New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka talk on the field during mandatory minicamp at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center on Tuesday, June 7, 2022, in East Rutherford. — Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

Giants OC Mike Kafka Sees a Lot of Growth in QB Daniel Jones

Daniel Jones has made a very strong case for a new contract by doing a lot of the little things right, according to offensive coordinator Mike Kafka.

Author:
Gene Clemons
Publish date:
Dec 22, 2022 1:53 PM EST

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New York Giants

Add New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka to the camp of people impressed with the growth shown this year by quarterback Daniel Jones.

Kafa, a former NFL quarterback, has been instrumental in designing and modifying the Giants' system and weekly game plans. He routinely meets with head coach Brian Daboll and Jones to fine-tune the game plan to include plays they feel good about and those the Jones likes to run.

The results have begun speaking for themselves. Jones is having his best season since his rookie year in 2019 and is making a strong case for a contract extension by being adaptable and proficient in what he's been asked to do each week.

"Every game is different. Every game’s different, and some games we may ask him to do that and some games we might not at all," Kafka said when asked what Jones has been asked to do.

"It’s just how the nature of the game goes and where we’re at. I’ve been around teams that have done that, who’ve had to do that. Daniel’s doing a great job managing the offense, executing, and then leading our guys down to score."

That included the epic 18-play drive against the Commanders as led by Jones, where at one point, he completed seven pass attempts in a row, plus a big 4th-and-9 that kept the drive alive.

"Daniel did a nice job on that drive," Kafka said. "There were some really big conversions, but overall, the offense executed well. We had to overcome a couple of second and longs, a couple of third and longs, and those guys hung in there and executed when we needed them to."

That execution did not include a lot of explosive plays. The Giants have the least amount of 20-plus-yard passing plays in the league, and that's one of the issues some fans have with Jones.

Kafka was asked if that was by design, but he didn't provide much clarity with his response.

"I’d say just every game’s different as far as how you want to attack a defense," he said. "Some games you want to do that, some games you want to do something else. So, when you’re evaluating the defensive structure and how they do things, you’ve got to ask yourself, ‘Alright, where are our shots at? Where are our plays that we can get chunks? Completion plays? What are the kind of runs we like?’

"All those things we talk about and evaluate and based on how the game goes, that’s what we choose to call."

The more he works with Jones, the more Kafka continues to see the desire to improve from the signal caller. Kafka lauded Jones for his hard work and willingness to learn consistently. He also spoke about the steps that Jones is taking to get better and what he loves most about him.

"Every day, Daniel, he comes to work. Whether it’s in the classroom, he just sat in there with the install, asking questions, and then on the field, he’s working his butt off, too," Kafka said.

"It’s great for him; he’s always looking for ways to improve, no matter what day it is. Whether it’s future, past, or whatever, he’s always looking for ways to improve his game. Asking how certain people did certain ways and bouncing ideas off of Dabs (quarterbacks coach) Shea (Tierney), myself, and the other quarterbacks. So, he’s always looking for ways to learn and grow. That’s one of the things I love about him."

That hard work and willingness to improve also includes an inquisitive nature and curiosity to know what the other more established quarterbacks around the league are doing to reach the top of their respective games.

"I ask the same thing with Daniel. We talk about offenses and how you may have run it, and I talk about the same thing with our staff, whether you’ve been in Baltimore, Houston, or Indianapolis," Kafka said.

"All those teams have something they can bring. So, I’m always looking to learn and grow, and Daniel’s the same way. He’s asking questions about how we did things in other places I’ve been and how Dabs has done things in other ways. I think that’s good, that’s the cool part about this profession is you get a lot of guys from a bunch of different spots, you bring them together, you get the ideas down, and you can grow an offense and kind of develop it."