Interim HC Mike Kafka previews Week 18 vs. Cowboys

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

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Just a couple of things in the injury front, so
we sent Abdul home just in the illness. Same thing
with Dio and Jalal Hyatt both Hollins is out, Flat
is out for today. Holland's out for today. Evan Neil
and Wandell is out for today. Just holding them back
just from stuff from the game. So we'll see how
they progress throughout the week. Everyone else will get we'll

(00:21):
get some worked done.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
Look at you bought, Mike, is just something serious down
the road.

Speaker 1 (00:26):
No, we're gonna We're gonna progress and see how it
goes through the week. Who he's getting treatment and stuff,
So we'll kind of just take a day by day.

Speaker 3 (00:33):
So let's look at any Wolf season issue.

Speaker 1 (00:36):
I think it's just too early to tell, you know,
but he's he's getting treatment and stuff, and he's still
in the concussion protocol as well, so we're kind of
working through that as well as working through the knee.

Speaker 4 (00:46):
It's up heap it to him.

Speaker 1 (00:48):
Ribs. He just got this from the game, just some soreness.
So again, just pull them off today.

Speaker 3 (00:55):
Mike.

Speaker 2 (00:55):
What would it mean for you and for the team
to finish out the season with a win Sunday.

Speaker 1 (01:00):
Yeah, I think it's for for us as a group,
I think the most important thing is is today. You know,
we're not looking too far down the road. Yeah we
want to, we want to find a way to get
a win, but we're we got to prepare that way.
You we gotta practice that way mentally, physically. So for us,
we're just focused on today, you know, not getting too
over you know, too over strung out on things in

(01:22):
the future. Just what's the most important today. It's just
getting our work and get our work ready for it.

Speaker 2 (01:27):
Have you decided as far as guys like Barns decks
if they're going to play, how long they're going to play?

Speaker 3 (01:32):
You guys call uprip plan.

Speaker 1 (01:33):
Yet with that, we have a plan and we're just
we're gonna we're playing the game. Everyone's rolling all the
way through? Yeah half, No, we're not. We're not even
like thinking that way at all, going straight through, straight
through all sixty minutes or whatever it takes.

Speaker 3 (01:53):
Speaking speaking of whatever it takes, the last game against
Dallas obviously was you know, went through over talk how
far away is that a scene right now? And did
you watch go back and watch it and say, oh.

Speaker 5 (02:04):
How do you got that happened.

Speaker 1 (02:06):
Yeah, you review it, and it's like you look at
their team, you look at our team. It's a completely
different unit, you know, and you know you have to
be able to make adjustments throughout the season. You see
how they've grown, how they've adjusted their scheme, how they've
adjusted their personnel. Same thing with us, how we're adjusting,
how we're we're operating, we're playing now. So you got
you still have to look at that because there are
our tendencies, there's things that we've done, there's things that

(02:27):
we're successful, there are the things that we need to
clean up, and you can use that and apply to
this week's game plan. So absolutely, you review it and
then you you kind of continue to your self scout
and figure out what works best for us in this week.

Speaker 3 (02:38):
When you see the things that you were successful at
offensively in that game, what what do you see? I
guess how do you how do you reconcall that with
how the last three months have gone?

Speaker 1 (02:48):
Yeah, I mean you combine it, you combine it with
the things that we're doing well right now, and you
continue to find ways to put players in those positions
to be successful. And our coaches have done a great job,
spend a lot of time of self Scott and ours elves,
you know, where our tendencies at, where some of the
things that they're looking at that they could see, and
then how do we counteract that to bounce it out.

Speaker 5 (03:06):
At the end of a long season with the last game.
Does the fact that it's the Cowboys help get guys motivated?
You know, it's a team you haven't beaten in a while,
it's a division rival, it's the Cowboys. Does that help
naturally get guys interested in this game?

Speaker 1 (03:22):
I think I think guys are. They're in the right
front of mind. They have been all season. They're you know,
preparing themselves to win. They're preparing themselves to get their
minds right and go out there and execute with their teammates.
I think this week is you know, it's it is
a division game. You know, it's a division game, it's
at home. That's important to all of us. So I
think it's important that we, you know, put in the
work and be detailed, you know, throughout this week to

(03:45):
prepare ourselves to go play the game.

Speaker 2 (03:48):
Mike, I know you wanted to really put the focus
on the team. It's not about you when you, you know,
took over as head coach. I'm just curious, just you
wanted the team to get better day to day game
the game. Do you stand here, one game left in
this season feeling like you've improved in the position that
you currently have now and how have you gone about that?

(04:10):
Do you think it's the focus that you've put on
a team that has helped you, you know, gain in
this job?

