynamics that go
into the job.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Yeah, yeah, it's all all the all the different pieces
that work together. And I'm lucky to have l Y
to be to be there for me and help keep
me organized, because yeah, there are a lot of moving
parts and the best you can you want to get
everyone in one room and give them a direction and
have have them understand your vision and then and then
make adjustments along the way. I don't think there's ever
(03:16):
an opportunity to be exactly perfect or try and be
too perfect. It's just all right. You have a direction.
Let you let the people that are in those positions
do a great job and do their job to the
best of their ability, because that's why they're here to
do their job. And you know, I can support them
in as many ways as I can help them in
certain aspects. And so, you know, continue to bring open
(03:37):
lines of communication and collaborate with the great people we
have in the organization. Huddle up, get in here. If
you're lined up here, you got to go over the
middle with at the score great.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
How do we make that happen?
Speaker 2 (03:49):
I don't know, but Citizens does? It makes sense of
your money with Citizens Official Bank of Eli Manning.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Obviously, as you're finding out, just because you're sitting here
doing this interview with me getting ready to play the Packers,
that there's more to being a head coach than just coaching.
You made Tim Kelly the offensive coordinator. Why was that
move important to you?
Speaker 2 (04:11):
I thought it was. I thought it was a great move.
I really, I really loved him in terms of being
a coach, in terms of being a person. To me,
it was a no brainer. Our staff and how he's
able to combine both the run game in the past
game and really understand it. And plus he has a
bunch of experience too, so it was really a no
brainer for me. I really I loved him in terms of,
(04:32):
you know, how how he operates in the building and
how he prepares, and he's been one of those type
of guys that you know, I lean on in game day,
you know, making adjustments and talking about how the flow
of the game is going. So he's a guy that
I have a lot of trust in.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Obviously, from a defensive standpoint, you're playing a Packers team
that has a lot of explosive weapons. We all know
what's gone on this season as far as being good
enough to be in contention to win some of these
games and they're just not going your way. What are
some of the things that you want to see out
of your defense in order to be able to close
some of these things out. And I know it's complementary.
(05:07):
I know special teams is tied into it. Obviously, scoring
in the red zone maybe to put a game away.
But from a defensive standpoint, what do you want to see?
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Yeah, I think they. I think the defense has had
an aggressive approach to start these games now, as whether
it's a defense, offense or special teams. As a unit,
as a complete team, we just got to finish. And
when we get these opportunities to make plays at the
end of the game, and any of those any of
those groupings or in those units, we got to do it.
And it's about to you know, us coaches, we can
put together a great plan, show them and you know,
(05:40):
certain examples of where we can finish and how we
can get better, and then the players putting these guys
in a good position to go be successful. All right?
Speaker 1 (05:47):
With Jackson Dart in the concussion protocol, you announced earlier
this week that James Winston would.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Get the start.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
What is it being around James for the first time
that really has caught your eye and why you think
he gives the team the best chance to win this week?
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Yeah, Jamis has a veteran presence, he has a lot
of production in this league, and he's been a great
He's been a great, great addition to the quarterback room
since we've been here, so I'm excited for Jamis. I
think I know he'll roll with this opportunity and do
the best he can and lead our offense, which is
which is what we need from him, you know, be
able to go in there, lead the offense, go and
execute at high level.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
Heck and his two career starts against Green Bay seven touchdowns,
no interceptions, So that's not something to sneeze at either.
So let's talk about this Packers team from a defensive standpoint.
You know, when you talk about three levels, you know
you've got Parsons in Gary, they're combined fourteen sacks, Walker
the inside backer, and then former Giant Xavier McKinney leading
(06:47):
the back end. And Nixon's having a fantastic year. What
makes this defense so good?
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Well, you know, I think I think you hit on it.
They have a great personnel that plays very aggressive, They
tackle very well. They they attack the football and are
able to create turnovers. I'd say they're coach very well.
