It’s tough being the new boss and wanting to separate yourself from the old regime, especially when things weren’t working. Change is inevitable and natural, but too much of it too quickly can create unnecessary headwinds and problems. Just ask New York Giants interim head coach Mike Kafka.
Kafka got his first taste of head coaching life in Sunday's 27-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Despite not having four starters available — including his starting quarterback — he coached a solid game and put the team in a position to win. Since taking over for Brian Daboll, the 38-year-old has been making it clear he doesn't want to be another failed experiment, so he's been doing his best to separate himself from Dabs and his failed methods.
He's made it clear he's adopting a calmer sideline personality, adjusting the team's practice and meeting schedule, and displaying more aggressive in-game decision-making. First-game results suggest what he's doing could work. However, one incoming change is sure to raise some flags among the players.
The Athletic's Dan Duggan reported that Kafka intends to follow through with a scheduling shakeup that's already frustrated the locker room before:
Another tweak from Mike Kafka: Players off days will be on Monday. Most NFL teams are off on Tuesday.
— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) November 16, 2025
McAdoo used to do the Monday off schedule and players didn't like it because most have to come in on Monday for treatment regardless.
Mike Kafka learned nothing from the Ben McAdoo experience
As Duggan noted, former head coach Ben McAdoo infamously held players off days on Mondays. Players didn’t like that setup — they’d still come in for treatment on Mondays, which meant they weren’t truly getting a day off.
Tuesdays are the preferred days off. That way, if a player needs treatment on Monday, that counts towards a practice day, versus having to come in on their day off to do work. And at 2-9, that's likely not going to get the reaction the first-time head coach is looking for.
At this point, it should be: don’t rock the boat from a locker room perspective, but rock it until the cows come home between the sidelines. Throw anything and everything at the wall to see what sticks during games — and even at practice — but don’t needlessly cause a rift. That won’t bode well for any potential future employment as Big Blue’s next HC.
McAdoo’s strict scheduling rubbed several players the wrong way. He believed that giving them Mondays off and starting prep on Tuesdays would better gear them up for the next opponent... which it didn't.
Fortunately for Kafka, McAdoo's inability to read the locker room had little to do with his firing. It was everything else that contributed to his downfall — the benching of Eli Manning, the suspension of multiple players, and the terrible on-field performance. He just wasn't cut out for the job.
This will be trial by fire for Kafka. As long as he keeps the locker room behind him, he’ll have a real shot at earning full-time consideration.