New York Giant interim head coach Mike Kafka is putting his stamp on the team, but ever so slowly. With the team sinking to 2-9 after Sunday’s disappointing loss at home to the Green Bay Packers, he is making only subtle changes.
One such move is changing the player’s day off, which was normally Tuesday under previous head coaches, to Monday. It has become standard around the NFL for teams to give players Tuesday off. Kafka has a reason for the shift.
“I think it gives the coaches a little bit of front-end time in terms of getting prepped,” Kafka told reporters on Monday. “Then they see them tomorrow. It kind of takes the emotion out of the game, allows guys to kind of evaluate it and see it with clear eyes, and allows the coaches to do the same. Then it gives us an opportunity to then flip the page and move on to the next opponent. Just a little bit different routine, different schedule that I’ve had in the past. I just thought it was a good fit.”
Many felt that Kafka would make some changes to the coaching staff, especially on defense, but he downplayed that when it was suggested, even after telling reporters that he is going to “evaluate everything.”
“I would say status quo,” he said when asked about the status of his assistants. “I wouldn’t anticipate any — as a matter of fact, we’re going to go and attack this week. I’m excited for this week of prep. The coaches are excited about it. We just watched the tape with some good fresh ideas, so this will be a couple of good work days here. We’ll get the players in tomorrow, and we’ll set that plan in motion.”
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That is disappointing news to Giant fans, who have been calling for a change at defensive coordinator, where Shane Bowen has done a less-than-impressive job this season.
Kafka is being given a seven-game audition for the permanent head coaching gig. He’s not off to a great start as the Giants were plagued by the same issues that got Brian Daboll fired last week. The defense collapsed in the clutch, allowing touchdowns to the Packers on all four of their trips into the red zone. They also failed to hold a lead in the second half of the fourth quarter for the fourth time this season.
