It’s the Ryan Poles connection at work.
Don’t look now, but Mike Kafka’s stock hasn’t taken nearly the hit that you may have expected.
If you look at recent op-ed writings, everything about the New York Giants is associated with failure. The team’s choice to maintain head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen attracted a lot of criticism from Giants fans and NFL commentators, and it’s probable that some changes should be expected down the line.
But, as the saying goes, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” We can only assume the same is true for NFL franchises.
On Monday, the Chicago Bears announced that they were interested in interviewing Mike Kafka, the Giants’ current offensive coordinator, for their head coaching position. The immediate reaction was one of astonishment, given how badly things had gone for Kafka in New York.
Of course, it’s easy to forget that Kafka rose quickly through the ranks of prospective head coaches. Even as the Kansas City Chiefs’ quarterbacks coach, he was receiving interest and interviews from organizations for higher-level positions. Daboll’s ability to pluck him as his OC was considered a brilliant hire at the time.
Kafka has previously interviewed with the Carolina Panthers, Houston Texans, and Tennessee Titans, all of which have obviously gone in different routes.
The Giants’ offensive troubles in recent seasons, however, have made Kafka a prospective target for termination rather than promotion. The failure to develop Daniel Jones into a franchise quarterback reflects poorly on Daboll’s reputation (and, by extension, anybody associated with him on that side of the ball).
Still, Kafka is a former NFL quarterback who is still young and should have plenty of opportunities across the league to serve as a coordinator, if not a potential head coach. Given that the Bears are run by former Chiefs executive Ryan Poles, there is some familiarity with what Chicago could expect from the potential hire.
Is Kafka ready? The Bears sound like they want to at least have the conversation.
