Giants Country

Giants Looking to Become More Explosive on Offense

Having added speed at the skill position group, the New York Giants are hoping to rise from being dead last in the league in explosive pass plays of 20+ yards.

Patricia Traina

Giants Looking to Become More Explosive on Offense
Giants Looking to Become More Explosive on Offense /
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East Rutherford, N.J.: New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka has always been one to play things close to the vest when asked about his thoughts about the personnel and how he plans to deploy it.

But it was hard to miss the sparkle in the 35-year-old former quarterback's eye when he was asked about some of the new additions on offense this year, namely tight end Darren Waller, whom the team acquired in a trade with the Raiders.

"He's a talented player. He's a great person. He's a really good teammate," Kafka said Thursday. "That's one thing I’ve learned about him. He cares about his guys. He's competitive, which we really like. We value that here.

"He's doing everything we're asking him. He's working hard, putting in the time and effort to learn the offense and get in sync with D.J. (Daniel Jones) and the quarterbacks. He's done a great job."

Waller is also a potential big-play receiving tight end who not only creates mismatches but who, when healthy, can open up a lot more avenues for Kafka and the offense to explore, especially when it comes to pass plays of 20+ yards, where the Giants last year managed only 28 such plays, last in the league.

"You want that to be a part of your offense," Kafka said of the big pass play. "Any area, whether it's the protection side of it, whether it's the decision making, the routes, the concepts, the scheme, you look at all that stuff.

"I think that's one thing we kind of did a deep dive on is how can we whether improve it to get some more of those opportunities or personnel to get the right people in the right spots. That's our job to make sure we do that the right way."

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Waller has been partaking in some wide receiver drills this spring, perhaps a hint of what's to come regarding how he's deployed and the routes he will be asked to execute this fall.

Kafka downplayed that, noting that they cross-train at every position. But he couldn't hide his excitement over potentially having more options at his disposal if everyone stays healthy.

"Yeah, I think between the skill group, all those guys are doing a good job of getting themselves in the mix, trying to identify a role for themselves in a bunch of different ways, the run game, the pass game," he said.

"Those guys are working to figure out a role there. They're doing a great job, they're flying around, they’re communicating well. When you get into Year 2 of the offense, things are a little bit smoother because you've heard it already a few more times, you've been through some of those situations already, you have some stuff that you can fall back on."

Kafka has also been pleased with what he's seen from rookie receiver Jalin Hyatt, who is trying to carve out a role for himself as well on the offense.

"Jalin is doing a nice job. He's right on schedule," Kafka said. "He's working. He's growing. That's one thing you've seen from him from the first day in rookie camp to the next day, then you're working through this Phase III part of it, is his growth and his familiarity and comfortability with the offense."

And of quarterback, Daniel Jones, who last year fared well in the new system, Kafka declined to get into specifics as to where the coaches were looking for the fifth-year quarterback to grow, but he did say they have a plan to ensure Jones hits the necessary benchmarks.

Of course, it helps that Jones, Kafka, and quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney are all back for another year together to see that plan through to fruition.

"Yeah, I think that is important," Kafka said of the continuity. "Any time you can kind of get in the second year of the program, there's familiarity with the verbiage, familiarity with the communication. The conversations happen a lot faster.

"Now we're working to streamline it, working to be more efficient with it, efficient with the situations that we're asking him to be in, making those decisions."

  

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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