SI

Giants Interim Coach Provides One of the Cringiest ‘Hard Knocks’ Moments Ever

Mike Kafka’s awful, expletive-laden speech was a hilarious piece of content.

Jimmy Traina

Giants interim head coach Mike Kafka was shown on 'Hard Knocks' giving a bizarre speech to his team.
Giants interim head coach Mike Kafka was shown on 'Hard Knocks' giving a bizarre speech to his team. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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1. Hard Knocks hardly ever provides great content anymore (awful pun intended), but the latest edition has given us a moment that was both hilarious and cringe at the same time.

Giants interim coach Mike Kafka was shown giving a speech to his 2–11 team. Kafka was trying to motivate his team by dropping f-bomb after f-bomb after f-bomb. The problem wasn’t with the f-bombs, though. The problem is that Kafka totally came across as someone who was dropping the f-bombs for shock value and not because he regularly uses the f-bomb.

But the cringe went to hilarity when the camera cut the Giants players listening to Kafka’s awful speech. To say Kafka’s words weren’t riling up the troops would be a huge understatement.

This look, in particular, had me cracking up.

New York Giants
HBO

Kafka tried his hardest to convince anyone that the team’s remaining games mean anything even though they don’t.

The best part came at the very end when Kafka went totally off the rails.

“I f---ing love this team. The results haven’t been what we want. I f---ing love this team. I promise you we’re gonna get to where we want to go. Recharge this bye week, come back and go f---ing dominate. And if you ain’t about that life, get the f--- out.”

Ain’t about what life? You’re 2–11 and your season is over.

But the icing on the cake came when Kafka asked the Giants, “you feel me on that” when telling them about being about “that life.” The reaction was comedic gold.

Watch.

2. This week’s SI Media With Jimmy Traina features an interview with the CBS NFL broadcast crew of Ian Eagle and J.J. Watt.

Watt talks about what it’s been like going from the studio to the booth, what has been the most difficult thing about calling games and what it’s been like calling so many Steelers games featuring his brother, T.J.

Eagle and Watt each reveal what has surprised them the most about the other, while Eagle also shares his thoughts on breaking in a new partner and how that has gone for him over the years. In addition, Eagle shares a story about seeing Watt getting hangry at a restaurant.

Other topics covered include Watt’s long hair, why Watt has YouTubeTV, why he is a one-TV guy and much more.

Following Eagle and Watt, Sal Licata from WFAN and SNY joins me for our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week’s topics include: the Raiders’ wild cover against the Broncos, the Justin Herbert-Laura Rutledge non-controversy controversy, college football playoff thoughts, Philip Rivers’s shocking return to the NFL, the biggest problem with Christmas trees and more.

You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast below or on Apple and Spotify.

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on YouTube.

3. The NFL announced the schedule for Week 17. We already knew what the week will get started on Christmas Day with Cowboys-Commanders, Lions-Vikings and Broncos-Chiefs playing on Thursday.

The two Saturday games will be Texans at Chargers at 4:30 p.m. ET on the NFL Network followed by Ravens at Packers on Peacock at 8 p.m. (That’s a Peacock exclusive. No NBC for that game.)

The lone 4:25 p.m. game on Sunday will be Eagles at Bills on Fox. The Sunday night game will be Bears at Niners on NBC. The Monday night game will be Rams at Falcons.

I think the NFL dropped the ball here. Rams-Falcons should’ve been flexed out of MNF. I’m sick of watching the Falcons. I don’t want to watch the Falcons play one more snap of football this season.

Texans and Chargers should’ve been the Week 17 Monday Night Football game on ESPN. The NFL could’ve given the NFL Network the Seahawks-Panthers game scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m for the early Saturday window.

4. Congrats to Joe Buck, who will be honored in Cooperstown this summer after being named the 2026 Ford C. Frick Award winner on Wednesday.

Given the news, I will once again make a plea to Buck and ESPN that he get back in the network’s MLB booth to call some games.

ESPN will air 30 regular season games next year. It would be win for the network and viewers if Buck could work some of them. He will instantly give those games he calls a big-game feel.

5. We don’t know how much longer we will get LeBron moments like this, so enjoy them now. As a bonus, this week’s SI Media Podcast guest, Ian Eagle, is on the call.

6. This was the headline on Tuesday’s Traina Thoughts: “Notre Dame’s Self-Importance Power Play Is Downright Comical.”

Calling Notre Dame “self-important” wasn’t nearly strong enough. In the latest case of those being associated with the school being as unlikable as possible, the school’s bookstore cancelled an event for author Ivan Maisel, who just wrote a new book about former Notre Dame coach Frank Leahy, because Maisel is part of the College Football Playoff selection committee.

After getting destroyed for the decision on social media, the book store reversed their decision.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: On this date in 1991, NBC aired “The Red Dot” episode of Seinfeld. If you never heard Larry David and Jason Alexander break down this episode, you need to do so now.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on X and Instagram.

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Jimmy Traina
JIMMY TRAINA

Jimmy Traina is a staff writer and podcast host for Sports Illustrated. A 20-year veteran in the industry, he’s been covering the sports media landscape for seven years and writes a daily column, Traina Thoughts. Traina has hosted the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast since 2018, a show known for interviews with some of the most important and powerful people in sports media. He also was the creator and writer of SI’s Hot Clicks feature from 2007 to '13.

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