Asst. Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator Mike Kafka
October 17, 2024
Q: You were obviously here last year when you guys lost (tackle) Andrew (Thomas) and saw what happened over the next couple of weeks and how much of an absence that was. How much more prepared do you think you are this year, if you do, to handle a loss like that?
MIKE KAFKA: First and foremost, that injury to AT (Andrew Thomas), you feel for him. Really wish him a really speedy recovery. It sounded like he was in good spirits. We texted just before surgery. I'm hurting for him because that sucks. Really it just moving forward with the next guy up. I think last year, the year before that, we dealt with injuries, regardless of the position. You've got to have that next man up mentality. That's why our coaches do such a great job getting our guys prepared.
Q: Do you think (offensive lineman) Josh (Ezeudu) is a better player now than he was last year?
MIKE KAFKA: Yeah. It's one more year in the system. He's grown. He's certainly learned from those experiences and there was a lot of good. There are some things he can improve on, but Josh (Ezeudu) is one of those guys that's came in every single day and has worked his tail off.
Q: We'll ask (Head Coach) Dabs (Brian Daboll) later about (running back) Devin (Singletary)’s status for the game and everything. But if he does come back, it's kind of a different dynamic than he left, right? Because of what (running back Tyrone) Tracy (Jr.) was able to do the last couple of weeks.
MIKE KAFKA: I don't want to get into hypotheticals and whatever Dabs (Brian Daboll) wants to do with the roster and stuff. But, we have a great running back room. So, we have full confidence in whoever's out there.
Q: Has Tyrone (Tracy Jr.) earned carries no matter if Devin (Singletary) is back or not?
MIKE KAFKA: I think Tyrone (Tracy) has capitalized on his opportunities. So, depending on the game plan, depending on the week, depending on the flow of the game, how things are going, that can determine a lot of things. Whether they're getting touches or not. He's done a great job with his opportunities in the pass game, in the screen game, in the running game. So, we're just going continue to build off that.
Q: Sometimes when a team uses two, they like that there's a difference. A change of pace. Do you see that if you guys use Motor (Devin Singletary) and Tyrone (Tracy) that we can give them different things to look at?
MIKE KAFKA: I think the room's really diverse. All of them have a nice, unique skill set in the run game, pass game and pass protection. They all add something and they're all looking to improve on each of those abilities. But, they balance each other out.
Q: Why did you guys run so many RPOs against Cincinnati?
MIKE KAFKA: Well, there is a little bit of a difference. There's some RPOs that are true run-pass options where you're reading the second level defender. Then there's some where we just call like advantage throws, where if you have free access, you can take it. I think, depending on the box count, you want to look at those things. If there's an opportunity versus a light box to run it, then you try and run it. If it's a heavy box, then maybe there's an advantage throw on the perimeter that we can possibly take. That's part of our run game and what we try to do is use the skill set and the ability of some of our receivers on the perimeter. The quarterback zone read game is another complement to that as well. So, you want to have a diverse game plan in the run game.
Q: What's clicked on your screen game? That's been a problem around here for a while, probably pre-dating you.
MIKE KAFKA: I think, number one, our offensive line are doing a really good job of getting to their landmarks and getting vertical. Our backs are being nice and patient with setting those things up. Then our pass protection and our pass game has helped that too. I think those three things combined have really helped it. When we call them, whether first down or second down, things that maybe defenses could be clued into is something we evaluated and looked at. There's a few things that go into it, but overall it's been a really good job of execution by the guys up front, the offensive line, the receivers, the (running) backs, the timing with the quarterback and when to free throw it over the top of a guy or dart it. It's been just good execution.
Q: Your team is among the lead leaders in drops. Is that just they have to concentrate more? Or is it hands, they don’t have good enough hands? What do you see?
MIKE KAFKA: I don't think that's the case. It's a combination of things. It could be separation. It could be protection. It could be ball placement. It could just be lack of concentration. So, there's a bunch of things that go into it. Each play is just a little bit different. But we always go back to our fundamentals and how can we improve that in an individual drill, in a group setting, in a team drill, in a live drill, in a fast drill. So, we go through that process.
Q: The league has stats for drops. Do you internally, as an offense, keep your own stats? Like, ‘Well, that wasn't a drop,’ or ‘No, that is a drop,’ you know what I mean? Are you a hard marker with that stuff?
MIKE KAFKA: For us, we look at it and go, ‘All right, that was a tough catch. We need to have better ball placement,’ or ‘We need to catch that.’ At the end of the day, we've got to make sure the ball's in our possession. We don't want drops regardless of where the ball is. We've got to make sure we throw an accurate football. But it's not those two things exclusively. It's a combination of things. It could be, was the quarterback affected by a rush where he had to move and now his launch point and his throw is a little bit off target and off rhythm. So, it's a combination of things. But, we have to clean it up.
Q: Are you a believer that… Some guys say if the ball touches their hands, they have to catch it?
MIKE KAFKA: I'm not 100 percent because there's plenty of examples I can think of where… I already cycled through my head right now. I know, as a quarterback, you want to give them the best ball where they can catch it and get yards after the catch. That's the key on some of those short to intermediate throws where it's higher completion percentage. The ones downfield, you're throwing it with a little bit more air. You're trying to give them an opportunity to run underneath it. They're adjusting. They have a defensive back on their back. So, there's a lot of things that go into it. But just being more precise in the pass game, that's going to be a detail we'll stress until the end of time.
Q: I would think as a quarterback and as an Offensive Coordinator you might have different standards on what is a drop and what is not a drop…
MIKE KAFKA: We can debate it in our meetings all the time, with the players and the quarterbacks. We’ll just keep on working at it.
