May 22, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks coach Doug Pederson talks with quarterback Mike Kafka (3) during organized team activities at the Philadelphia Eagles NovaCare Complex. — Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Doug Pederson Lauds Former Pupil Mike Kafka for Giants' Success

Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson recalled a young Mike Kafka, now the Giants offensive coordinator, and how he knew Kafka might make a successful assistant coach one day.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Oct 19, 2022 3:30 PM EDT

In the NFL coaching circles, one never knows when a player will go on to bigger and better things once his playing career ends.

Witness the case of New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, originally a fourth-round draft pick out of Northwestern by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2010. Since going into coaching following the 2015 season when he was briefly with the Bengals, Kafka’s star has been steadily rising among the ranks of his peers.

After serving as a graduate assistant for his alma mater in 2016, Kafka was hired by Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid as an offensive quality control coach. From there, the Chicago native began to rise up through the ranks, being promoted to quarterbacks coach in 2018 and then adding passing game coordinator duties to his job description in 2020.

Kafka’s experiences not only put him in the same company as Reid, one of the best offensive-minded coaches in the game, it also brought him in close contact with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Now that the 35-year-old Kafka is with the Giants, he’s got a new role as offensive coordinator where he gets to call the plays. But more importantly, Kafka, along with Giants head coach Brian Daboll, were tasked with salvaging the fleeting career of quarterback Daniel Jones, and thus far, they appear to have Jones, now in his fourth season, back on the right track.

Given the Giants offense has been missing its top three receivers—Kenny Golladay, Kadarius Toney, and Sterling Shepard—for most of the season, the Giants are getting it done, averaging 317.3 yards per game (25th) and 163.0 rushing yards per game (fourth).

They are tied for 15th in average first downs per game (20.3), 14th in red zone conversions (58.82 percent), and 16th in goal-to-goal situations (66.67 percent).

Jones, meanwhile, is off to his best season since his rookie campaign. His 67.3 completion percentage is ranked third among quarterbacks with a minimum of 115 attempts. His 82.3 percent adjusted pass completion rate is tops among that 29-member sample despite his being the second-most pressured quarterback (93 pressures) in that group.

Jones has also cut down on his turnovers, which had been a big problem for him, his two interceptions being among the league’s lowest among that same sample group.

Doug Pederson, currently the Jacksonville Jaguars head coach whose team will host the Giants on Sunday, was an assistant on the Philadelphia Eagles coaching staff led by Andy Reid at the time. In 2010 they drafted Kafka, a quarterback, out of Northwestern and had him for two seasons.

“I tell you what, what a great dude,” Pederson told Giants reporters via conference call Wednesday when asked what he remembered about Kafka. “He studied this game like no other, you know, and I've been around some great quarterbacks as a player and as a coach and understood the X's and O's of how things operate and how to run an offense.”

Kafka continued to polish his craft working for Reid, who later hired his former player for his staff in Kansas City.

“Obviously, he came from Kansas City and worked with Coach Reid,” Pederson said. “You learn a lot being under his tutelage and what he can teach you as a young coordinator or position coach.”

One thing Pederson pointed to that Kafka likely picked up from his time learning from Reid is the ability to think outside the box.

“Don't be restricted to you can or can't do something,” Pederson said. “I think it's a growth mentality where you have to consider all possibilities and where you can challenge your players offensively. That's something Andy taught all the guys that have worked for him.”

Kafka has certainly displayed that outside-the-box thinking at critical moments during the season. A growing favorite of his has been the Wildcat formation being run by Saquon Barkley. There have also been some unbalanced offensive line formations and a lot more pre-snap motion to create more mystery for opposing defenses.

According to Pederson, that outside-the-box thinking has seemingly opened up endless possibilities for Kafka regarding play design and calls.

“It just allows you to free your mind up,” Pederson said. “Not from a play calling standpoint, but sometimes from a play design or how you want to use a certain player. It just allows you to kind of be yourself, but at the same time be aggressive with the personnel that you have.”

Thus it’s no surprise that while the Giants offense isn’t quite the juggernaut that the Bills or Chiefs offenses have become, it’s still managed to be clutch despite the lack of solid production from its wide receivers.

“It doesn't surprise me that the success the Giants are having,” Pederson said. “I would put quite a bit on Kafka for that success and understanding the quarterback position and how it's to be played. You see it in the play of Daniel Jones, and you see it in the offense.

"I think the world of Mike—maybe one day he'll be a head coach as well.”