Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator Mike Kafka

Q: Another week, another quarterback change, you're going back to (quarterback Drew) Lock. What did you see from (quarterback Tim) Boyle last week?

MIKE KAFKA: Boyle did a nice job stepping in, minimal reps. It's a tip of the cap to him for just being prepared, being ready. He was meticulous with his notes, with his studying and his prep, and I thought he did a nice job out there.

Q: This has been two years in a row with the carousel of quarterbacks and the injuries and whatnot. What is that like as somebody who coaches the position?

MIKE KAFKA: Yeah, I think it's part of the business, it's part of football. Really, it happens at every position, whether it's offensive line, whether it's receiver, those things happen. So, you've just got to be really prepared and making sure we're staying on top of not just the starters, but we're prepping the backups. We're prepping those guys that are kind of two, three, four down the line. It's part of our development program with getting young players that are maybe practice squad guys, getting those guys up to date and up to speed. So, that's really just part of being a coach, and it happens. It's unfortunate. You obviously don't want those type of things to happen, but when they do, you've got to work through it.

Q: As a coach and a player in this league for a while, have you seen two years in a row like this?

MIKE KAFKA: It's probably a first for me going through that as a coach. As a player, probably not to this extent, but having some injuries, for sure, you've been around it. But, yeah, it's probably different for as a coach.

Q: What have you learned about yourself as a coach having to go through that?

MIKE KAFKA: Yeah, just maintaining flexibility and being able to adjust on the fly and come up with solutions. I think when things like this, anytime adversity hits, you want to be a problem solver. Not a guy that just complains about stuff. So, that's the kind of approach that I take is to try to be a problem solver and put our players in the best position to be successful.

Q: What were your impressions of (Flacons quarterback) Michael Penix (Jr.) in the pre-draft process?

MIKE KAFKA: He's an impressive kid. He's has all the pass ability, and he's a lot more athletic than you think. I think he had those injuries in his past, but I think he went out and ran a 4.4 in his pro day. So, we liked him coming out. He's a talented player.

Q: What was your role in that process? I know (Head Coach Brian Daboll) Dabs was kind of leading it from the coaching angle. What was your role in that whole QB process?

MIKE KAFKA: Yeah, I mean I'm right there with him as far as evaluating, going on those trips, visiting the guys that we saw in person, whether it's QBs or other position groups. I'm in that role.

Q: What did you make of that quarterback class as a whole and how they've performed in the NFL to start their career?

MIKE KAFKA: Yeah, I'll be honest, I haven't like, studied them, every single guy, unless we ended up playing them. Obviously, there's certain guys that are having a lot of success. We've seen (Commanders quarterback) Jayden (Daniels) and all those guys. So, I certainly have seen it and heard about it, but I haven't studied them.

Q: When you look at the Falcons' defense, what are the major concerns?

MIKE KAFKA: So, I think they do a really good job of getting the football out. Those safeties do a hell of a job punching at the football. I think they have multiplicity in their scheme, whether it's showing two high, getting a one high. They like to disguise up front. They've got a lot of really talented players and try to make it really difficult in the run game. So, we've got a bunch of challenges across the board that we're just going to have to really put together a good plan, and I think we have a really good plan, and we're going to go out there and practice it today.

Q: In all the adversity you guys have faced last year but certainly this year is even worse now. With regard to Dabs, what have you noticed about him and the way he's handled this in front of the team, in front of you guys, the assistants?

MIKE KAFKA: Yeah, I think Dabs has handled it really well. I think the personality of the football team is what your head coach is, and I think he's been steady. He's been confident. He's been poised. These things, whether it's adversity hits or the successful things that we've had done, whenever that hits, he's kind of stayed the same guy and tried to build as much as we can. He's done a great job taking some of these young players under his wing and making sure they're performing well and they're in a good spot mentally. You're seeing that. You're seeing the production from some of those young guys.

Q: You're the assistant head coach, not just the offensive coordinator. So, I ask, from a storyline standpoint, one of the things to this game is the Giants are trying to avoid becoming the first Giants team ever to lose 10 in a row. Is that anything you can use in your position to rally guys, a source of pride, anything like that? Or is that like we can't even mention that to guys because it's negativity?

MIKE KAFKA: I don't really buy into the storyline part of it, but I know that our guys are working their tail off. They're trying to do the things right. Coaches are detailing all the work that needs to be done, and I think when you just focus on this week, because that's really all that matters, those are the things that we're talking about. The details, the execution, and then today we get an opportunity to practice our third down and red zone stuff together, so big-time situational football, and so that's really all our focus is. None of that, the storylines and stuff like that, and that's all my focus is too.

Q: I guess you guys haven't enjoyed a win since Seattle. What's it like to go that long?