Speaker 1 (04:15):
Absolutely, you learn, You're learning new, something new every single day.
And I think if you have that kind of mindset,
and that's what we want to stress to our players
is you have that growth mindset. You have that ability
to correct and the ability to problem solve and the
ability to think through you know, critical situations that are
coming up. How would you, you know, how can you
improve and not only as a coach, as a player,
as a person, as a leader. So and that that's

(04:38):
something that I have to work through every single day
with every single part of the organization, talking through you know,
our medical staff, talking to with our equipment staff, the players,
the coaches, individual position groups, the coordinators, and so those
conversations are happening all the time. You know, even when
you're not in the office, those conversations are still happening,
so you know, the time management and how you want

(05:00):
to dedicate your time and what what's you know prioritized
that ends up being something that I've learned a lot of.
But but yeah, you're always learning and if you have
but if you don't have that mindset, then you kind
of you wasted that opportunity. So I think for us
as a team, that's one thing that we've continued to
stress is let's let's take advantage of these learning experiences.
How can we grow, how can we get better? Chip

(05:21):
away at it? Where's there? You know, where are those
moments right, those those learning, those teaching moments that whether
it was something really good that we can that we
can build on it, or it's something that we need
to improve on that all right, Hey, we can fix
it by this. This This is the solution to fix
that problem. And that's happened individually, that's happened as a group.
And I'm really proud of our staff for organizing that

(05:42):
and addressing it and being honest with each other about
how we can improve and get better. Like you talk
about urgency, just how do you how much you talk
to the guys about this being the last time the
years are going to be together at this unif for
this game.

Speaker 5 (05:54):
You talk about that.

Speaker 3 (05:55):
As far as just looting the urgency a little bit more.

Speaker 1 (05:58):
We've been We've we've operated normal these last couple of days.
Yesterday the team, you know, we gave the team off
yesterday to get their bodies back today. It was the
first time together. So we've but we've operated the same
in terms of our meeting, terms of our meeting schedule.
They know what's in front of them, and they know
that what the challenge is and and the things that
we have to do to give ourselves a chance to win.

Speaker 4 (06:20):
Obviously, tepping into an interim job is a little different,
beast right. And then maybe if you were just hired
from the start of the season, how much do you
think the way you handle everything, whether it's on the field,
off the field, in game, sort of reflects on your
prospects of being a head coach long term.

Speaker 1 (06:37):
I haven't put much thought into that. Besides, the only
thing I've been thinking about really is just our players.
How can I put them in the best position to
be successful. You certainly, as I have I thought about
this role in general, You certainly have a plan. You
certainly have thoughts on how how you would handle certain situations,
how you would handle certain players, how you'd handle certain
things throughout the week. And I've tried to implement those things,

(06:58):
and you know, and again the whole really the basis
in the genesis of everything that when I first got
it was, let's not just make change to make change
just because like, let's do it with intent. Let's do
it for the right reasons, and let's have a well
thought out process in doing that. So that's how I've
that's how we've attacked it personally, That's how I've attacked
it with the with the staff, and with the players,

(07:20):
and I think they've responded, Well.

Speaker 3 (07:22):
Were there things that you would have normally implemented had
this been a traditional hirings as opposed that you didn't
you just weren't able to do?

Speaker 1 (07:30):
Yeah, sure, there's there's there's there's several things that you
that you that you do. But then you you weigh,
you know, you go through like kind of you know
way and you know what's most important? Where can you
prioritize certain things and time and uh, you know, and
you know, those are the decisions you have to make
and those that's what I thought was I want with
the ones I thought was best.

Speaker 2 (07:48):
When you take over in that situation is probably off.
There's a lot of time left in the season when
you get to this week. Has it gone even faster
than what you would anticipate?

Speaker 1 (07:57):
I don't think so. I don't think so, just because
I've been in my process us you know, we've been
in our routines for so long that yeah, you know,
that's like, we all know that's the last game of
the season, but I think it's important for these guys
to understand, like it's also the first game of the
twenty twenty sixth season, and it's an opportunity for our
guys to take us to, you know, to set the
tone for the future.

Speaker 5 (08:18):
Mike, I know you're I know you're not internalizing this
at all, and you said that several times. But looking
back now with the first six games and you have
one more coming up, do you in your head now
think to yourself, I can do this. You know you
always wonder being a head coach. I'm sure you look now,
you know and say I can do this, you know
at some point sometimes.

Speaker 1 (08:39):
Yeah, I have a lot of confidence in my abilities
as a coach and as a leader. But again I
haven't had a whole lot of time to think about that.
You know, we've been just in the in the season.
I'll have time to reflect after the season, but I
have a lot of confidence myself.