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Much of the off-season hype has been around the Giants’ new GM Joe Schoen and new Head Coach Brian Daboll and who they planning to draft. That hype is justified as the Giants have finally blazed a new trail moving to a new business model, bringing in great football minds from outside the organization.

Secret Weapon:

It’s not healthy a Kenny Golladay or something obscure like a healthy Carter Coughlin. Flying below the radar is Offensive Coordinator Mike Kafka and what I am calling the Giants’ secret weapon.

Mike Kafka most recently was the QB coach and passing coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs. Kafka holds the key to unlocking Daniel Jones and putting him on the right track. To some degree coaching the bad habits out of him and exposing his underutilized skill set.

Proven Success:

For three straight years, Kafka worked with Patrick Mahomes on a daily basis. Kafka helped mold a young QB into a Super Bowl winner and one of the best QB’s in the league; he was also there every day working on the “nuts and bolts” of an explosive offensive.

Mahomes is a superstar, but let’s not discount the positive influence Kafka had on him. Jones will now have someone that actually listens to him regarding what works and what doesn’t with the ability to develop formations and schemes that fit his skill set.

Head Coach Brian Daboll has not announced who will be calling the plays in the upcoming season but you can be sure Kafka will have a major impact on the game plan.

QB connection:

When you think about the Chiefs offense, two names always dominate the conversation. Former Chiefs Wide Receiver, Tyreek Hill and Tight End, Travis Kelce. Those dynamic on-field connections started with Kafka, and Mahomes spending many hours together developing ways to exploit the vertical passing game and making sure Hill and Kelce had the ball in their hands.

He came in at the same time as I came into this locker room,” Mahomes said. “Even before he came in as quarterbacks coach, he already had a big imprint on what I did in developing me to be the player that I am. He continues that. He stays on me.”

– Pat Mahomes

Tight End Connection:

I would be shocked if the Giants didn’t draft a dynamic Tight End in the 3rd or 4th round. Kelce was a dominant force for Mahomes and you can bet that Kafka is in the ear of Daboll and Schoen about giving Jones a major weapon at the Tight End Position. This will be an instant upgrade, forcing defenses to finally account for the Tight End. McBride, Woods, Dulcich, and Ruckert are the leading candidates to give Jones an instant Day One dynamic starter.

Find that Missing Magic:

Kafka is watching tape. He can see the success Slayton and Sterling Shepard had earlier in Jones career. He will attempt to recreate that success, only with proven formations, clearing routes aimed at mismatches, unlike the predictable offense that Garrett and Kitchens rolled out. Kafka has years of exploiting defenses working alongside superstar Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy.

History:

The former Northwestern Quarterback has been a part of 6 NFL franchises as a player and worked his way up the ladder with the Chiefs organization from graduate assistant to now Offensive Coordinator for the Giants.

Don’t sleep on Kafka.

The Chiefs have valued Kafka and his role in developing Mahomes greatly, evidenced by their decision to block him from being poached in the past. However, the Chiefs decided to let him be considered for a role with the Giants.

by Aryanna Prasad