More From Reese: Kiwanuka Not 'Out Of The Woods Yet' [UPDATED]

by Mike Fiammetta on Feb 26, 2011 1:44 PM EST in New York Giants News

EAST RUTHERFORD NJ - SEPTEMBER 12: Matt Moore #3 of the Carolina Panthers is sacked in the fourth quarter by Mathias Kiwanuka #94 of the New York Giants on September 12 2010 at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford New Jersey. The Giants defeated the Panthers 31-18. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

[UPDATED]: Time for some better news, Giants fans. After a providing a bleak assessment Saturday morning of defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka's prospects of continuing his career, GM Jerry Reese released a statement saying the pending free agent has been cleared by doctors to return to the field.

“After I spoke to the media this morning at the combine, I had a conversation with (head trainer) Ronnie Barnes, who confirmed for me that last night we did receive the final written evaluation that gives Mathias medical clearance to return to the field,” Reese said in a statement issued through team’s PR department. “The consensus of all of the spine physicians and Dr. (Russ) Warren is that it is safe for Mathias to return to play. I have talked to Mathias and he is fully committed to returning to football.”

New York Giants defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka is not "out of the woods yet" after suffering a season-ending herniated disk in his neck, general manager Jerry Reese said Saturday.

In a press conference at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianpolis, Reese said that while Kiwanuka has received good reports from doctors as he continues rehab, no decision has been made regarding if he can or will play next season.

Reese acknowledged there is a possibility that Kiwanuka may never play again.

"He's been all over the place trying to get the right information so he can make the best decision on if he's going to play again next fall," Reese said today at the NFL's scouting combine. "I think there's a couple more doctors he wants to get some confirmation from, and our doctors want to huddle up and make sure everybody's saying the same thing and on the same page with him."

He did say, though, that if doctors clear Kiwanuka, he will probably play. Reese also referenced former Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce and the similar neck injury he suffered in 2009.

"Who knows when you talk about neck injuries," Reese said. "(Former Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce) had a neck injury, and boom, it was over just like that. Neck injuries are serious injuries, and you've got to be careful."

Kiwanuka is a free agent, or should be, pending the labor situation. The Giants have previously indicated that they would like to resign him.

Head coach Tom Coughlin said that Kiwanuka would not need surgery, and that he has been working at the team facility with the training staff.

While this news isn't entirely pessimistic, it's hard to cast a completely positive picture for Kiwanuka moving forward. How can the Giants really offer him anything more than a one-year deal? Also, there might be questions regarding Kiwanuka's will to play after suffering such a serious injury. Reese simply stated he believes Kiwanuka will play if cleared by doctors.

Mathias Kiwanuka

#94 / Defensive- End / New York Giants

Height: 6-5

Weight: 265

Born: Mar 08, 1983

College: Boston College

		Sacks		Interceptions			Tackles
	G	Sacks	YdsL	Int	Yds	IntTD	Solo	Ast	Total
2010 - Mathias Kiwanuka	3	4	47	0	0	0	9	2	11

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Comments

This gives Reese an excuse to draft a DE

by G-FANinFL on Feb 26, 2011 1:51 PM EST via mobile reply actions

Don't say it

Bite your tongue, LOL!

What happened to Frank083?

by Great Gatsby on Feb 27, 2011 6:57 AM EST up reply actions

all you can do is pray for him now

Dear FOX...
Fire Aikman and replace him with Strahan please

Bunga Bunga Party anyone???

NO Oline in the first!!!!!!!!!

Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo!!!!!!

I wrote this sig. So if Chris Broussard says he did. he's lying. infact if Chris Broussard says he wrote any store he's lying

by 56THE REAL LT on Feb 26, 2011 2:00 PM EST reply actions

what the hell are they doing...

in the LB meeting room? that’s two neck injuries in two years… maybe they should just have 2 D-lines.

