There was not a lot sense of loss within the Giants‘ locker room two days after Brian Daboll’s firing.
Mike Kafka has inherited a group that would go plenty of alternative ways in these last seven weeks. The Giants (2-8) know their season is already over.
Gamers shall be motivated to place good soccer on tape for his or her subsequent alternative and to earn bonuses — and to get a minimum of one win to indicate some pleasure.
However outdoors of some ready thank yous to Daboll from Jameis Winston and Kafka — and regret from Brian Burns that it didn’t work out — the Giants’ gamers got here off as anyplace from free to detached to easily not damaged up about it.
“It’s kind of the repercussions of not winning,” wideout Darius Slayton stated.
Kafka dealt with his first press convention because the interim head coach properly.
“I think the best head coaches I’ve been around are guys that are confident, poised, have a direction, have a plan and then go execute the plan,” Kafka stated. “You have flexibility to adjust. Accountability — holding guys accountable to the highest standard. If it’s not right, fix it, don’t wait and let things just kind of trickle and snowball… Empower players to be their best.”
He additionally confirmed some combat by naming tight ends coach Tim Kelly his new offensive coordinator, passing over offensive passing sport coordinator and QB coach Shea Tierney.
Tierney, a Daboll loyalist, had been subsequent in line below Daboll and referred to as performs within the second half in opposition to Dallas in 2023 when Daboll took these obligations away from Kafka.
Daboll really gave Tierney a promotion coming off that 6-11 season whereas stripping Kafka of playcalling fully, taking it over himself and sidelining Kafka with an assistant head coach title as a comfort prize.
That resulted in a 3-14 season. Daniel Jones, the quarterback Tierney was answerable for enhancing, was blamed and launched. Now Jones is the beginning QB of the 8-2, NFL finest Indianapolis Colts.
So Kafka put his stamp on who he’s going to belief and empower most, whereas preserving offensive playcalling duties himself at the same time as the pinnacle coach.
Good for him.
This whole teaching workers shall be out on the finish of this season anyway. However Kafka, who’s auditioning now for the full-time job, is the potential exception.
So that is his likelihood to do it his means.
Winston, who thanked Daboll for welcoming him and his household to New York, stated Kafka is “very poised on the sideline.”
And Slayton stated the “naturally even-keeled” former NFL quarterback now teaching the group “has a fire in his gut.”
“In his heart, he’s a player, and to play at this level, you have to have something about you,” Slayton stated. “Guys are still positive, still encouraged. From an offensive perspective, he has our respect and appreciation.”
It would nonetheless be a problem to show this right into a successful soccer group.
Even for one Sunday.
Kafka doesn’t have a lot of a relationship to the defensive facet of the ball. Shane Bowen’s unit goes to sink or swim with the identical tried changes which have led to fixed collapses and a close to whole absence of complementary soccer.
Come gameday, Kafka can have an opportunity to exhibit a greater understanding of the clock, sport administration and situational soccer than Daboll — that shouldn’t be laborious.
However he additionally has to regulate his offense to a brand new quarterback in Winston, which can imply working one thing fully completely different from what Jaxson Dart has deployed.
And on high of that, the Giants are fully decimated by accidents on each side of the ball.
All of that’s to say that Kafka is doing his finest and struck the appropriate notes on Wednesday. He even was throwing passes to broad receivers early in observe, exhibiting off that former NFL quarterback arm.
Given the locker room’s apathy, nevertheless, and the quite a few components altering at fast pace round this group, it’s anyone’s guess how the Giants gamers will reply on Sunday in opposition to the Packers.
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The Giants positioned kicker Graham Gano on injured reserve on Wednesday as a result of herniated disc in his again.
His profession with the group might be over.
Gano, 38, a former Professional Bowler, has had a stable NFL profession.
However a kicker damage and group mismanagement of the place has value the Giants a minimum of 4 video games within the final three seasons with Gano on the middle of all of it.
This was one other overdue measure that’s coming too late.
