November 16, 2025 • 9 mins
Interim head coach Mike Kafka speaks to the media Sunday after the Giants' loss to the Packers.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
What you see on the interception at the end there. Yeah,
you know, I'm gonna go back and look at the
tape on it. You know, I didn't get a good
picture of the off the replay. I'll go back and
look at it. But here's what I what I do
like is that our guys were playing aggressive, and Jamis
had an aggressive mindset all day, and you know, I
think he's trying to give his guy a chance right
there at the end in the end zone to go
(00:20):
score touchdowns. But I'll go look at it and see
what what happened exactly.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
It look like it's kind of stopped his route a
little bit.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Did you talk to him at all on the sideline.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Er, Yeah, I hadn't had a chance because we were
just kind of onto the next one. And just so
I again, I go back and look at the tape
and see if that was the case a defense here.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
I mean, this seems to be a theme.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
This year with the fourth quarter. Our defense is batting,
playing their butts off, and just you know, at the
at the end of it, we got to make a
couple more plays. But I really, I really like how
we approach it today. Aggressive mentality across the board. There
were some one on one opportunities on the back end
the front end that we got to make and you know,
I'm gonna continue to challenge those guys to do that
in practice and that'll eventually turn over for for us.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
As a way that you talk to Shane about this
week about an aggressive mentality, that maybe.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
It's something I talked to the whole team about to
staying aggressive no matter of the situation, and that's what's
going to get us over the hump back grants in.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
The way that you called the game today.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
It was a factor. It's something we talked about special teams, defense, offense,
just kind of knowing where it was at where we
had field position wise, so you know, certain direction it
might have affect a little bit more another direction not
as much. But our game plan was our game plan.
I thought our guys went out there, just came a
couple play short.
Speaker 4 (01:31):
You're obviously aggressive too with the fourth down plays.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Why is being aggressive going to get.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
You over the hup?
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Yeah, we want to be regardless. We want to be aggressive.
And that's to me as a as a former player
being around a lot of good play callers, head coaches
like you want to have aggressive mentality on offense and defense,
special teams. So that's really the messaging throughout and continue
to be aggressive, whether whether it's one on one situations,
(01:57):
whether it's by play call or was just by style
of play. You know, I want that to be a
stamp of what our team's about. Why didn't that due
play on the opening drive? That was a coach's decision.
That's something we talked about. I want to make sure
it was my decision. So we'll just keep the rest
of that in house. It will keep the rest of
that in house. Just this was a coach's decision for me,
and talk to.
Speaker 4 (02:15):
That duel like there were a number of cases where
you had a pile and the pile moved in your
team's favor. What did that say about effort beyond the execution?
Speaker 1 (02:24):
Yeah, I love I love the effort. Our guys play
with love it, and we're gonntinue to distress it. It's
what we're about. It's you know, finishing longer than the
guy with the football. That's what we're about. Offensive, defensely,
and special teams wise. And you saw that. We got
to continue to make that a staple of us and
the consistency throughout the work week in practice.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
What are you trying to set an example there with
a duel? And and you know, obviously said coach's decision
there with not playing him on the opening drive. He
played every other sayeah.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
He played his butt off, he tailed, he he practices
tail off, played his butt off. I'm really happy about
a duel and excited to watch him continue to grow
and continue to play a lot more as a pro.
Speaker 5 (03:04):
In fact, the original question was the original question was
that you're trying to set an example there is that
important to you to do that is the rest of
whatever he was that that that's not acceptable.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
I love I love it duel and what he brings
to this team, the skill set he has. This guy
loves ball, and you know, I'm excited again to attack,
watch him attack this week of practice and and continue
to work and grow and be the great player that
I think he is.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
What kind of adjustments that you have to make now
that you're the head coach versus your previous role as
the assistant head coach. You said again, what kind of
adjustments there you had to make being the head coach
this week versus your previous role.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Yeah, you're you're just you're talking a little bit more
with the special teams. In defense, you're still working with
the staff and just everyone getting communicating and collaborating and
getting everyone on the same page. But you know, those
are probably just the two minds, the two things off
the top of my head, just a little bit more
communication with the rest of the the rest of the
coaches and players on the other side of the other
side of the ball.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
Was your message to the defense.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
Before they went out for that, we're wound to go
ahead touchdown there?
