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Transcript: Offensive Coordinator Mike Kafka

Eric from BBI : Admin : 11/30/2022 4:57 pm
Offensive Coordinator Mike Kafka

Q: What happened with the 10 men on that fourth down? What happened?

A: Yeah, we addressed that internally. Talked about it with the players and staff. That's one of those things we've just got to overcommunicate and get that thing executed.

Q: I assume you didn't notice at the time either?

A: Yeah, I mean obviously when we got on the ball, we noticed it.

Q: At that point, it's just too late to relay a timeout?

A: Yeah.

Q: Why would that be too late to call a timeout?

A: The timeouts would be something that I wouldn't call. It would be at the discretion of (head coach Brian Daboll) Dabs.

Q: How consciouse are you going into a game, making the gameplan or when the game is rolling of (running back) Saquon's (Barkley) workload?

A: Yeah, very conscience of it. Making sure that he's in the right spots and calling good stuff for him.

Q: The last two games, the run game has been less than 100 yards. When you look back, what's been missing and what do you got to get?

A: I think it's a combination of trusting it, all of us – players and coaches trusting it – executing it, getting the right fundamentals and techniques. That'll just come with the work and that's why we're coming to practice today with a good mentality, a good attitude and I think we can clean up a lot of those things that we've been missing the last couple of weeks.

Q: What are those things that have been missing?

A: Just like I said, the fundamentals, techniques, the execution part of it. Each week we go through and evaluate it and talk about all the details and see how we can continue to simplify it for the players and give them stuff they can go and play fast with and execute.

Q: How difficult or challenging is it to start a game running the ball? Even when you've run well, often it's not been good early, especially for a team like this where people are expecting you to run the ball. Do you have to set it up? How difficult is it to start a game and say we're going to run?

A: I think you have to have flexibility. I don't know if you can go into one game saying one way or the other, you have to be able to adjust. You come in with your initial game plan, your thoughts on how they're going to play you and things that they've presented on tape. You go back and you trust what they put on tape and trust that your study and your prep is correct. Then you get into the game and the flow of the game and you got to adjust, whether it's by scheme, personnel, formation, the plays. Those are things that we talk about in and out of series.

Q: Do you think (tackle) Evan Neal can help a lot in the run game this week?

A: Yeah, yesterday was a good day. Today, we'll continue to evaluate it. Obviously, Evan is a good player and he adds some juice to the o-line room in what he brings. I'm excited for him and I think today he's taking it day by day and continue to work on all those fundamental things that we talked about earlier.

Q: Where do you stand at this point at left guard? I know you have a bunch of guys as options now.

A: I think Dabs hit on it yesterday. We're rotating some of those guys to get them. Some of it is by, it's this time of the season where guys are dinged up, we're trying to make sure that we keep guys fresh but then also putting guys in those spots to get a look at them.

Q: There was a time in the league when you'd say, "Got to get the run game going," you'd never say "you got to get the quarterback part of the run game going." Do you feel like that's a part of the game that you need to get going more? Everybody looks at Saquon, but do you feel like you guys got to get (quarterback Daniel Jones) more involved in that?

A: Sure. Sure, it helps. It's part of every game plan. We've had it since the beginning of the season is being multiple with the run schemes, being able to use the backs, being able to use DJ out in space on a couple of different things. It's something we look at every single week.

Q: Did you think Daniel (Jones) had opportunities to run in Dallas or he did not? Would you like to see him run more than three times?

A: I'd have to go back and look at every single opportunity again and from that respect. I thought he did a good job of when it was there, stepping up trying to get what he can. In the run game part of it, I think he was accurate with his reads. Sometimes, there's parts of it where it's a zone read where you're reading a certain defender, whether it's first level or second level, and so we got to stay disciplined on that. From what I remember, I thought he did a pretty good job of negotiating that.

Q: Why do you think Daniel's (Jones) rushing numbers as a total just by volume have decreased as the season has gone on?

A: I think defenses have done a good job of defending that. When we look at the schemes of how we get DJ on the perimeter, some teams might play the defensive end just a little bit different so that they take away the QB run if that's being effective. We got to be flexible and create complements off of those things. That's where we're at right now within the season is what are we doing really well, how can we build complements off those things? And then we have to go and execute it.

Q: How much flexibility does (tight end Daniel) Bellinger add if you get him back this week?

A: Daniel (Bellinger) has done a good job. He had a good day yesterday; it was good to see him out there and bouncing around in the pads. Any time you can add another guy to the offense gives you some flexibility from a personnel standpoint and then gives you some flexibility from an execution standpoint.

Q: How does it affect your game planning that Washington just played a team that has a similar offensive skillset to you guys?

A: You look at that and you study it and see if you can find any kind of advantage from an offensive standpoint with their personnel, with their structure, with how they're playing certain run and pass concepts. We're looking at that and evaluate all that.

Q: How did they play (Atlanta quarterback Marcus) Mariota in your mind? He's a running QB.

A: Well, I don't know if I want to divulge exactly how they did it in relation to how we would do it. I thought they had a good gameplan. Obviously, they won the game. I'm sure they felt that they executed it. I think there are some elements there that we can take advantage of.

Q: Going back to the spring when you guys started putting this offense together, you envisioned a role for (Daniel) Bellinger and then you saw him grow into that role. Maybe not so much what he can give you on Sunday, but are there things that you can identify that with him out that you lost in this offense that you've been trying to find that now if he's coming back, you can actually get those things back in your attack?

A: I'd say this, I think the guys that we had in, they stepped up. We had a great 'next man up' mentality, really throughout all these injuries that we've had. Guys have stepped in, they've played huge roles for us as an offense. They've stepped in and done everything they can. They've played their butt off. Really, when I'm looking at that, obviously when Bellinger comes in – he does a good job and he goes and does his job. That's what we're going to ask these guys to do, whether it's the run game, whether it's the pass game. We're asking our guys to go out there, run the fundamentals and techniques that we ask them and play as hard as they can. Our guys are doing that. That's one thing you can build on.

Q: You mentioned opposing defenses know that Daniel (Jones) has this option and the defensive ends are playing him a little differently. You mentioned you need more complements to that. Is it disappointing that you guys have not had a counter to that where they're taking that away and you go to something else right away and find success there?

A: I think we're working through that. That's each week. Each week, you got to go through that process and continue to build off of what you did the week before or weeks before. That's where we're at today. That's where we're at today in practice. We're working on our situational stuff - third down, red zone – and that's part of our process.

Q: Teams should be able to make the defense pay, right? If they're going to sell out in one direction.

A: I think you have to have the flexibility to have complements off of your concepts, your run and pass stuff.

Q: Will you meet with Odell Beckham Jr. tomorrow as part of his free agent visit?

A: I know (general manager) Joe (Schoen) and Dabs have a plan on how they want to work it. I'll wait for them on how exactly they want to do that and we're all on board on however Joe and Dabs want to work that.
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