MIKE KAFKA: Yeah, I think you try to enjoy the process with the guys in the meeting rooms, on game day making the adjustments. The results will come. So, you've just got to believe that part of it, and I think we do, and it's been tough. Those things have been tough. That's in the past. 'What can we control today?' And that's our mentality. That's our mindset. That's how we're going to approach practice.

Defensive Coordinator Shane Bowen

Q: What stands out to you about (Atlanta Falcons quarterback) Michael Penix (Jr.)?

SHANE BOWEN: He can sling it. I think you go back and watch the accuracy down the field, throwing the ball down the field. He puts it in places receivers can catch it. We're going to have to do a good job making sure we defend the deep part of the field because I think he's going to take his chances throwing it, launching it. But he's got a really strong arm, good accuracy and I would say, specifically, on the deep ball.

Q: Nobody wants to make excuses, obviously, but there were a lot of blown coverages last week. Is that guys still trying to learn each other and what they're trying to do? You have so many guys off practice squads…

SHANE BOWEN: I think it was more just our execution. I think we've got to be better executing. We can't let guys free and got to make sure we're deep when we need to be deep and on the right guys at the right time. So, just didn't execute well enough in some of those situations.

Q: Going back to (Michael) Penix), (Head Coach Brian) Daboll told us yesterday that he was studying some of his old film from Washington. Do you have to do that because he's only thrown so few passes in his career so far?

SHANE BOWEN: You've got the preseason game, Miami. You've got a little bit. He had some, I don't even know how many passes, against Denver late in the game. That's really what you got to go off of. So, you go back, you watch Washington, try to get a feel for him and see his strengths. Hopefully you can find some weaknesses, which is hard to do, eighth overall draft pick. So, you've got to go back and try to study the player that way. That's where the biggest body of work is.

Q: Does the left-handed quarterback present any special issues?

SHANE BOWEN: No, not really to us. Other than matching the hand and making sure when we're free we're able to get some pressure that we switch hands in terms of which one's going up to see if we can create some batted ball opportunities. Then whatever they have, if there's some mobility stuff, that's always something we look at, right-handed quarterback, left-handed quarterback. On some of those moving pocket type passes, it's something we evaluate.

Q: In college he wasn't afraid to run. Is that part of the scenario, too?

SHANE BOWEN: I don't think he's like (Baltimore Ravens quarterback) Lamar (Jackson). I don't think they're going to be doing all that with him. But he can. He can run. If there's space, he's going to take off. He's going to be able to gain some yards. So, got to do a good job. Can't give him big rush lanes down the middle for him to take and make it inviting for him. There's obviously a little bit more mobility than what they had there previously. So, something we got to be good, be coordinated, make sure we're all on the same page and not give him any inviting seams.

Q: You've had a lot this year, right? The run defense, I'm sure, is something that bothered you on and off throughout the year. A lot of guys in and out. How big a challenge has it been to keep everybody engaged, to keep everybody sort of in line, maybe in comparison to what you dealt with the past few years?

SHANE BOWEN: I think the guys have been good. I do. I think they come in every day, they're attentive in meetings, they come out and walk through and go through it. I think part of that, when you have some of the moving parts, there is a heightened focus. You've got some new blood in there, so to speak, so the communication and everything has got to increase a little bit. So, there's got to be a heightened level of focus when there are some…

Q: From you or from their perspective?

SHANE BOWEN: From their perspective. It's the NFL. I know I sound like a broken record saying it, but when I was in Tennessee, we kind of had the same things in terms of injuries and some of that stuff where you're working through that as you go.

Q: That's why I was kind of curious how it related to especially that last year you had in Tennessee.

SHANE BOWEN: I think it's just something you've got to have a plan for. Having new guys in, being able to play. Last week, I don't know if we went into the game with one cornerback that was here in training camp. We signed (cornerback) Adoree' (Jackson) post-training camp. So, there's a lot of reps that are missed. Guys are learning on the fly. You rely on your veterans. You rely on the leadership. You rely on their teammates to help that as well. Especially in terms of fitting into the culture and what that is, the expectation level. But it's just something you've got to work through. You've got to have a plan for. I think our coaching staff does a great job. I think (Defensive Passing Game Coordinator/Defensive Backs Coach) Rome (Jerome Henderson) and those guys do a good job trying to prepare them and (Defensive Line Coach) Dre (Andre Patterson) trying to prepare them to get ready to go. Hopefully we can execute at a little bit higher level than what we did last week.

Q: You mentioned this about the cornerbacks. I'm curious, how beneficial do you think it would have been to have a veteran cornerback from the summer? Do you think that was something that maybe, in retrospect, you guys were missing?