They're very disciplined in their scheme. They're in the right
spots and so you know they make you they make
you play disciplined as well. So I think that'll be
(07:15):
a great challenge for our players, not only just on
individual battles, but overall being able to build out and
work through the game plan and make adjustments along the way.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
And sometimes right, a punt isn't a bad thing as
far as the game is concerned and the way the
flow of the game goes right. I mean, they've played
a lot of low scoring games. It's been it's been
talked about, you know, is that a situation where you
have to kind of preach to James and everybody else,
we don't have to hit the home run here. If
we have to punt, it's better than doing something silly.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Yeah. I think. I think we have a plan on
how we want to play the game, and then as
the game declares, and then I think you make adjustments
based off of that. I think that's I and I
know our guys are dialed into how, you know, how
we want to operate on offense and defense and special teams.
Being in those meetings and and seeing the energy and
seeing the game plans kind of come to life, that's
(08:07):
been really cool to see. You know, sometimes you don't
really get kind of behind the door and you're not
in those meetings, you know, so being in them and
seeing the players respond has been has been great and
I'm excited to see them go roll roll it out
on Sunday.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
So let's go to the other side of the ball
with loved quarterback. Obviously, the numbers are the numbers as
far as this team. They've been down some receivers, they
lost one of their big weapons and craft, the tight end,
but they still have that running back that can pound
you and then break you down. Is that the key
to this whole thing is making sure Jacobs does not
(08:43):
stay on schedule.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
And that's that's the unique thing about the unique thing
about the Packers offense is they have a bunch of
different skill sets. They have a running back, they got
o Y, and they got they got they still have
tight ends and the receivers and the quarterback. You know,
and I got a lot of respect for Jordan into
the production he's had, But yeah, they got to They
got a really talented offense and they do a really
good job. And coach Laford does a great job of
(09:07):
mixing and matching different concepts and really testing the rules
on defense in terms of your run fits, and he's
able to, you know, create create some some multiple gaps
and get the run game going. But they have a
skill set that's pretty unique across the league, I'd say,
and they do a really nice job of building that
out and executing it. If you want to know how
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(09:29):
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Speaker 1 (09:42):
And the fact that you know you've gained plan for them,
And I don't mean you know a long time ago.
You played them two years ago at MetLife Stadium. So
just kind of a sense of the way he wants
to run his team, whether it's offensively or defensively.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
You you can get a sense of it. But obviously,
you know over the years, every team is different, Every
team changes, coordinators change, and you know the how even
the NFL, I mean three years ago that it's completely
different NFL in terms of how teams are playing certain
coverages and how teams are playing offense. So each year
is a new year, and I'd say this is a
different team that we saw from a couple of years back.
(10:21):
It's just different, so we have to be and we're
a different team too, so we have to be able to,
you know, just to get into the game, get into
the flow of the game, adjust, adapt, and then be aggressive.
And we need to be aggressive.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
Coach Andy Reid has obviously been a big influence within
your career. You were a fourth round pick of the
Eagles back in twenty ten. You were on his staff
in Kansas City before coming to the Giants. What are
some of the tenants that have held true and constant
that you learned from him, which is why he's been
so successful and that you want to sprinkle into your
(10:54):
reign as the head coach of the Giants.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
I'd say the number one most important thing I learned
from coach in that time, and there's a lot, but
one of the most important ones just being yourself, you know,
and just you know, just be your authentic self. And
I think everything pretty much takes care of itself from there.
So and the beauty of being in this position is
that at one point I was in those seats that
the players were in, so I kind of understand a
(11:18):
little bit of of how they're feeling, and we're to
kind of where to kind of direct them, and so
I think I can relate and I can, you know,
continue to build on the relationships that I do have.
Majority of those you know are on the offensive side,
because I'm in front of those guys a lot. So
I think the more I'm around the defense, the more
I'm around the special teams and having them understand who
I am as a person, who I am as a leader,
who I am as a coach and a man and
(11:39):
a father and a husband, all those things, I think
the more opportunities they get to see that, I think
the clearer would be a picture of who I am.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
All Right, So a lighter question here, as you've gone
through this week and all of a sudden, there's all
these things that are coming at you. And I know
you've interviewed for head coaching jobs. I know you've studied
all this, You've worked your whole life to have an
opportunity to be a head coach. But is there one
thing that's maybe come across your desk, Like I gotta
make that decision too.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
That's a good that's really good. Like I think a
lot of the things that that are we've been talking about,
because again, like we were, I was very conscious of
not just making changes for the sake of change, just
because I really wanted to be intentional with the minor
tweaks that we made that that that could help the players,
because that's really all I was thinking about. So we
(12:34):
have a great we have a great staff, a great
support staff, and there's a lot of great pieces here,
and so I think I was leaning more or less
on their expertise on Okay, here's how we do Here's
how we've done it, here's how we do it. Okay,
maybe it's a little minor tweak here there, but you know,
I think for the most part, the group and and
the staff that that came together really had a really
(12:56):
good thing in place in terms of just the communication.
