Interim Head Coach Mike Kafka
Q: Do you know who's out?
KAFKA: I do know who's out. Alright, (quarterback) Jaxson's (Dart) out, (defensive lineman Chauncey) Golston's out, (offensive lineman) Evan Neal's out, (wide receiver) Darius Slayton's out, (outside linebacker) Kayvon Thibodeau's out.
Q: Out for today or out for the game?
KAFKA: They're out for today, Friday, 11-14.
Q: Is it safe to assume they didn't practice this week, that they're also out for the game?
KAFKA: Well, I'll wait for the official to come out.
Q: You didn't say Nacho (defensive lineman Rakeem Nuñez-Roches Sr.), (inside linebacker) Bobby (Okereke), or-
KAFKA: Those guys, I would say (safety) Tyler Nubin is doubtful and Nacho is doubtful.
Q: Bobby's not-
KAFKA: Bobby is questionable.
Q: He's going to come out here and practice?
KAFKAL Yeah, he's going to do some work today. It's going to be fun to watch him.
Q: What does getting (cornerback Paulson) Adebo back mean?
KAFKA: Oh man, it means you get a great player on the perimeter with a lot of confidence. I'm excited to watch him fly around. He's a guy that I've been talking to a lot this week and I think he's in the right frame of mind.
Q: How about (center John Michael Schmitz Jr.) JMS?
KAFKA: John Michael is doing a great job too. He's doing a nice job working through the medical stuff and getting the guys rallied up and being the leader of that group.
Q: What do you think Sunday's going to be like? First game, you've kind of been going through the machinations here.
KAFKA: I'm certainly excited for the game. It's still a couple days away, so we've got a lot of work to do today in terms of staff, in terms of game planning, and getting the players right. I think at that point, it's kind of too early to tell, but I'm excited about today.
Q: Is there any way you can practice all the things that you're going to have to do on Sunday? You're going to have to manage your timeouts and throw the red flag. Is there any way to get a feel for that, or just once you're in it, is when you do it?
KAFKA: It'll certainly be new. It'll be the first time doing it. I'm excited about that. We'll see if those situations come up, if I need to challenge it or not. Again, I've got a great staff, great guys up in the box, talking through the game management part of it. We've had some good conversations. Sure, that'll be new. I'll have to get used to it. These guys have been here for four years now, and they're doing a really good job, so we've had a lot of good dialogue in terms of whether it's in the office on certain situations across the league, or during the game when I was up in the box, talking through those situations. They're great to communicate with. Ty (Siam) and Cade (Knox) do a great job, so I'm just looking forward to carrying that on.
Q: Did you get a chance to talk to (Kansas City Chiefs head coach) Andy (Reid) this week?
KAFKA: I did.
Q: What was that conversation like?
KAFKA: It was great to hear from him. I'll keep it private for what we talked about, but it was great to hear from him, great to have his support. I know he's busy too, so for him to take some time out of his day to give me a shout was cool.
Q: What's it been like just being around the offices for you? Some of the defensive coaches have said, well, we know the guy, but we really don't interact with them that much normally. How has that been different?
KAFKA: Yeah, just getting around them. Just being in front of them in terms of team meetings, being around them and talking with them during their installation meetings and throughout the week, and just talking through them across the office, bouncing down there to see how they're doing and how I can help them. They do a great job of getting everything organized and communicating and collaborating with us, so I'm happy where they're at.
Q: One of the questions was what makes a good coach, and one of the things you highlighted was accountability and holding guys accountable. How does that manifest? How are you going to demonstrate that as head coach?
KAFKA: Yeah, I think you have a set standard on how you want to operate in the meeting rooms, on the field, as a pro and around the building, how you communicate with your players, and I think if it's not up to standard, then you've got to show them the 'why' it's not up to standard, how it can be changed, how it can be different, and if little things are not right, then you've got to go and fix it immediately. You don't want to just leave that to chance. If you can identify it fast enough, you go in there and you get it fixed, and then you show them the 'why' this is going to make you a better football player, why do we do this? It's not just talk. It's not just anything. This is why we do these things. It's because it helps us on Sunday. It helps us win games.
