Mike Kafka is 0-4 as the interim head coach of the Giants but said he is not concerned about the impact the team’s continued struggles might have on his prospects to land a full-time head coaching job with New York or elsewhere.
“I’m not really concerned about any of that stuff,” he said Monday. “That would be super selfish of me to think about that. Where we’re at in this season, my only focus is on the players and the coaches and getting our guys ready to roll.”
The Giants were 2-8 when coach Brian Daboll was fired on Nov. 10 and Kafka was elevated from offensive coordinator to interim head coach. Since then, the Giants have dropped four consecutive games, including a 29-21 setback at home on Sunday against a Washington Commanders team that entered with an eight-game losing streak and a journeyman backup quarterback.
Kafka, 38, has been credited with aiding the development of quarterback Jaxson Dart and fellow rookie Cam Skattebo, the now-injured running back. The Giants do own the NFL’s 12th-ranked offense, but their average of 343.2 yards per game has been padded a bit by consistently playing from behind during their eight-game losing streak.
“I love being the head coach of the New York Football Giants and it’s a privilege to do this job,” Kafka said. “The challenges and the things that come with it are part of the job. I look forward to it every day, coming into work, to attack it every single day and give our players the best opportunity to be successful.
“Every day brings a new learning experience and a new opportunity to grow. So, I’ve just been taking those experiences to continue to learn from. When there are decisions to be made, I go in there and make those decisions with the best intentions for the team.”
New York will close out the string against Minnesota, at Las Vegas and home against Dallas. After that, general manager Joe Schoen will conduct the search for the next head coach.
That may or may not include Kafka, who interviewed for several vacancies last year and has been considered one of the top young offensive minds in the league.
“We’ve got a great opportunity ahead of us with three games left. Nothing’s more important than this game right now against Minnesota,” Kafka said. “So, that’s really where our mind’s at. That’s where my mind’s at. Watching the tape, getting these corrections made so that we can go and continue to improve, and then let’s get on the tape for Minnesota, let’s go attack those guys.”
Kafka was asked if learning the nuances of being a head coach, especially while being thrown into the fire mid-season with the Giants, has been an eye-opening experience.
“This is the situation that I’m in and I’m going to take full advantage of it,” he said. “Any opportunity that I have to help this team and put my fingerprint on the team, I will. Obviously, yeah, when you have the opportunity to do it from the start, you have a way to kind of change certain things, build the culture the way you want to build it.
“But we have a great team here, we have a great staff here and I look forward to coming to work every single day. I love working with these guys. They’re giving us everything they’ve got and we’re going to find a way to get a W.”