Here’s hoping for Kiwi… for all the work he’s put in, he deserves better than this.

by Raptor22 on Feb 26, 2011 2:03 PM EST reply actions

Reese now says he is cleared to play,

according to Jenny Ventras. Great news.

by saturday on Feb 26, 2011 2:39 PM EST reply actions

Kiwi Must Have The Worst Luck.......

ever!! This poor guy was probably looking at a 4 or 5 yr deal for a gaurantee of in the range from 5-10 million and total 30 million to a one year deal worth maybe 1.5 or at most two million. Really shows you how in the NFL timing and health early are paramount

by BigBoss89 on Feb 26, 2011 2:40 PM EST reply actions

He's been cleared to play by every Doctor that examined him..

"When I was a boy and I had no sense..I got my pecker caught in an electric fence..Well it curled my hair, tickled my balls and made me shit in my overalls..."
Bring Frank back..or you all can line up and "Kiss my Ass"..This is bullshit..

by Bobbiblue on Feb 26, 2011 3:11 PM EST reply actions

To fix TC

you’d need a proctologist to get his head out of his ….

All the Giants should play like Mark Bavaro.
Tom Quinn Must Go!
On second thought, let's not blame players or coaches, they are not responsible. The unsupportive fans are to blame.

by UnknownJintsFan on Feb 26, 2011 3:30 PM EST up reply actions

It really makes you wonder if these guys are using the same writing

by Bobbiblue on Feb 26, 2011 3:49 PM EST up reply actions

..excuse me..writing tablet...Reese is gloom and doom..Coughlin is upbeat..

and the Doctors gave Kiwi the thumbs-up…Do they talk to each other?..The only guy that said he was ready to play was Quinn..Now that’s encouraging..

by Bobbiblue on Feb 26, 2011 3:52 PM EST up reply actions

Quinn gives stamp of approval to play football

Kiwi gets sex change, becomes the lead curler on the US winter Olympic Women’s team most likey.

All the Giants should play like Mark Bavaro.
Tom Quinn Must Go!
On second thought, let's not blame players or coaches, they are not responsible. The unsupportive fans are to blame.

by UnknownJintsFan on Feb 26, 2011 5:31 PM EST up reply actions

Hahaha!!

by Bobbiblue on Feb 27, 2011 8:39 AM EST up reply actions

Kiwi!!!

Last night, a comedian died in New York. Somebody knows why. Somebody knows

by Rorschach44 on Feb 26, 2011 3:23 PM EST reply actions

HEEeeeeeeeeeeeee's BACK!!

I know its way tooo early but I think our Superbowl hopes just got alot better Kiwi is a difference maker on a lot of levels.

by BigBoss89 on Feb 26, 2011 3:27 PM EST reply actions

Hope he's healthy and playing for the Giants.

I wouldn’t think another team would risk signing him after that type of injury.

by powerlifter610 on Feb 26, 2011 4:26 PM EST reply actions

PLEASE COME BACK!

If we draft another first round DE I’ll go insane.

World Series attitude, champagne bottle life, nothing every changes so tonight is like tomorrow night.

by Drizzzy on Feb 26, 2011 5:47 PM EST reply actions

I heard jj wattt was pretty nice and should be availible

Dear FOX...
Fire Aikman and replace him with Strahan please

Bunga Bunga Party anyone???

NO Oline in the first!!!!!!!!!

Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo!!!!!!

I wrote this sig. So if Chris Broussard says he did. he's lying. infact if Chris Broussard says he wrote any store he's lying

by 56THE REAL LT on Feb 26, 2011 6:52 PM EST up reply actions

I'll shoot myself

i hope every DE is taken before us. Especially with reese’s talk about pash rushers. please come back kiwi. save us form ourselves.

World Series attitude, champagne bottle life, nothing every changes so tonight is like tomorrow night.

by Drizzzy on Feb 26, 2011 6:54 PM EST up reply actions

lol. if bowers is availble, you won't "plaxico" right?

Dear FOX...
Fire Aikman and replace him with Strahan please

Bunga Bunga Party anyone???

NO Oline in the first!!!!!!!!!

Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo!!!!!!

I wrote this sig. So if Chris Broussard says he did. he's lying. infact if Chris Broussard says he wrote any store he's lying

by 56THE REAL LT on Feb 26, 2011 7:03 PM EST up reply actions

awesome :))))))

"Mr. Madison, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."

LET'S GO RANGERS!!!

by Moshe52792 on Feb 26, 2011 6:02 PM EST reply actions

let's do this thing!!!

sigh...

by nywins42 on Feb 26, 2011 7:35 PM EST reply actions

ty dr's!!