SHANE BOWEN: Nobody can really predict the injury aspect of it. So, in that regard, I would say no. Like, just not knowing. Again, I'm glad we got Adoree' (Jackson). Adoree' (Jackson) has played well for us and I think Adoree' has had a good year for us. He has. He's been a good presence for us in that room, too. So, I think that's been a really good add for us.

Q: You're using a whole new defensive line. Anybody in that group that's really been sticking out to you the last couple of weeks?

SHANE BOWEN: I think (defensive tackle) Chat (Elijah Chatman) has done a really good job, increasing his workload on early downs. There's some teach tape clips of him in the run game, fundamentally getting off the ball and striking, where he's done a really good job being disruptive for us. I think (defensive lineman Elijah) Garcia is showing up. His length is showing up. He made a play on (Baltimore Ravens running back) Derrick (Henry) down in the red zone last week where he was able to get off the block and tackle Derrick. Really, all those guys have stepped up. I think (defensive tackle) Jordon (Riley) has improved from the time he had a little bit earlier in the year to now and getting more reps and more practice. I think, as a group, that unit has done a good job of taking advantage of their opportunities for the most part.

Q: One of the storylines for this game outside is the Giants trying to avoid what would be their franchise-long losing streak. Is that something that you can use to players as a rallying cry, as a source of pride? Like, 'Hey, we don't want to be that team?' Or is that something you don't want to even bring up with them?

SHANE BOWEN: We need a win. Bottom line. Find whatever we got to do to win a game, regardless of the circumstances. Like every week, let's do everything we can to prepare and be ready to go. Come Sunday, we got to execute and find a way to win a game. So, let's make sure we're focused on today. Whatever we can do today that can contribute to us winning on Sunday and do the same thing tomorrow and go that route. That's the message, 'Let's take advantage of every minute we can right now to prepare and put our best foot forward come Sunday.'

Q: With (outside linebacker Brian) Burns and the way he's been playing this whole year. How much has he impressed you this first season, not just being a great player, but also a leader with this young group with so many guys hurt, and just how much he continues to go hard every game? Is that kind of a good lesson for them a little bit?

SHANE BOWEN: Absolutely, I do. I wouldn't say he's our most vocal leader, by any means. But I think he's really good at kind of grabbing guys one-on-one and being in guys' ears one-on-one and addressing things that way. We're young. We're young. And any veteran presence you can have when you're a young defense is helpful. Whether it's outside linebacker to defensive back, outside linebacker to inside linebacker or outside linebacker to defensive line, I think it's helpful. The thing I'm going to say about him is he's been dealing with stuff throughout the year and he goes out there and plays. There's Wednesdays and Thursdays where we're not so sure and then he's out there Sunday flying around and putting everything on the table. That's what the NFL is. It's a 100 percent injury rate, 100 percent. Everybody's going to be banged up at some point. It's just being able to go out there and execute and play week in and week out and fight through some things that are kind of nagging throughout.

Q: Your old boss, who I assume you're still close with, (Mike) Vrabel is out of league right now. Have you been in touch with him much? Has he helped you, as you're looking for answers? Has he been a resource for you?

SHANE BOWEN: I talked to him after we played the Browns and that's really it. We stay in touch. Our wives talk, obviously. But we're so consumed. He's so consumed with what's going on. It's really beyond that. There ain't a whole lot of catching up with people outside of this building during football season (laughs).

Special Teams Coordinator Michael Ghobrial

Q: (Cornerback) Dee Williams on kickoff return, you made that change last week. What did you see and why did you make that move?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Yeah, we just want to give a younger player in this league who's shown a skill set to do it an opportunity. He definitely has the right skill set to do it, he has a lot of juice, speed, elusiveness, and he's done a nice job in the brief time that he's been here. So, we'll continue to try and give him some opportunities to be able to take that.

Q: What happened on the two big returns allowed, one kickoff, one punt?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Yeah, so let's start with the punt. Number one, miss-hit on the punt, we still got to be able to cover that and retrace. And it just came down to a ton of missed tackles, we had five missed tackles on that. So, we got to do a better job as a group, I got to do a better job as a coach in terms of tackling fundamentals, which is going to be a huge point of emphasis this week. But ultimately, wherever the ball goes, we got to have the right spacing distribution and be able to bring that guy down. On the kickoff, one thing that we got to do a better job of is seeing the ball being caught, not only for the get off portion of it with the new rule, but also seeing where the ball is getting kicked. That affects where you're trying to track the ball and everything. But ultimately, when it comes down to this new kickoff rule, we got to be able to get off blocks. That's strike, disengage, work on edges, use our handwork. And then ultimately, you want population around the ball. So, we're going to do a better job of that this week in terms of emphasizing the tools it takes to get off blocks.