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Yeah, let's go get it, attack, be aggressive, and uh,
let's go get the ball back. Did you think I
thought they played I thought they played really aggressive. I
really did, And you know that will make some more plays.
We'll continue to work at it. But I like the
style in which we called in which we played it.
What was it like for you today overall? Just in general?
How unusual or comfortable were you? You know, I haven't
(04:26):
had a chance to really go back and think about
it yet, you know, still fresh off, fresh off the game,
so we'll go back and evaluate it. But you know,
look at some of the things that we got to
improve on and have those focused for the remainder of
the week, go for two and you scored on that
last rack.
Speaker 4 (04:39):
Yes, Like, was there ever a point today where you
four the game you looked around and you said to yourself,
I'm a head coach of the National Football League for
the first time, just emotionally when that feel like to you.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
No, my focus was on the game. My focus is
on the players, putting them in the best positions, and
again just just thinking through you know how we were
going to play the game again, talking about some of
the weather stuff, some of the substitution stuff. So that's
really all my focus is on the game.
Speaker 4 (05:06):
My thumb, is there a way to get your team
to make game winning plays?
Speaker 1 (05:10):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 4 (05:11):
I mean like on defense, Love has a lot of time,
then Burns gets late pressure, the ball just floats up
there and Cortel Flatt is there and he doesn't make
a play. You know, if he makes a play, maybe
you win the game. So is there a way, you know,
repeatedly to see if your team can make those plays
instead or not?
Speaker 1 (05:26):
Absolutely, We're gonna We're gonna keep on stressing it. We're
gonna keep on working our tail off from practice and
keep on putting our guys in those situations because I
believe in them, and I think we get more and
more opportunities at those plays. We're gonna make them.
Speaker 5 (05:38):
Jackson was here today, was on the field before the games,
and your expectation that he clears before the next week's
game against the lines.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
I don't want to get too far ahead on that.
I know he's still in the protocol, so we'll just
kind of play it as as the protocol goes with
the doctors. He's here, so I imagine if we had
we had our whole practice squad here, we had anybody
that was up on the on the sideline to help
create some energy, created just be a great sounding board
for our team. We're all in this thing together. So
those guys are a part of the group, and so
they'll all be here for home games as long as
(06:08):
we can, because those guys are a critical part of
the team. He said, you like tell aggressive James Wells,
but overall, how would you assess? I don't think there's
any much else I would ad on Jameis. I just
gotta watch the tape, but I love where his mindset
was the entire game. He was very positive. I thought
he was completing a lot of footballs. I thought when
he had opportunities downfield, he took him right. And that's
(06:28):
just kind of my snapshot view by I like where
James was at. At no point was he was there
any kind of indecision. He was very decisive and played
and managed the game and got us in and out
of good looks, got in this out of out of
plays on the line of scrimmage, handled that tempo very well.
So I'm I was happy with Jameis.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Just to get back to Ian's question about who you
know taking it over, do you think there will be
a moment when when that will happen when you.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
I'm sure there will be, you know, not right now,
but I'm sure there will be at some time. I
think Jones was in at a slot corner, thick Jones
was and what prompted that change? Yeah, you know the defense,
you know they wanted to make a substitution there for
just to to put him at Nickel. It was, it was.
It was a good idea and I think he did
a nice yot made a nice little play there on
third and two. Mike, I know you have to watch
(07:12):
the tape, but ultimately, what was the difference to me?
You know, I'm going to go back again, like I said,
watch the tape. You know, I think there's some one
on one opportunities that we could have taken advantage of.