So it was just more or less for me just
saying out loud what I'm looking for and then allowing
them to kind of go put their flavor on it
and go execute it, which which I think is cool. Like,
you want to collaborate with everybody, but these people are
here because they're really good at their job, so you
also want to give them the flexibility to go ahead
(13:17):
and do their job. And not put them in a box.
So I've been just just kind of going with the
flow right now and when I can, when I can
add something or subtract something that I think makes sense
for the team, I've been able to do that, but
not trying to get overextended, not trying to you know,
continue to do too much in one day, but you know,
kind of live like one day at a time, build
(13:39):
it out. And again, I got a lot of great
people around me, so lean on them, lean on their
their opinions and their expertise, and just you know, continue
to be myself and understand that the main task is
here on Sunday. I got to you know, we have
to be able to go out there and execute and
let the other stuff kind of surrounding it, lean on
the people that have been put in place here and
allow them to to make it right.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
And plus you'll you'll you'll input the data in your
head of what happens on Sunday of okay, maybe moving forward,
here's some other changes that have to be made right,
but you want to see it in real time before
you is that what you're trying to say, like they
wanted it in real time.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
That's going to just be set in stone. I want
to continue to evaluate it every single day. Each week
we'll go back and kind of debrief what happened the
last you know this, this this current week, right, so
we'll debrief it. We'll talk through it with with the
heads of each department and go through it again each
week and say, all right, how can I how can
we get better? How can I get better? How can
I serve you? How can we continue to get the
(14:39):
players in a better position? And then we go and
put a plan together to go do that.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
Coach, we wish you the best of luck against the Packers.
Congratulations on the opportunity. We know you'll do great, and
thank you so much for joining us getting ready for
the Giants and Packers great.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
That's New York Giants interim head coach Mike Kafka as
we get you set for the Giants and Packers Sunday
at MetLife Stadium. The Huddle Podcast is brought to you
by Citizens, the official bank of the New York Giants.
From game day celebrations to your everyday financial needs, Big
Blue fans can get the most out of their moment
with Citizens. Learn more at citizens bank dot com. Slash
(15:20):
giants
Welcome to The Giants Huddle podcast, brought to you by Citizens,
the official bank of the New York Giants. Please subscribe
to the Giants Official podcast network and The Giants Huddle
by searching for it on your favorite podcast platform. We
welcome the head coach of the New York Giants, Mike
Kafka is The Giants gets set to take on the
Green Bay Packers at MetLife Stadium this afternoon. And Mike,
(00:22):
it's been a whirlwind week for you. How has it
gone as far as just trying to keep everything sort
of in order and get ready to play a football game.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
It's been great. It's been great. You know. I've been very,
very lucky to have a great staff around me to
get me organized and keep me organized and and really
kind of follow the vision and the way I kind
of want to run things. And they've been able to
really knock out a lot of the main, like big
picture items that I've been thinking about. And it's been
really cool to kind of see the players adjust as well,
(00:53):
just and adapt, and they've done a heck of a job.
I'm really proud of that group and really proud of
the organization for stepping up what.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
Was the first messaging to the team when you address
them for the first time, as far as what you
expect and what you want Mike Kafka's football team to
look like.
Speaker 2 (01:08):
I think what's really important and things that I've learned
from the head coaches I've been around, is you know,
the football team, it really is a representation of the
personality of your head coach. And so I think if
you approach it with confidence, with poise, with detail, I
think the players will follow suit. And so I think,
you know, you just go on there, you be yourself,
(01:29):
let them understand, here are the things we got to
do to win this football game. Here are the things
that we got to do to continue to get better
and grow as a team. And then you lay out
a platform and then you let them go execute it.
