The New York Giants have been in the headlines all week long after collapsing again against the Chicago Bears. New York fired head coach Brian Daboll after another 2-8 start to the season, and they promoted offensive coordinator Mike Kafka to the interim head coach role.
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New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll shakes hands with San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan after a week 9 game between New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025.
Well, in the past, Daboll had some friction with defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, and they have had Shane Bowen as defensive coordinator for the last two years. Over the last few weeks, there was some tension in the building as well between Daboll and Kafka. There was no doubt some toxicity with Daboll as head coach.
Former New York Giants Head Coach Brian Daboll Threatened To Take Away Playcalling Duties From Mike Kafka
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Nov 2, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll stands on the field prior to a game against the San Francisco 49ers at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images
Jordan Raanan of espn.com wrote about what exactly went wrong behind the scenes with the Giants and why Daboll was fired. Raanan said about the souring relationship between Daboll and Kafka,
“One player recently told ESPN of Daboll exploding and threatening to take away playcalling from assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Mike Kafka after tight end Theo Johnson dropped a crucial third-down pass downfield against the Eagles.”
The former Giants head coach was looking for any excuse to take away play calling from him. Daboll is way too intense and emotional for his own being and that probably was his downfall in the end. Kafka has a different personality than he does.
Well, it will be interesting to see what life will be like for the next seven games for New York with Daboll gone now. For now, they are blaming this season on the head coach. If things don’t change, then a lot of blame is going to fall on general manager Joe Schoen as well.
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