Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka talks about “touchpoints” at different stages
It should come as no surprise that the New York Giants have an extensive, long-range plan for what the development of rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart should look like.
The Giants constantly referred to a very intentional evaluation process they used during a two-draft cycle that finally led them to the decision trade up and select Dart No. 25 in the 2025 NFL Draft. That was a process GM Joe Schoen called both “extensive” and “exhausting.”
Moments after the Giants drafted Dart, head coach Brian Daboll told media that “the process of developing a quarterback is just that.”
It is a process Daboll and quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney went through successfully with Josh Allen during their time with the Buffalo Bills.
As quarterbacks coach and eventually offensive coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs, Giants offensive coordinator/assistant head coach Mike Kafka was involved in the early years of the development of Patrick Mahomes.
Dart may never be Allen or Mahomes, and it would be unfair to put the burden of that expectation on the 22-year-old. He does, though, have the benefit of a coaching staff that has been hands-on with the process of guiding the early-career growth of arguably the best two quarterbacks currently playing the game.
The Giants are never going to lay out step-for-step their plan, timeline or expectations for getting Dart ready to play.
During a session with media at last Thursday’s OTA, though, Kafka pulled back the curtain a bit while responding to a question I asked about how lessons from his work with Mahomes can be applied to helping Dart.
“I think whenever you draft a quarterback early, you want to have a plan or some semblance of a plan or schedule put in place to understand that it’s not really a one-week [plan]; it’s a six-month, one-year, two-year type plan for really any player,” Kafka said. “For any player you get you want to see what that player is going to be at some point in the distance, six months, 12 months, 18 months in the future, where his progress is and where he should be. That way, along the way you can evaluate is he on schedule? Is he a little bit further behind? Do we need to add or subtract certain things?”
Kafka called them “touchpoints.”
“That’s no different for any position. For the quarterback, that’s what you try to put together. I’m not going to get into the details of that plan, but that’s what you want to look for,” Kafka said.” You try to put those touchpoints on, okay, is he at this point come training camp? Start of the season, where is [he] with protections or assignments? Things like that. We try to put together a little checklist and a plan for every player, and the quarterback is no different.”
Thus far, we have seen Daboll hovering near and communicating with Dart on the field as much as possible during practice while Kafka handles the play-calling. Kafka had that role his first two seasons with the Giants, but Daboll assumed that responsibility a year ago.
“Right now, whatever Dabs needs me to do, that is what I’m going to do,” Kafka said. “If he needs me to call plays, if he needs me to communicate with the quarterback, if he needs me to do certain things. I am going to do whatever he asks me to do.”
Kafka did admit that an offensive coordinator’s involvement with quarterbacks is different than that of being a position coach.
“Just being the quarterback coach, you’re in that room with them. You’re coaching them just on the specific job of the quarterback versus the offensive coordinator putting the whole picture together for the Qs,” Kafka said. “Being in those meetings with the quarterbacks and explaining my intent for a play or my vision for what that play could be or what the offense could look like and how we’re going to attack certain things, just being out in front of that with the quarterbacks is always good information.”
Kafka added that the Giants’ trio of veteran quarterbacks — Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, and Tommy DeVito — are good influences on the rookie.
“The great thing about having those veterans is you don’t have to – they’ve all been young players – you don’t have to egg them to do anything outside of what they normally do,” Kafka said. “They’re naturally really good teammates, really good people, really good preppers. Their study habits.
“For Jaxson, it’s about getting around those guys, seeing how they work, seeing how they ask questions, seeing how they are in the meeting room, seeing how they interact in the locker room with the players, the command they have in and out of the huddle.
“I think those are just great experiences to have.”
We will have to see if it all adds up to having a quarterback in place who can lead the Giants’ franchise for the next decade or so.
