Transcript: Offensive Coordinator Mike Kafka

Offensive Coordinator Mike Kafka

September 14, 2023

Q: What did you think about the pass protection in that game?

A: Those are things that are, for us, in the past a little bit so we’re working to improve those things each and every week. This week’s the start of it, kind of built on a couple of good day so looking forward to today as well.

Q: What are you looking to build on specifically?

A: It’s working all our schemes, all our fundamentals and techniques then spending a really detailed time in the individual period to make sure everyone sees it the same way.

Q: How difficult does it make things when you don’t know it (tackle) Andrew’s (Thomas) is playing and exactly what your line configuration is going to be?

A: Those are just conversations that you have with (Head Coach Brian Daboll) Dabs and at the end of the day he’ll make the final decision. I know our training staff Is working with all of the guys that are injured to make sure that they come back healthy.

Q: What’s the balance between the individual work and the team work you referenced when you are looking for improvement?

A: So, you schedule – have the practice plan around those things and making sure you’ve got good individual work, whether that’s full speed or in the walkthrough, you’re working off the tape and teaching it in the classroom. Then you bring it into kind of a tempo, whether it’s a walkthrough type tempo, it’s a full speed in the team drills and then you’re working combos together in separate individual drills, so there’s a lot that works into the fundamental techniques of it but our coaches do a great job of planning that out and detailing it out for the players.

Q: How can you unlock some of your skill players that can break games?

A: You go through each week and you look at the opponent and see what they’re doing. You try to get the best game plan that you possibly can and put your players in the best position to be successful so that’s what we spent a lot of hours working through that and studying that and that’s what we’re working to do this week.

Q: Is it fair to say…

A: Every week there’s always going to be something that you want to clean up and get better at, so I think this week we’re working on focusing on ourselves and working on our individual fundamentals and techniques then carrying that over into practice.

Q: Even though the score was getting away from you do look at the film and say that maybe there was an opportunity to stick with the run since it worked so well on the first drive??

A: The things that we did last week, we’re going to take all the good stuff that we did, learn from the things that we didn’t do so well and then apply it to this week in practice. I think our guys have had that approach and they’ve taken that approach and I think they’re having a good week. Today’s no different, we have to have the right urgency and the right tempo and demeanor and practice that way.

Q: With (tackle) Evan (Neal), is it a matter of confidence at this point after some of the changes that he made in the offseason? How do you help him at this point?

A: Every player, we have to make sure as a coaching staff that we’re giving them the best opportunity to be successful and we’re going to work on all the things that we need to improve on with each individual player. It’s never on offense – it’s never really about one guy. It’s always about how can we all, 11-man operation, work together to make this play go the right way. Whether it’s one person or another, we’re going to build on whatever positive we can find in that play and then work the schemes and work personnel groupings and work our tempo and practice to improve those things.

Q: I’m sure everybody’s motivated after a game like that. As you come into this week do you expect to have a little more come down on you from the head coach? Have you already?

A: I think our urgency – I’ve been happy with our urgency so far this week in practice. I think our guys have taken that to the classroom. You can see it in the installs, you can see it in the classroom, you can see it on the field and how they’re approaching it. Yesterday was a good day so we’ve got to have great focus on today to make sure we get those things right and correct it.

Q: Have you seen any changes in Dabs at all about that?

A: I’d say Dabs has been as consistent as he’s always been and that’s a great thing for us. He’s pushing us, there’s a standard in our building, so we’re always going to continue to push through that and make sure we sustain that standard.

Q: You had to call timeout because you had 10-men on the field. What do you need to clean up there just operation-wise?

A: Just fixing up the communication. Whether it’s guys running on, running off, it’s kind of all an encompassing world where it starts with me up in the box getting that down to the guys on the field. Guys on the field communicating and getting that right but again, we’re working through those lines of communication in practice too.

Q: How much did (Cardinals Head Coach Jonathan) Gannon bring from Philly to Arizona? Does it mean anything because the personnel is different?

A: Coach Gannon’s a really good coach. He’s smart, he’ll get those guys rolling. You can see some familiarity there from Philadelphia, some of the scheme stuff. They’ve only had one game and some preseason games so you’re trying to kind of work through all the tape on that, but they play fast. They’re a tough team so we’re looking forward to the challenge.

Q: He had active safeties in Philly and he’s got some pretty good safeties again. Do you see him using (safety Jalen) Thompson and (safety) Budda (Baker) the same way?

A: Yeah, Budda Baker is just about everywhere on the field. He’s an impressive player. You can tell he’s one of those guys that kind of gets everyone lined up, he flies to the football. He plays hard, he plays fast so he’s a guy that you’ve got to know where he’s at on every snap.

Q: What about the way he’s using Thompson?

A: They have some scheme flexibility and they’ve got athletic people on the perimeter with great speed so you can see how they used some of the safeties in Philadelphia last season to where you can see some of that same kind of concepts showing up for them.

Q: Does the prep that you did for the interview process with them during the offseason filter into how you’re approaching this week, game planning and personnel?

A: No, that was so far in the past and again, that was a great opportunity that I’m thankful for with (Cardinals Owner Michael J. Bidwell) Mr. Bidwell and having an opportunity to do that. But those things are in the past. Now we’re focused on the game, focusing on getting our guys better today at practice.

Q: Anything about that process leave a bad taste in your mouth? You were a finalist than all of a sudden Gannon got the job.

A: I think I addressed this in the offseason, way back in March or whatever but again, a great experience. I learned a lot about myself, I learned a lot about the NFL and how those things work so again, nothing but a great experience there.

Q: You always hear in this league that if you put something on film then another team can take advantage of it and the next team will do it if you don’t fix it. Is there as much or even more work this week of correcting of the bad stuff you put on film?

A: Our urgency is going to always be the same, regardless. We’re going to have the same approach, our same process and just really focus on that process. So, just improving on all the things we need to get better at and the things that we are doing really well, build on that. Whether it’s scheme, whether that’s with the people that we have in the building, we’ll always try to work to attack that.