For the better part of the past two weeks, rumor and speculation have swirled over who is calling offensive plays for the New York Giants.
After a 40-0 drubbing by the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1 and falling behind the Arizona Cardinals, 20-0, by halftime of Week 2, the Giants suddenly erupted. They scored 31 second-half points to stun the Cards, completing the team’s biggest comeback since the 1940s.
Buy Giants TicketsAlmost immediately, it was assumed that head coach Brian Daboll had taken over the reins from offensive coordinator Mike Kafka. And in the eyes of some, there was evidence to support that theory.
But Daboll rejected it and insisted that Kafka was still calling the plays.
“Nope,” Daboll said bluntly after the Cards game when asked if he called plays in the second half. “We always communicate like that. I always have a sheet with me. But Mike (Kafka) did a fantastic job. I communicate with Mike, I communicate with (Thomas McGaughey), I communicate with Wink (Martindale). So the offensive staff did a great job. Moved the ball, scored points. Did their job.”
Quarterback Daniel Jones and wide receiver Darius Slayton have also gone on record stating that Kafka is calling plays, but that still wasn’t enough to sway some skeptics.
On Friday, for the first time since the Cardinals game, Kafka met with reporters and was able to address these rumors.
“No, our process has been the same,” Kafka said when asked if Daboll got involved in play-calling during the Cardinals game. “You guys are doing your job. You guys are trying to ask questions, I don’t resent that at all. Fair question but process has been the same.”
So, why has Daboll been spotted holding the offensive play sheet? Well, Kafka had an answer for that, too.
“I think he was just trying to talk into the microphone without anyone reading his lips, but I don’t want to speak for Dabs,” Kafka said. “I mean, we communicate throughout every series, every drive, throughout the game, what we like, what we don’t like. Again, the process hasn’t changed from last year to this year.”
Daboll has held the play sheet throughout the season and even prior to the Cardinals game, so that does damage the ongoing theories about the team’s play-caller. Still, don’t expect the speculation to end here — people are having too much fun with it.