And you know, we'll look at it, see what what
those plays were, where those players were, and then see
how we can work out it fundamentally, you know, kind
of go back to all right, how how can we
make this thing better and really just be really really
(07:32):
critical of that as a staff, really really be critical
that as a player unit and a leadership group, and
then go get those corrections fixed.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
What was it like having Isaiah Hodgens back this week?
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Isaiah Man, I'm so proud of him stepping up on
a short week, short notice, coming in on a Thursday
and being a huge part of the offense. Critical fourth downs,
critical third downs, critical blocks on the perimeter. This guy
just stepped I'm super proud of them and happy we
have them. What a much more running game today that
it looked like it was. Everything was pushing for a
(08:03):
little bit. It was a pretty good defense you're playing. Yeah,
the run game went. I'll look at We'll look at
the tape again and evaluate, you know, what what we
did well, what we didn't do well, but they they
they came downhill. We adjusted kind of early from some
of the outside zone stuff a little bit more downhill stuff,
and our O line, you know, accepted that challenge with
versus a really good front. I thought I had some
good production of it. I don't have the exact number
(08:23):
of it, but Trace and Motor ran well, the on
line ran well. And also we'll just go back and
look at it, see what that what the overall looked like. Mike.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
I know that you're happy with their aggressiveness and some
of the adjustments on defense, but at the end of
the day, you guys lost this one in the defense,
gave up a game losing touchdown drive.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
To end it again the fourth quarter.
Speaker 5 (08:40):
Will you reevaluate or evaluate your defensive staff and potentially
changes there, either at the coordinator or play calling.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
That's that's the beauty of football. It's a team game.
It's never about one person or one side of the ball.
Every every unit had opportunities to make plays and so
it's a team. It's a team game, and it's the
best team game in all of sports. So we're gonna
look at it, We're gonna evaluate everything. We're gonna evaluate
all the players, and evaluate all the coaches, the calls,
be hyper critical of that, and then find out those
(09:09):
areas where we can we can be better and knock
those things out. And that's what we're gonna do this
week in practice. So it's it's it's it's all of us.
It's all of us together on it, and we're gonna
get arm in arm and go get back to work.
What you see on the interception at the end there. Yeah,
you know, I'm gonna go back and look at the
tape on it. You know, I didn't get a good
picture of the off the replay. I'll go back and
look at it. But here's what I what I do
like is that our guys were playing aggressive, and Jamis
had an aggressive mindset all day, and you know, I
think he's trying to give his guy a chance right
there at the end in the end zone to go
(00:20):
score touchdowns. But I'll go look at it and see
what what happened exactly.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
It look like it's kind of stopped his route a
little bit.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Did you talk to him at all on the sideline.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Er, Yeah, I hadn't had a chance because we were
just kind of onto the next one. And just so
I again, I go back and look at the tape
and see if that was the case a defense here.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
I mean, this seems to be a theme.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
This year with the fourth quarter. Our defense is batting,
playing their butts off, and just you know, at the
at the end of it, we got to make a
couple more plays. But I really, I really like how
we approach it today. Aggressive mentality across the board. There
were some one on one opportunities on the back end
the front end that we got to make and you know,
I'm gonna continue to challenge those guys to do that
in practice and that'll eventually turn over for for us.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
As a way that you talk to Shane about this
week about an aggressive mentality, that maybe.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
It's something I talked to the whole team about to
staying aggressive no matter of the situation, and that's what's
going to get us over the hump back grants in.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
The way that you called the game today.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
It was a factor. It's something we talked about special teams, defense, offense,
just kind of knowing where it was at where we
had field position wise, so you know, certain direction it
might have affect a little bit more another direction not
as much. But our game plan was our game plan.
I thought our guys went out there, just came a
couple play short.
Speaker 4 (01:31):
You're obviously aggressive too with the fourth down plays.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Why is being aggressive going to get.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
You over the hup?
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Yeah, we want to be regardless. We want to be aggressive.
