What We Learned About Lions Mike Kafka From Expert Giants Reporter

Patricia Traina covers the Giants and shared what she knows about Mike Kafka

Former New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka talks to reporters before organized team activities (OTAs) | Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

NFL reporter Patricia Traina covers the New York Giants On Sports Illustrated.

She answered five questions about new Detroit Lions offensive coach Mike Kafka.

What are the Detroit Lions getting in coach Mike Kafka?

Patricia Traina: Mike is a really good guy and a very good coach who isn’t afraid to be bold with ideas he thinks will accentuate a player’s strengths. He’s also a very good teacher–ask him a question about a concept or a philosophy, and he gets all excited to the point where he’s like, “I wish I had a whiteboard to show you!” He’s also not afraid to take risks–once he fully took over the game planning after Brian Daboll was fired, Kafka started getting bolder with trick and gadget plays, some of which worked and some didn’t. But he gets an “A” for his effort. 

How would you describe his offensive beliefs?

Traina: In a word, balanced. His core beliefs are rooted in efficiency because the Giants' offense, even post-Daboll, was very complex and required studying the finer details of each position on every play. He also favors a physical, downhill run game that mixes both zone and gap schemes to keep opponents off balance. His passing attack is a vertical one–he’ll attack the entire field. And he’ll also use pre-snap motion to help the quarterback out with reading the defense. In short, most of what he tends to run he picked up from being with Andy Reid, first as a player in Philly and then as an assistant coach in Kansas City.

It seems he is on the fast track as a coach in this league. Do you see him succeeding in the future if and when he becomes a head coach?

Traina: I think he can. Although his record with the Giants as interim head coach wasn’t great, remember he was without Cam Skattebo and without Malik Nabers. I’d certainly be curious to see what kind of program he was capable of building from the ground up. I also admire how he put a stop to some of the lackadaisical behavior (see Abdul Carter) that was taking place. However, I felt his communication on the matter could have been a little bit better beyond, “It was my decision.”

How did he do as interim coach, given the tough circumstances the Giants went through in 2025?

Traina: He did what he could. As you said, the circumstances were tough, and there was only so much he could change. Among the key changes he made were the daily practice schedule and moving the players’ day off from Tuesday to Monday. He also wasn’t afraid to make changes on the staff, firing defensive coordinator Shane Bowen and assistant defensive line coach Bryan Cox. And Kafka famously held Abdul Carter accountable for missing meetings twice, that little kick in the rump being enough to get the kid’s attention because he went on to have a whale of a final quarter to the season.

From what we have learned early and from Hard Knocks, it appears players have a tremendous amount of respect for Coach Kafka. Does he relate well to players? 

Traina: I think so. He’s a straight shooter and holds everyone accountable, treating everyone on the same level, regardless of how they entered the league. Again, I think by the time he took over, the team was too far gone, but you have to respect him for fighting every single day and trying to show the rest of the league that he has head-coaching promise. Had he won more games, that would have maybe made him more attractive as a head coach this hiring cycle, but I think he’s going to be really good for the Lions, given that Dan Campbell is a CEO style head coach who, from what I can tell, lets his coaches do what they need to do.