NO RASH DECISIONS: MIKE KAFKA EXPLAINS WHY BOWEN LASTED TWO WEEKS
Giants interim HC Mike Kafka fires defensive coordinator Shane Bowen after the team's 5th blown double-digit lead this season. Kafka cited poor results and promoted Charlie Bullen to interim DC to fix the struggling defence.
New York Giants interim head coach Mike Kafka has finally shaken up his coaching staff after the team's latest defensive struggles. You could see Mike Kafka of the New York Giants during warmups of a preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Defensive coordinator Shane Bowen got the axe Monday morning. This came after the Giants lost to the Detroit Lions 34-27 in overtime, a game where the defence really struggled.
Detroit's Jared Goff threw for 279 yards, and Jahmyr Gibbs ran wild with 219 yards and two touchdowns as the Lions came back to win.
That game marked the fifth time this season that the Giants blew a lead of 10 points or more. And get this—it was the third time it happened in the fourth quarter!
Some people thought Bowen should've been fired sooner, but Kafka says he had a good reason for not firing the coordinator right after he took over as interim head coach.
Mike Kafka Explains the Shane Bowen Firing
Kafka spoke at a press conference Monday morning, explaining why he made the change when he did and why he thought it was needed.
These decisions aren't easy. Shane's a good guy, a good coach, but the results just weren't there, Kafka said. Charlie (Bullen) will step up and get the team going.
Kafka was then asked why he didn't fire Bowen after the previous week's loss to the Green Bay Packers. In that game, the defence also gave up the lead late.
Kafka responded, I wanted to watch the film, look at the past few weeks, and really examine the defence and the communication. I felt like now was the right time.
He added, When I first got the job, I didn't want to rush into anything. I wanted to take some time to evaluate and figure out the best course of action. I wanted to be careful in how I handled it, and I felt like today was the right moment.
It's clear Kafka didn't want to make quick decisions in his first shot as an NFL head coach. After the last two weeks, though, the writing was on the wall.
Who is the new defensive coordinator, Charlie Bullen?
With Bowen out, the Giants are promoting their outside linebackers coach, Charlie Bullen, to interim defensive coordinator.
Kafka expressed his full confidence in Bullen to turn the Giants' defence around.
The defensive staff will get behind Charlie and develop a great plan. I have a lot of faith in our staff to make it happen.”
Bullen brings 18 years of coaching experience to the table, with 12 of those in the NFL.
This was his second season as the outside linebackers coach in New York. This will be his first time calling defensive plays at the pro level.
Kafka said, We’re going to give Charlie the ability to make the changes he thinks are best for the defence, whether it’s personnel, scheme, communication, or play calls.” This information is from the team's website.
He adds, “He’ll work closely with the entire defensive unit to make sure it’s his vision. I’ll be there to support him and offer my input as well.”
YANKEES DEBUT ALERT: LEFT-HANDER RYAN WEATHERS OFFICIALLY STARTS TOMORROW NIGHT AGAINST THE NATIONALS
Bronx debut: Discover how Ryan Weathers' new "bullet slider" and 97 MPH heat will lead the Yankees against the Nationals tomorrow.
Ryan Weathers is set to make his Yankees debut on the mound tomorrow night, according to Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News. The lefty will face a familiar team in the Nationals; he saw plenty of them back when he pitched for the Marlins in the NL East. The Yankees are still getting their starting pitchers ready for the 2026 season, so this outing gives them a chance to see what Weathers can do.
They picked up Weathers from Miami this offseason. He’s only 26, but he’s already been busy trying to sharpen his game. He's been working on a new two-seam fastball and a tighter bullet slider, hoping to finally show why he was once the seventh overall pick in the draft.
Before that, though, the Yankees take on Toronto today at 1:07 PM EST. Will Warren gets the start, and both Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger are in the lineup.
Now, back to Weathers. Last year with the Marlins, he made eight starts and put up a 3.99 ERA, striking out over 22% of the batters he faced. The Yankees believe he has even more to offer. They’re betting that these new pitches, a better two-seamer and a firmer slider, will help him take that next step.
He throws hard; his fastball averaged 96.8 MPH last season, which got plenty of teams interested. The upside is real, but so is the risk. Injuries have slowed him down the last couple of years, cutting short what could have been breakout seasons.
First, Weathers has to prove he can stay healthy. Then, he needs to show that these tweaks to his pitch mix can help him avoid the hard contact that led to seven home runs allowed in just 38.1 innings last season. The Yankees are betting on his talent, though, and they see him as a possible future star in their rotation.
Tomorrow’s game is at George M. Steinbrenner Field, and it’ll be the Yankees’ first night game of the 2026 Grapefruit League, starting at 6:35 PM EST.
OLYMPIC FAMILY LEGACY: INSIDE TOM BRADY’S PLAN TO TURN VIVIAN INTO A SUPERSTAR OLYMPIAN
Sports news: Tom Brady's Olympic dream. Get the report on Vivian’s volleyball talent and Team USA’s wins in Milan.
Tom Brady, now retired and a seven-time Super Bowl champ, took his kids, Benjamin and Vivia,n to Milan for the 2026 Winter Olympics. They spent the week soaking up the city, meeting new faces, and cheering for Team USA on the ice. The real rush came on Thursday; the USA’s women’s hockey team pulled off a wild comeback against Canada, winning 2-1 in overtime. Megan Keller scored the game-winner, and Brady got to watch it all unfold right next to tennis legend Billie Jean King.
Four days later, the men’s team kept the momentum going. Jack Hughes scored another overtime winner against Canada on Sunday. You’d think that would be the biggest story from the Bradys’ trip, but no, what really got people talking was something way more personal.
Tom posted a sweet shoutout to his daughter Vivian on Instagram. Just after all the Olympic action, he shared a photo of 13-year-old Vivian, captioning it: “Future summer Olympian” with a string of volleyball emojis. Fans immediately caught on that Brady wasn’t just being a proud dad; he was dropping a real hint.
Vivian, whom he shares with Gisele Bündchen, already plays volleyball at school. She swims and plays soccer, too. What’s cool is that every sport she loves is a Summer Olympics event. Brady’s caption didn’t feel random; it felt like he meant it.
And this isn’t their first Olympic adventure together. Brady and Vivian hit up the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics and packed their days with nine different events: gymnastics, beach volleyball, swimming, and diving. Vivian even got to play some volleyball on the sand with Brazilian legend Juliana Felisberta da Silva.
After seeing all the winter action in Italy, Brady’s “summer Olympian” tag for Vivian sounds even more hopeful. He knows exactly where he sees her going.
With the Olympics set to land in Los Angeles in 2028, Vivian will be 15 when the Games kick off in July. Club volleyball is probably her next step. And Brady himself? He’s hinted he’s got his own Olympic goals for 2028, turning the dream into a full-on family mission.
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