Mike Kafka Embraces “Special Opportunity” to Call Plays for Giants

It’s probably every NFL assistant coach’s dream to get a chance to call plays at some point in his or her career.

For New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, that dream is coming true, and it starts this Sunday when the Giants visit the Tennessee Titans to kick off the 2022 NFL season.

“It’s a special opportunity. I don’t take that for granted,” said Kafka, a former NFL quarterback who was plucked off the Kansas City Chiefs coaching staff by Giants head coach Brian Daboll. “Any opportunity to call plays in the National Football League is an honor. I’m working to put my best foot forward and give our guys the best opportunity to be successful.”

Kafka, who was told during the interview process of Daboll’s desire to have the offensive coordinator call the plays, was given a very lengthy play-calling audition that began with the OTAs. Initially, the setup involved both Kafka and Daboll wearing the headset, the latter being able to listen in to the communication between the first-time offensive coordinator and quarterback Daniel Jones.

“It’s very similar, at least to when I was a player, the approach I took,” Kafka said of calling plays and the mental aspect of preparing for a game when he was an NFL quarterback. “I think as a play caller, it’s a little bit different because you’re the one behind the scenes putting the game plan together. But my approach, my prep, hasn’t changed. It’s continued to ramp up every single day depending on the situation to make sure the guys are prepared.”

As time passed and Kafka became more comfortable in the role, Daboll allowed him to call the plays during the preseason games, something Kafka has done from the press box rather than the field.

Pleased with what he observed from the spring through the summer, Daboll informed Kafka of his desire to continue the play-calling arrangement over the weekend.

"I have a lot of confidence in Mike,” Daboll said Monday in confirming the plan. “We'll stay with how we did things in the preseason."

Daboll also said that he’ll serve as a sounding board for Kafka, just as he would for defensive coordinator Wink Martindale and special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey, but he didn’t want to interfere with their calls while a series is in progress.

Since this will be Kafka’s first time calling plays, he was asked how much he anticipated leaning on Daboll, an experienced play-caller, as he begins this journey.

“Yeah, I think it’s going to be collaborative,” he said. “When you are in the flow of a game, I think everyone has input and ideas. I welcome that. I love that. The best part of building that staff was all the ideas and everyone’s vision of the game. Obviously, I’ve got to have a clear picture of what I’m feeling and seeing out there, but I’m always going to rely on the eyes of my staff and the coaches out there.”

Kafka will also remain open to professional growth, taking into consideration feedback from the other offensive assistant coaches and the players.

“I think you’ve got to be able to adjust to the game,” he said. “I think you’ve got to be able to put our players in a good position to be successful. Find some rhythm on offense and go and execute.”

And take each week one game at a time.

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