Recent comments from key Giants starters highlight noticeable shifts for New York under interim head coach Mike Kafka
Tyrone Tracy and Andrew Thomas box lauded New York Giants interim HC Mike Kafka for how he’s handled the team.
The New York Giants are beginning the process of finding a new head coach after firing Brian Daboll last week.
As they figure out who is the best fit to reshape the franchise, interim head coach Mike Kafka prepares the current roster each week. And the final six games of the year are an audition of sorts to prove he’s worth being in the mix of candidates for next season.
It’s rare for franchises to feel secure enough to promote an interim coach, and it’s even rarer for those coaches to succeed in the long term. The only notable name to do so in the last ten years was Doug Marrone, who held the Jacksonville Jaguars job from 2016 to 2020.
It’s going to be an uphill battle for Kafka to stick around, but there have been positive early signs. How they fought against the Green Bay Packers and what some of his players have said about him since he took over have stood out.
Mike Kafka receives praise from Giants players
Last Sunday’s loss to the Packers was disappointing, and it was another frustrating blown fourth-quarter lead by the defense. Despite the outcome, the team hung around with one of the NFC’s best teams without its star rookie quarterback, Jaxson Dart.
According to running back Tyrone Tracy, the team’s energy was better at practice leading into the game.
“That was kind of one of his things going into the week, was just leaving no doubt and just playing with a lot of energy,” Tracy told reporters, “We had some of the practice players on the sideline. The way we practiced last week was a little more energized. That’s just based off of [Kafka] and how he wanted things ran in practice. It carried over to the game. I think it was very evident just by the energy – offense, defense, special teams – that everyone had.”
Star offensive lineman Andrew Thomas also lauded Kafka today when speaking with the media. He credited his aggressiveness and overall game management.
“Honestly didn’t notice too much during the game. Offensive line usually stays in our corner. I felt like we had some aggressive calls. Going for it on fourth down. I thought he did a good job of handling the game.”
Thomas also pointed out Kafka’s efforts to get to know more players on the roster to establish relationships while he can.
“I think he’s doing a good job of just trying to reach out, understand those guys a little bit more, which will help him make decisions.”
Again, ultimately, it’s unlikely that Kafka returns as the head coach in 2026. The franchise would be better off starting as fresh as possible. But there has been some noticeable improvement since Kafka took over.
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