And if there's things that we got to change and
adjust along the way and just continue to stay flexible,
then we go ahead and do that and make those adjustments.
All right.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
I'm sure your phone was blowing up this week where
there's some significant people in your life outside of obviously
family and loved ones that reached out to you via
text or we gave you a call and wanted give
you a little advice.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Yeah, there was such so many people that reached out
and still working through getting back to everybody. But it's
really cool to feel the support from from former Giants players,
from current Giants players, from family, from people and coaches
around the league. It was really cool to to you know,
to feel that, you know, that kind of love and support,
(02:24):
and you know it's it makes it easier when you're
going through a situation like this and you want to
do your best to really feel that support from from
a lot of people.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
How valuable was it for you having an opportunity at
the East West Shrine Game and at the Senior Bowl
to kind of serve in this role and to be
able to manage a staff and manage a game that
experience that. I mean, I know this is different, this
is an NFL game, but still to be in that
seat and understand all of the different dynamics that go
into the job.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Yeah, yeah, it's all all the all the different pieces
that work together. And I'm lucky to have l Y
to be to be there for me and help keep
me organized, because yeah, there are a lot of moving
parts and the best you can you want to get
everyone in one room and give them a direction and
have have them understand your vision and then and then
make adjustments along the way. I don't think there's ever
(03:16):
an opportunity to be exactly perfect or try and be
too perfect. It's just all right. You have a direction.
Let you let the people that are in those positions
do a great job and do their job to the
best of their ability, because that's why they're here to
do their job. And you know, I can support them
in as many ways as I can help them in
certain aspects. And so, you know, continue to bring open
(03:37):
lines of communication and collaborate with the great people we
have in the organization. Huddle up, get in here. If
you're lined up here, you got to go over the
middle with at the score great.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
How do we make that happen?
Speaker 2 (03:49):
I don't know, but Citizens does? It makes sense of
your money with Citizens Official Bank of Eli Manning.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
Obviously, as you're finding out, just because you're sitting here
doing this interview with me getting ready to play the Packers,
that there's more to being a head coach than just coaching.
You made Tim Kelly the offensive coordinator. Why was that
move important to you?
Speaker 2 (04:11):
I thought it was. I thought it was a great move.
I really, I really loved him in terms of being
a coach, in terms of being a person. To me,
it was a no brainer. Our staff and how he's
able to combine both the run game in the past
game and really understand it. And plus he has a
bunch of experience too, so it was really a no
brainer for me. I really I loved him in terms of,
(04:32):
you know, how how he operates in the building and
how he prepares, and he's been one of those type
of guys that you know, I lean on in game day,
you know, making adjustments and talking about how the flow
of the game is going. So he's a guy that
I have a lot of trust in.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Obviously, from a defensive standpoint, you're playing a Packers team
that has a lot of explosive weapons. We all know
what's gone on this season as far as being good
enough to be in contention to win some of these
games and they're just not going your way. What are
some of the things that you want to see out
of your defense in order to be able to close
some of these things out. And I know it's complementary.
(05:07):
I know special teams is tied into it. Obviously, scoring
in the red zone maybe to put a game away.
But from a defensive standpoint, what do you want to see?
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Yeah, I think they. I think the defense has had
an aggressive approach to start these games now, as whether
it's a defense, offense or special teams. As a unit,
as a complete team, we just got to finish. And
when we get these opportunities to make plays at the
end of the game, and any of those any of
those groupings or in those units, we got to do it.
And it's about to you know, us coaches, we can
put together a great plan, show them and you know,
(05:40):
certain examples of where we can finish and how we
can get better, and then the players putting these guys
in a good position to go be successful. All right?
Speaker 1 (05:47):
With Jackson Dart in the concussion protocol, you announced earlier
this week that James Winston would.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Get the start.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
What is it being around James for the first time
that really has caught your eye and why you think
he gives the team the best chance to win this week?
