http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2011/02/giants_gm_jerry_reese_says_mat.html
INDIANAPOLIS — Mathias Kiwanuka has been cleared to return to the football field after his season-ending neck injury, Giants general manager Jerry Reese said today — and the versatile defensive end and linebacker told the team that he is committed to doing so.
In his morning news conference at the NFL Scouting Combine, Reese originally said Kiwanuka was not “out of the woods” yet in his rehab from a herniated disc in his neck. But a few hours later, Reese issued a statement saying he had spoken with vice president of medical services Ronnie Barnes, who told him that Kiwanuka received medical clearance in his final written evaluation Friday night.
Kiwanuka sought input from several doctors to determine whether he could return to the game without risking his health.
“The consensus of all of the spine physicians and Dr. (Russ) Warren is that it is safe for Mathias to return to play,” Reese said in the statement. “I have talked to Mathias, and he is fully committed to returning to football.”
Kiwanuka, 27, will be a free agent, so the Giants will have to decide if he returns to their team. They have indicated that they would like to re-sign the 2006 first-round pick.
He was placed on injured reserve in October, and the team was cautious in discussing his future, pointing out that neck injuries require extra care. Reese said Kiwanuka had been getting “good reports” during his rehab, but the final decision depended on whether he would be medically permitted to play and whether he wanted to return.
Now assured of both, Reese and the Giants have a business decision to make — albeit one that may wait until after the uncertain labor landscape is settled.
“Do we offer him a one-year deal so that he can re-establish his value or do we go in a different direction?” Reese said during his season-ending news conference on Jan. 3.
Kiwanuka recorded four sacks in the three games he played in 2010 and was a key part of new defensive coordinator Perry Fewell’s scheme. He contributed at defensive end and also at linebacker in Fewell’s “Big Base” defense, putting the good of the team ahead of his reluctance to play the linebacker position.
The Giants fell out of the playoff picture down the stretch, and Fewell acknowledged that he thought about what difference having Kiwanuka could have made.
“I think about that all the time. Tom (Coughlin) tells me don’t cry over spilled milk,” Fewell said in Week 17. “You never know the impact of a player, but I think about him like, ‘Boy if we had him, we could do this, we could do this, we would be like this, we would be like that, we could change our complexion a little bit more,’ but we’ll never know, but we do miss him. There’s no doubt about that.”
Kiwanuka’s medical green light means he has the chance to make that impact in 2011 — whether for the Giants, or elsewhere.
* * *
Reese agreed with Coughlin's assessment that RB Brandon Jacobs should have carried the ball more this season. Jacobs had 147 carries after three straight seasons of more than 200 attempts.
"I think he probably should be a 200-carry guy," Reese said. "We gave (Ahmad Bradshaw) probably too many carries. He's a little, tough guy, almost too tough for his own good. You like that about him, but when you give those little guys too many carries at the end of the season, you see him start to slow down some."
INDIANAPOLIS — Mathias Kiwanuka has been cleared to return to the football field after his season-ending neck injury, Giants general manager Jerry Reese said today — and the versatile defensive end and linebacker told the team that he is committed to doing so.
In his morning news conference at the NFL Scouting Combine, Reese originally said Kiwanuka was not “out of the woods” yet in his rehab from a herniated disc in his neck. But a few hours later, Reese issued a statement saying he had spoken with vice president of medical services Ronnie Barnes, who told him that Kiwanuka received medical clearance in his final written evaluation Friday night.
Kiwanuka sought input from several doctors to determine whether he could return to the game without risking his health.
“The consensus of all of the spine physicians and Dr. (Russ) Warren is that it is safe for Mathias to return to play,” Reese said in the statement. “I have talked to Mathias, and he is fully committed to returning to football.”
Kiwanuka, 27, will be a free agent, so the Giants will have to decide if he returns to their team. They have indicated that they would like to re-sign the 2006 first-round pick.
He was placed on injured reserve in October, and the team was cautious in discussing his future, pointing out that neck injuries require extra care. Reese said Kiwanuka had been getting “good reports” during his rehab, but the final decision depended on whether he would be medically permitted to play and whether he wanted to return.
Now assured of both, Reese and the Giants have a business decision to make — albeit one that may wait until after the uncertain labor landscape is settled.
“Do we offer him a one-year deal so that he can re-establish his value or do we go in a different direction?” Reese said during his season-ending news conference on Jan. 3.
Kiwanuka recorded four sacks in the three games he played in 2010 and was a key part of new defensive coordinator Perry Fewell’s scheme. He contributed at defensive end and also at linebacker in Fewell’s “Big Base” defense, putting the good of the team ahead of his reluctance to play the linebacker position.
The Giants fell out of the playoff picture down the stretch, and Fewell acknowledged that he thought about what difference having Kiwanuka could have made.
“I think about that all the time. Tom (Coughlin) tells me don’t cry over spilled milk,” Fewell said in Week 17. “You never know the impact of a player, but I think about him like, ‘Boy if we had him, we could do this, we could do this, we would be like this, we would be like that, we could change our complexion a little bit more,’ but we’ll never know, but we do miss him. There’s no doubt about that.”
Kiwanuka’s medical green light means he has the chance to make that impact in 2011 — whether for the Giants, or elsewhere.
* * *
Reese agreed with Coughlin's assessment that RB Brandon Jacobs should have carried the ball more this season. Jacobs had 147 carries after three straight seasons of more than 200 attempts.
"I think he probably should be a 200-carry guy," Reese said. "We gave (Ahmad Bradshaw) probably too many carries. He's a little, tough guy, almost too tough for his own good. You like that about him, but when you give those little guys too many carries at the end of the season, you see him start to slow down some."
