Mike Kafka only has good things to say about Pat Fitzgerald and Northwestern.
Entering his second year as the Giants’ offensive coordinator, Kafka formerly played quarterback for Northwestern for four seasons from 2006-09 before serving as a graduate assistant with the team.
Both Fitzgerald and the university have recently come under fire amid allegations of rampant hazing and a toxic culture around the football team. Fitzgerald was fired in early July after 17 seasons as Northwestern’s head coach.
Kafka’s four seasons at Northwestern were Fitzgerald’s first four years in charge.
“I’ve got nothing but love and respect for Coach Fitz and I had a great experience at Northwestern,” Kafka said before practice Thursday. “I really did. Many, many lifelong friends to this day. I met my wife there. I started a family there. So, I had a great experience at Northwestern.”
After a strong first season as offensive coordinator, Kafka received at least four head coaching interviews in the NFL, though each team chose a different candidate.
Now in need of a new head coach, Northwestern could pursue Kafka in the near future as well.
“I’m just focused on training camp, really, today,” Kafka said.
Joe Schoen is confident he and Saquon Barkley are just fine.
“Our relationship is good,” Schoen said on WFAN on Thursday morning. “When he started [negotiations] during the bye week [last season,] Saquon came up to my office and we had a really good conversation and I said, ‘Listen, this is the first time you’ve been through this, there’s a business side to this, you were drafted No. 2-overall, you had your fifth-year option exercised and now we’re moving into talks for a contract extension and this is the first time and none of it’s personal.’ He understood that throughout the process.”
After Barkley did not report to minicamp, Schoen is impressed with what he’s seen from Barkley at training camp.
“He’s been up to my office a couple of times since he’s been back,” Schoen said. “We talk on the field and stuff. He’s very mature, he’s a good teammate and he really cares about his organization. He came in, he was in phenomenal shape and he looks really good out there, it was as if he was here all spring.”
Rookie running back Eric Gray, whom the Giants drafted in the fifth round, has been taking reps at punt returner throughout training camp.
Explosive with the ball in his hands, he’s a real option for the role.
“Eric does a great job, he’s talented,” special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey said. “He did it in college [at Oklahoma] and he’s a work in progress just like all the rest of them that are back there but he’s doing a good job, he’s working hard. He’s a rookie that has a lot to learn and we are bringing him along like all the rest of them.”
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