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Yeah, Jamis has a veteran presence, he has a lot
of production in this league, and he's been a great
He's been a great, great addition to the quarterback room
since we've been here, so I'm excited for Jamis. I
think I know he'll roll with this opportunity and do
the best he can and lead our offense, which is
which is what we need from him, you know, be
able to go in there, lead the offense, go and
execute at high level.
Speaker 1 (06:25):
Heck and his two career starts against Green Bay seven touchdowns,
no interceptions, So that's not something to sneeze at either.
So let's talk about this Packers team from a defensive standpoint.
You know, when you talk about three levels, you know
you've got Parsons in Gary, they're combined fourteen sacks, Walker
the inside backer, and then former Giant Xavier McKinney leading
(06:47):
the back end. And Nixon's having a fantastic year. What
makes this defense so good?
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Well, you know, I think I think you hit on it.
They have a great personnel that plays very aggressive, They
tackle very well. They they attack the football and are
able to create turnovers. I'd say they're coach very well.
They're very disciplined in their scheme. They're in the right
spots and so you know they make you they make
you play disciplined as well. So I think that'll be
(07:15):
a great challenge for our players, not only just on
individual battles, but overall being able to build out and
work through the game plan and make adjustments along the way.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
And sometimes right, a punt isn't a bad thing as
far as the game is concerned and the way the
flow of the game goes right. I mean, they've played
a lot of low scoring games. It's been it's been
talked about, you know, is that a situation where you
have to kind of preach to James and everybody else,
we don't have to hit the home run here. If
we have to punt, it's better than doing something silly.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Yeah. I think. I think we have a plan on
how we want to play the game, and then as
the game declares, and then I think you make adjustments
based off of that. I think that's I and I
know our guys are dialed into how, you know, how
we want to operate on offense and defense and special teams.
Being in those meetings and and seeing the energy and
seeing the game plans kind of come to life, that's
(08:07):
been really cool to see. You know, sometimes you don't
really get kind of behind the door and you're not
in those meetings, you know, so being in them and
seeing the players respond has been has been great and
I'm excited to see them go roll roll it out
on Sunday.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
So let's go to the other side of the ball
with loved quarterback. Obviously, the numbers are the numbers as
far as this team. They've been down some receivers, they
lost one of their big weapons and craft, the tight end,
but they still have that running back that can pound
you and then break you down. Is that the key
to this whole thing is making sure Jacobs does not
(08:43):
stay on schedule.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
And that's that's the unique thing about the unique thing
about the Packers offense is they have a bunch of
different skill sets. They have a running back, they got
o Y, and they got they got they still have
tight ends and the receivers and the quarterback. You know,
and I got a lot of respect for Jordan into
the production he's had, But yeah, they got to They
got a really talented offense and they do a really
good job. And coach Laford does a great job of
(09:07):
mixing and matching different concepts and really testing the rules
on defense in terms of your run fits, and he's
able to, you know, create create some some multiple gaps
and get the run game going. But they have a
skill set that's pretty unique across the league, I'd say,
and they do a really nice job of building that
out and executing it. If you want to know how
to manage two minutes of crunch time football, I'm your man.
(09:29):
But if you're wondering about a long term financial plan,
you should talk to Citizens. Hey, I can also talk
long care. I'd like to learn about an Molly routine. Yes,
I knew I could help make sense of your money
with Citizens. Does it help a little bit?
Speaker 1 (09:42):
And the fact that you know you've gained plan for them,
And I don't mean you know a long time ago.
You played them two years ago at MetLife Stadium. So
just kind of a sense of the way he wants
to run his team, whether it's offensively or defensively.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
You you can get a sense of it. But obviously,
you know over the years, every team is different, Every
team changes, coordinators change, and you know the how even
the NFL, I mean three years ago that it's completely
different NFL in terms of how teams are playing certain
coverages and how teams are playing offense. So each year
is a new year, and I'd say this is a
different team that we saw from a couple of years back.
(10:21):
It's just different, so we have to be and we're
a different team too, so we have to be able to,
you know, just to get into the game, get into
the flow of the game, adjust, adapt, and then be aggressive.
