Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka has gotten his first taste of calling plays at the NFL level this summer and he will do so in a game for the first time when the Giants face the Patriots on Thursday night.
Kafka got the nod from head coach Brian Daboll to serve as the play caller this summer and the team is expected to revisit their plans for the regular season once Week 1 is closer. Kafka told reporters on Monday that it has been a “great experience” for him to take on a responsibility he never had while on Andy Reid’s staff in Kansas City.
“I look at it as an opportunity,” Kafka said, via the team’s website. “An opportunity not only for myself, but for the players. Everyone out there is working hard to make the team and show what they can do and show that they can build themselves a role. So, I’m looking to go out and do my job to the best of my ability and put the guys in the best position to be successful and show what they can do. . . . It’s been very collaborative as far as between myself and the staff, the offensive staff and Dabs working together on what we want our players to do, what we want to do in the run game, the pass game, movement, screens, play action. And it’s been really cool that way and really collaborative, and it’s been fun.”
One thing Kafka said he wants to work on is “making sure I can get them the play fast, clearly” because there are times when he’s too excited and his calls become muddled while talking too fast. Avoiding that in the preseason games will allow the Giants to focus on where the offense needs to improve its execution rather than focusing too much on who is sending in the signals.
