‘No tension’ between Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka

When reports surfaced last season suggesting there was a growing tension between head coach Brian Daboll and Wink Martindale, the New York Giants swiftly and emphatically denied it.

“I’d say the biggest argument that Wink and I have had is who has the last piece of pizza,” Daboll said after a Week 12 game. “I got a lot of respect for Wink. He’s done a good job. I’ll leave it at that.”

One high-ranking Giants official told the New York Post that any reports to the contrary were “complete bulls–t.”

Over time, it became apparent that their pants were on fire.

The moment the regular season ended, that tension between Daboll and Martindale boiled over, and the two sides eventually “parted ways.”

But it wasn’t just Martindale who reportedly had issues with Daboll. Special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey apparently wanted out and got his wish when he was fired on Black Monday.

Meanwhile, there were also mounting reports that offensive coordinator Mike Kafka was so dismayed that he was willing to move laterally if it meant escaping East Rutherford.

The Giants blocked those attempts and later rewarded Kafka with the title of assistant head coach.

On Tuesday, while meeting with reporters at the 2024 NFL Combine, general manager Joe Schoen insisted there are no issues between Daboll and Kafka and that any reports to the contrary were agenda-driven.

Where have we heard that before?

“There is no tension there,” Schoen said, via Giants Country. “Mike’s a really good coach; he’s a great teammate. He’s an asset around the building, and he’s a young coach who’s been a coordinator for two years; we elevated him to a new title because we will continue to develop him as a head coach.

“There is a lot of like for him around the league; he’s in demand. He was a finalist for two jobs over the last couple of years, and he’s earned it; he’s a really good coach with a bright future and an asset to the organization. There’s no tension between Mike and (Daboll).”

One of Kafka’s reported gripes is over play-calling duties, which Daboll stripped from him several times throughout the 2023 regular season and may take over in 2024.

However, given that Kafka is such a “good coach” who excelled at his job, surely the Giants won’t reduce his role despite giving him a promotion. Right?

Well…

“I’m never going to tell (Daboll) what to do,” Schoen said when asked if Kafka would maintain play-calling duties. “That’s his world. I’ll be a sounding board and give advice, but I’ll never tell him what to do as a coach. So, if he decided he ever wanted to do that, that’s up to him. I’m never going to tell him one way or the other what to do on the field and whatnot. That’s his world.”

If the Giants are “developing” Kafka into a future head coach, not committing to him as a play-caller amid reports of frustration is an interesting and never-before-used tactic.