And we need to be aggressive.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
Coach Andy Reid has obviously been a big influence within
your career. You were a fourth round pick of the
Eagles back in twenty ten. You were on his staff
in Kansas City before coming to the Giants. What are
some of the tenants that have held true and constant
that you learned from him, which is why he's been
so successful and that you want to sprinkle into your
(10:54):
reign as the head coach of the Giants.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
I'd say the number one most important thing I learned
from coach in that time, and there's a lot, but
one of the most important ones just being yourself, you know,
and just you know, just be your authentic self. And
I think everything pretty much takes care of itself from there.
So and the beauty of being in this position is
that at one point I was in those seats that
the players were in, so I kind of understand a
(11:18):
little bit of of how they're feeling, and we're to
kind of where to kind of direct them, and so
I think I can relate and I can, you know,
continue to build on the relationships that I do have.
Majority of those you know are on the offensive side,
because I'm in front of those guys a lot. So
I think the more I'm around the defense, the more
I'm around the special teams and having them understand who
I am as a person, who I am as a leader,
who I am as a coach and a man and
(11:39):
a father and a husband, all those things, I think
the more opportunities they get to see that, I think
the clearer would be a picture of who I am.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
All Right, So a lighter question here, as you've gone
through this week and all of a sudden, there's all
these things that are coming at you. And I know
you've interviewed for head coaching jobs. I know you've studied
all this, You've worked your whole life to have an
opportunity to be a head coach. But is there one
thing that's maybe come across your desk, Like I gotta
make that decision too.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
That's a good that's really good. Like I think a
lot of the things that that are we've been talking about,
because again, like we were, I was very conscious of
not just making changes for the sake of change, just
because I really wanted to be intentional with the minor
tweaks that we made that that that could help the players,
because that's really all I was thinking about. So we
(12:34):
have a great we have a great staff, a great
support staff, and there's a lot of great pieces here,
and so I think I was leaning more or less
on their expertise on Okay, here's how we do Here's
how we've done it, here's how we do it. Okay,
maybe it's a little minor tweak here there, but you know,
I think for the most part, the group and and
the staff that that came together really had a really
(12:56):
good thing in place in terms of just the communication.
So it was just more or less for me just
saying out loud what I'm looking for and then allowing
them to kind of go put their flavor on it
and go execute it, which which I think is cool. Like,
you want to collaborate with everybody, but these people are
here because they're really good at their job, so you
also want to give them the flexibility to go ahead
(13:17):
and do their job. And not put them in a box.
So I've been just just kind of going with the
flow right now and when I can, when I can
add something or subtract something that I think makes sense
for the team, I've been able to do that, but
not trying to get overextended, not trying to you know,
continue to do too much in one day, but you know,
kind of live like one day at a time, build
(13:39):
it out. And again, I got a lot of great
people around me, so lean on them, lean on their
their opinions and their expertise, and just you know, continue
to be myself and understand that the main task is
here on Sunday. I got to you know, we have
to be able to go out there and execute and
let the other stuff kind of surrounding it, lean on
the people that have been put in place here and
allow them to to make it right.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
And plus you'll you'll you'll input the data in your
head of what happens on Sunday of okay, maybe moving forward,
here's some other changes that have to be made right,
but you want to see it in real time before
you is that what you're trying to say, like they
wanted it in real time.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
That's going to just be set in stone. I want
to continue to evaluate it every single day. Each week
we'll go back and kind of debrief what happened the
last you know this, this this current week, right, so
we'll debrief it. We'll talk through it with with the
heads of each department and go through it again each
week and say, all right, how can I how can
we get better? How can I get better? How can
I serve you? How can we continue to get the
(14:39):
players in a better position? And then we go and
put a plan together to go do that.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
Coach, we wish you the best of luck against the Packers.
Congratulations on the opportunity. We know you'll do great, and
thank you so much for joining us getting ready for
the Giants and Packers great.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
That's New York Giants interim head coach Mike Kafka as
we get you set for the Giants and Packers Sunday
at MetLife Stadium. The Huddle Podcast is brought to you
by Citizens, the official bank of the New York Giants.
From game day celebrations to your everyday financial needs, Big
Blue fans can get the most out of their moment
with Citizens. Learn more at citizens bank dot com. Slash
(15:20):
giants
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