Q: You spent all offseason talking about this new rule, not knowing how it will work. Fourteen weeks in, what are the biggest changes and difference you recognize from it?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: I think one of them, there's always been a thought of how much of the old return scheme could you do. And I think that's across the league. I think everybody started somewhat vanilla in terms of what teams were asking their returners to do and group to block for. But you're starting to see more old schemes come back. And understanding that the flavor of what they had in the past couple of years by team is starting to show up in little nuances. So, you're starting to see the return game evolve a little bit more.

Q: How much are you seeing more returns? It's always the weather and late in the season. Are you seeing more returns?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Yeah, I mean, it certainly feels like there's more returns because we obviously watch our stuff and feel our stuff. But we also look across the league and it feels like there's more returns weekly and there is more variety. And you're starting to see certain situations in which you're starting to see teams cover more kicks, obviously, because of the weather. But just more teams that hadn't been covering kicks will cover kicks in general.

Q: Is there a surprise element to that, too? You mentioned the weather, obviously, but just the idea of when you've shown for 14 weeks that trend of everybody's booming it through the end zone, do you think there are teams that are now looking at it going, 'you know what, maybe we can sneak one in there a little bit'? Take advantage of maybe a coverage team that's just kind of sitting back, not necessarily looking to take one out.

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Yeah, from our perspective, whether you tell a person to hit a touchback or not, they might not be able to do it. They might get under a ball, they might toe it, it might be a miss-hit. But if it lands in the landing zone, you've got to be able to return it, you've got to be able to cover it. So, I think those are things that we've always spoke to our guys about being ready regardless of what we're asking our kicker to do. And I think you look across the league, it certainly seems that coaches are telling their players the same thing, to always be ready, because the one thing that you do see, regardless of how low the hang is, you're going to know whether you're returning it or not. Because if that ball looks like it's in the field of play, you have that two second time where you're tracking the ball, you're seeing it, you're like, 'Ok, it's going to be in play, be ready to return it'. I don't think anybody ever really goes out there saying 'this ball is out the back'. There's just no way to guarantee that.

Q: Do you find it a little funny that this late in the season when the ball does land in the landing zone and it's not returned, offenses are walking on the field saying, 'why are we starting on the 20'?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Yeah, I mean there was a little bit of growing pains in terms of understanding the rule from everybody kind of outside of special teams. Like, why is that placed on the 20? Why is that placed on the 30? Or why is it placed on the 40? So, I think there is a little bit of shock. Why is that my drive start average on this return? So, there is an element of surprise. I think that happened a little bit earlier in the season in terms of that. But I think it's revealed itself of what the rules are in terms of that.

Q: When (kicker) Graham (Gano) did that on Sunday, what's the risk there? Because you're really close to the sideline also, so that could put that ball at 40.

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Yeah, there's certainly risk with it. And it depends how aggressive you want to get with those liners. It's something we certainly work on a ton. And a returner still has to be able to track and field it. The returner definitely has the ability still to field those. Those become a little bit harder just because the time to get under the ball is a little bit more narrow. So, it's certainly something you want to try and take advantage. And then just the consistency of being able to hit that ball isn't as high as you would think because you're trying to hit the ball a certain way that may result in a true miss-hit that doesn't reach the landing zone or a true miss-hit that ends up going OB (out of bounds). So, there's a fine line. But if you can sneak 10 yards on one of those kicks, I think it's a huge advantage.

Q: With Atlanta having an indoor stadium, is it booming through the end zone?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: No, I mean, they've had the ability to return kicks and cover kicks. And obviously being indoors, the weather's not a factor. So, I don't think we can go into this game thinking that we could do either or. We have to be ready to cover kicks. We have to be ready to return kicks. And (Atlanta special teams coordinator Marquice Williams) Quice Casey is going to have those guys do the same thing.

Q: Obviously with the returner, throughout the offseason, the summer, you were going through different guys. (Isaiah) McKenzie and (wide receiver) Gunner (Olszewski), McKenzie and Gunner. And then (wide receiver) Ihmir (Smith-Marsette) comes in early in the year. What has he brought to that position for you guys? I mean, it seems like he brings a little flair. Do you feel like you found something here with a returner that's been able to be there for you this year?

MICHAEL GHOBRIAL: Yeah, I think Ihmir has done one heck of a job since the time he's set foot in this building. He's truly treated it like this is everything to him. He does have good energy, so it does elevate everybody around him. He's one of those energy givers that when you're around him, you hear him talk, you see the juice at practice. He has that type of impact on his teammates, and I know his teammates want to block for him, knowing that he has the ability to spring one, whether it be on punt return or kickoff return. So, I mean, he's definitely done a nice job for us, and he's a guy that's proven that he could do this in this league at a high level for a long time. So, I expect Ihmir to have a good, long career.