Q: Jaxson's still in the protocol, but you had said a couple days ago that he was still on track as to where he needs to be. Is he making progress in the protocol to the point where you feel good about that progress?
KAFKA: Just like where the doctors are at, I just think he's on track and in the protocol where he's supposed to be on this day, so I don't know if it's like over track, under track. They just said he's on track, which is great news for me.
Q: He's not going to be on the field.
KAKFA: You know what? I'll have to double check exactly, because there is some protocol part of it where if they want him on the field or not, but our medical people are doing a great job managing it.
Q: Overall, how do you think your players sort of handled the change and all the things that were going on this week?
KAFKA: Well, I'm sure it's different. Not everyone's going to take it the same, and I understand that, but I think it's been a good response. We've had really a couple good days of practice, a lot of good energy, so I'm just looking to stack another day. I think everyone's going to be a little bit different, but we have a great leadership group. We met with the leadership council and talked through how we're going to operate, what that practice schedule is going to look like. I know you're probably noticing a couple new changes here, as you guys are just around the building and stuff too, so it's going to be a little bit different, but the guys will get used to it, and I think the guys will enjoy the new program.
Q: In another week, it might have been (Green Bay Packers safety) Xavier McKinney's return here as a big story, and I don't think we've asked you about him at all. He obviously was a first-team All Pro last year, I think led the league in interceptions. How dangerous has he become?
KAFKA: Yeah, I got a lot of respect for X. When he was here, being a captain and being around him and being part of that leadership group, a guy that we leaned on here. He's a dynamic player. He's got great range, great ball skills. He can come up and tackle, and he's kind of the heartbeat of that defense in terms of getting everyone lined up. We've got to know where he's at on every play.
Left Tackle Andrew Thomas
Q: It's obviously a tumultuous week. What do you hope Sunday looks like for this team?
THOMAS: Just come out with energy and passion and execute in the moments that matter. That's what we've been focusing on this week.
Q: Is there any frustration for you in that you've been here, you're in the middle of your career, you've played really well, and the Giants, next year obviously, are going to have to start over? It's going to be your third regime, right? Is there any frustration for you in like time is slipping by?
THOMAS: I wouldn't say time is slipping by. I would say losing in general is tough, but I can't control what's going on around me. All I can control is how I approach every day, how I play, so, I'm just trying to get better as much as I can and continue to help with the guys in the locker room.
Q: Your reaction, what was it on Monday when (Brian Daboll) Dabs got let go? What was your reaction in general?
THOMAS: Obviously, it was a surprise. It's the nature of the business. Dabs was the head coach for some of my best moments in the NFL. I appreciate what he did for me and my family. I signed an extension with him here, so wishing him the best. But it's the NFL, we've got to move on to this week. A lot of games left to play.
Q: What do you think this team needs? Head coach, players? Why isn't it clicking?
THOMAS: I think we've just got to – I know it sounds cliché but we've got to execute in the moments that matter. We compete with teams that are deemed some of the better teams in the league and just in the fourth quarter, we just don't execute in the moments that matter. So, we've just got to do a better job of that.
Q: You've seen (Packers defensive lineman) Micah (Parsons) a lot in the past. What have you seen on film in a different uniform? Same guy? Anything different with him there?
THOMAS: Same thing. They move him around. Obviously, he can play on the ball, off the ball. Their front, in general, is talented without Micah, so, you add that in, they're one of the top in the league. So, it's going to be a challenge for us. Just got to make sure we can run the ball on early downs and then we've got some play action stuff. Just protect the quarterback when we have to drop back.
Q: I know there were times in the past when he really lined up against you. I mean, how much do you relish that when you have a chance to go heads up against one of the best guys in the league?
THOMAS: You always want to go against one of the best. But like I said, they have a talented front. (Packers defensive lineman) Rashan Gary is a great player too, so whoever is across from me, I'm going to bring my best.