My thought on this is KIWI played pretty good at LB as well as RE. I could see it now with Kiwi in at LB tuck,jpp,oc, and cofield on the line on a 3 and long. How comfortable do u think opposing QB’s are gonna feel?

by hit_hard on Feb 26, 2011 10:02 PM EST via mobile reply actions

this is what i believe reese had visioned when drafting jpp

by hit_hard on Feb 26, 2011 10:04 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

And hust imagine how great it will be when we get watt or some other de in the draft

Dear FOX...
Fire Aikman and replace him with Strahan please

Bunga Bunga Party anyone???

NO Oline in the first!!!!!!!!!

Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo!!!!!!

I wrote this sig. So if Chris Broussard says he did. he's lying. infact if Chris Broussard says he wrote any store he's lying

by 56THE REAL LT on Feb 26, 2011 10:39 PM EST up reply actions

Uhh no. I can't

We have two beast DE’s already. We have a third in the making, if Kiwi comes back there’s a chance for 4 good to really good to great DE’s.

How does a rookie that TC would rarely play, mind you, who would take away snaps from Tuck, Osi, Kiwi AND JPP make the line look better? It’s just a waste.

BPA be damned.

World Series attitude, champagne bottle life, nothing every changes so tonight is like tomorrow night.

by Drizzzy on Feb 27, 2011 12:12 AM EST up reply actions

lol I was jus kidding buddy

there are 2 positions we won’t go for if they are bpa an one is de

Dear FOX...
Fire Aikman and replace him with Strahan please

Bunga Bunga Party anyone???

NO Oline in the first!!!!!!!!!

Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo!!!!!!

I wrote this sig. So if Chris Broussard says he did. he's lying. infact if Chris Broussard says he wrote any store he's lying

by 56THE REAL LT on Feb 27, 2011 12:11 PM EST up reply actions

I just did

picture that, and I heard the Giants crowd in the background as the 12th man. Nice image. In that scenario, I pictured Osi at RE, JPP and Cofield in the middle, and Tuck at LE. Or I could see JPP at LE and Tuck roaming the middle looking for the right gap to attack. I gotta go watch an old game on DVD, I just got pumped…

"Just when I thought you could'nt be any dumber, you go and do this... AND TOTALLY REDEEM YOURSELF!!

by tommy d. on Feb 28, 2011 7:42 AM EST up reply actions

jpp seams ore athletic. so i'd have him roaming

Dear FOX...
Fire Aikman and replace him with Strahan please

Bunga Bunga Party anyone???

NO Oline in the first!!!!!!!!!

Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo! Stat and Melo!!!!!!

I wrote this sig. So if Chris Broussard says he did. he's lying. infact if Chris Broussard says he wrote any store he's lying

by 56THE REAL LT on Feb 28, 2011 8:56 PM EST up reply actions

I would like to see that too, but dont forget that Tuck is pretty adept at finding the hole to attack.

"Just when I thought you could'nt be any dumber, you go and do this... AND TOTALLY REDEEM YOURSELF!!

by tommy d. on Mar 1, 2011 4:57 PM EST up reply actions

How can the Giants really offer him anything more than a one-year deal?

The reality is they simply can’t……With that said, when JR was talking at the
Combine initially, it was BEFORE he spoke to Ronnie Barnes and the medical staff.
I wouldn’t phrase that as gloom & doom so to speak, simply didn’t have all the info. at the time he was speaking. We don’t need another DL unless they want to do it in the later rounds. You would expect JPP to continue to progress, even if Kiwi doesn’t make it back.
The Anvil should be ready to step in as a backup, if they decide to unload Bernard (I would).

What happened to Frank083?

by Great Gatsby on Feb 27, 2011 7:05 AM EST reply actions

My caveat

Is that my own personal feeling is that they will try to keep Cofield…O’Hara, Bernard, and IMO,
even Jacobs are expendable. I think some on BBV are confusing the present day Jacobs, with
the 2007 & 2008 version. He doesn’t block well, terrible hands, yes he has unique size, granted.

What happened to Frank083?

by Great Gatsby on Feb 27, 2011 7:15 AM EST up reply actions