And that's to me as a as a former player
being around a lot of good play callers, head coaches
like you want to have aggressive mentality on offense and defense,
special teams. So that's really the messaging throughout and continue
to be aggressive, whether whether it's one on one situations,
(01:57):
whether it's by play call or was just by style
of play. You know, I want that to be a
stamp of what our team's about. Why didn't that due
play on the opening drive? That was a coach's decision.
That's something we talked about. I want to make sure
it was my decision. So we'll just keep the rest
of that in house. It will keep the rest of
that in house. Just this was a coach's decision for me,
and talk to.
Speaker 4 (02:15):
That duel like there were a number of cases where
you had a pile and the pile moved in your
team's favor. What did that say about effort beyond the execution?
Speaker 1 (02:24):
Yeah, I love I love the effort. Our guys play
with love it, and we're gonntinue to distress it. It's
what we're about. It's you know, finishing longer than the
guy with the football. That's what we're about. Offensive, defensely,
and special teams wise. And you saw that. We got
to continue to make that a staple of us and
the consistency throughout the work week in practice.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
What are you trying to set an example there with
a duel? And and you know, obviously said coach's decision
there with not playing him on the opening drive. He
played every other sayeah.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
He played his butt off, he tailed, he he practices
tail off, played his butt off. I'm really happy about
a duel and excited to watch him continue to grow
and continue to play a lot more as a pro.
Speaker 5 (03:04):
In fact, the original question was the original question was
that you're trying to set an example there is that
important to you to do that is the rest of
whatever he was that that that's not acceptable.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
I love I love it duel and what he brings
to this team, the skill set he has. This guy
loves ball, and you know, I'm excited again to attack,
watch him attack this week of practice and and continue
to work and grow and be the great player that
I think he is.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
What kind of adjustments that you have to make now
that you're the head coach versus your previous role as
the assistant head coach. You said again, what kind of
adjustments there you had to make being the head coach
this week versus your previous role.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Yeah, you're you're just you're talking a little bit more
with the special teams. In defense, you're still working with
the staff and just everyone getting communicating and collaborating and
getting everyone on the same page. But you know, those
are probably just the two minds, the two things off
the top of my head, just a little bit more
communication with the rest of the the rest of the
coaches and players on the other side of the other
side of the ball.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
Was your message to the defense.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
Before they went out for that, we're wound to go
ahead touchdown there?
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Yeah, let's go get it, attack, be aggressive, and uh,
let's go get the ball back. Did you think I
thought they played I thought they played really aggressive. I
really did, And you know that will make some more plays.
We'll continue to work at it. But I like the
style in which we called in which we played it.
What was it like for you today overall? Just in general?
How unusual or comfortable were you? You know, I haven't
(04:26):
had a chance to really go back and think about
it yet, you know, still fresh off, fresh off the game,
so we'll go back and evaluate it. But you know,
look at some of the things that we got to
improve on and have those focused for the remainder of
the week, go for two and you scored on that
last rack.
Speaker 4 (04:39):
Yes, Like, was there ever a point today where you
four the game you looked around and you said to yourself,
I'm a head coach of the National Football League for
the first time, just emotionally when that feel like to you.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
No, my focus was on the game. My focus is
on the players, putting them in the best positions, and
again just just thinking through you know how we were
going to play the game again, talking about some of
the weather stuff, some of the substitution stuff. So that's
really all my focus is on the game.
Speaker 4 (05:06):
My thumb, is there a way to get your team
to make game winning plays?
Speaker 1 (05:10):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 4 (05:11):
I mean like on defense, Love has a lot of time,
then Burns gets late pressure, the ball just floats up
there and Cortel Flatt is there and he doesn't make
a play. You know, if he makes a play, maybe
you win the game. So is there a way, you know,
repeatedly to see if your team can make those plays
instead or not?
Speaker 1 (05:26):
Absolutely, We're gonna We're gonna keep on stressing it. We're
gonna keep on working our tail off from practice and
keep on putting our guys in those situations because I
believe in them, and I think we get more and
more opportunities at those plays. We're gonna make them.
