Year two of Brian Daboll's tenure as head coach saw the New York Giants fall into disarray. But as offensive coordinator Mike Kafka prepares for the 2024 season, he's expecting big things from Daboll and the Giants.
Kafka confirmed that there was no beef between him and Daboll entering the campaign, via Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. However, he didn't confirm who would be calling plays in 2024 and avoided a question on if play calling was taken away from him, via Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports.
“I love working with Dabes, I love working for Dabes,” Kafka said.
The fact that Daboll and Kafka are one the same page is a step in the right direction. New York promoted their OC to assistant head coach, alongside his normal duties. But it doesn't solve the team's play calling fiasco.
Daboll reportedly took away play calling duties from Kafka numerous times throughout the 2023 campaign, via Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News. Quarterback coach Shea Tierney called plays during the second half in their Week 10 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys. Daboll ran Kafka's offensive meetings from Week 7 to Week 9. The head coach would always return Kafka's play calling responsibilities to him, but they were striped much more often than expected of an OC.
Both coach and coordinator will need to work out a proper system if they want to have true 2024 offensive success. Kafka seems prepared to put the 2023 season behind them and work towards a brighter future. It'll be up to Daboll to share that vision
Whether Daboll or Kafka, Giants need help on offense
Both Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka have strong offensive acumens built over their years in football. With so many ideas clashing, it makes sense for there to be some head butting. However, no matter who is calling plays, New York needs massive growth on the offensive side of the ball.
The Giants finished the 2023 regular season ranked 29th in total offense, averaging 280 yards per game. While Saquon Barkley helped salvage the run game, New York was brutal via the pass, ranking 31st in the league by averaging 169.8 YPG.
Of course, the Giants didn't have their full arsenal as quarterback Daniel Jones missed most of the season with an ACL injury. However, Barkley is now a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. When healthy in 2023, Jones threw for 909 yards, two touchdowns and six interceptions. He went just 1-5 as a starter.
New York must fix their offense on the fly, and Daboll and Kafka need to be on the same page. Especially without Barkley, the Giants must find a way to massively bolster their pass offense will not losing any ground in the run game. A tough task for any coaching staff.
But especially one that isn't seeing eye-to-eye. Luckily, at least according to Kafka, that isn't the case in New York. But after how bad 2023 went, there will be a ton of pressure on the Giants and their coaching staff to succeed.
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