Speaker 5 (05:38):
Jackson was here today, was on the field before the games,
and your expectation that he clears before the next week's
game against the lines.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
I don't want to get too far ahead on that.
I know he's still in the protocol, so we'll just
kind of play it as as the protocol goes with
the doctors. He's here, so I imagine if we had
we had our whole practice squad here, we had anybody
that was up on the on the sideline to help
create some energy, created just be a great sounding board
for our team. We're all in this thing together. So
those guys are a part of the group, and so
they'll all be here for home games as long as
(06:08):
we can, because those guys are a critical part of
the team. He said, you like tell aggressive James Wells,
but overall, how would you assess? I don't think there's
any much else I would ad on Jameis. I just
gotta watch the tape, but I love where his mindset
was the entire game. He was very positive. I thought
he was completing a lot of footballs. I thought when
he had opportunities downfield, he took him right. And that's
(06:28):
just kind of my snapshot view by I like where
James was at. At no point was he was there
any kind of indecision. He was very decisive and played
and managed the game and got us in and out
of good looks, got in this out of out of
plays on the line of scrimmage, handled that tempo very well.
So I'm I was happy with Jameis.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Just to get back to Ian's question about who you
know taking it over, do you think there will be
a moment when when that will happen when you.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
I'm sure there will be, you know, not right now,
but I'm sure there will be at some time. I
think Jones was in at a slot corner, thick Jones
was and what prompted that change? Yeah, you know the defense,
you know they wanted to make a substitution there for
just to to put him at Nickel. It was, it was.
It was a good idea and I think he did
a nice yot made a nice little play there on
third and two. Mike, I know you have to watch
(07:12):
the tape, but ultimately, what was the difference to me?
You know, I'm going to go back again, like I said,
watch the tape. You know, I think there's some one
on one opportunities that we could have taken advantage of.
And you know, we'll look at it, see what what
those plays were, where those players were, and then see
how we can work out it fundamentally, you know, kind
of go back to all right, how how can we
make this thing better and really just be really really
(07:32):
critical of that as a staff, really really be critical
that as a player unit and a leadership group, and
then go get those corrections fixed.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
What was it like having Isaiah Hodgens back this week?
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Isaiah Man, I'm so proud of him stepping up on
a short week, short notice, coming in on a Thursday
and being a huge part of the offense. Critical fourth downs,
critical third downs, critical blocks on the perimeter. This guy
just stepped I'm super proud of them and happy we
have them. What a much more running game today that
it looked like it was. Everything was pushing for a
(08:03):
little bit. It was a pretty good defense you're playing. Yeah,
the run game went. I'll look at We'll look at
the tape again and evaluate, you know, what what we
did well, what we didn't do well, but they they
they came downhill. We adjusted kind of early from some
of the outside zone stuff a little bit more downhill stuff,
and our O line, you know, accepted that challenge with
versus a really good front. I thought I had some
good production of it. I don't have the exact number
(08:23):
of it, but Trace and Motor ran well, the on
line ran well. And also we'll just go back and
look at it, see what that what the overall looked like. Mike.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
I know that you're happy with their aggressiveness and some
of the adjustments on defense, but at the end of
the day, you guys lost this one in the defense,
gave up a game losing touchdown drive.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
To end it again the fourth quarter.
Speaker 5 (08:40):
Will you reevaluate or evaluate your defensive staff and potentially
changes there, either at the coordinator or play calling.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
That's that's the beauty of football. It's a team game.
It's never about one person or one side of the ball.
Every every unit had opportunities to make plays and so
it's a team. It's a team game, and it's the
best team game in all of sports. So we're gonna
look at it, We're gonna evaluate everything. We're gonna evaluate
all the players, and evaluate all the coaches, the calls,
be hyper critical of that, and then find out those
(09:09):
areas where we can we can be better and knock
those things out. And that's what we're gonna do this
week in practice. So it's it's it's it's all of us.
It's all of us together on it, and we're gonna
get arm in arm and go get back to work.
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