Yardbarker: Mathias Kiwanuka

[Giants] Giants DE Mathias Kiwanuka Feels Better After Bye Week

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 02:16:12 -0500

Giants DE Mathias Kiwanuka, who has been playing through the ankle injury he sustained on the final play of the Washington game, said the rest he got...

[Giants] Giants DE Mathias Kiwanuka Feels Better After Bye Week

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 02:16:12 -0500

Giants DE Mathias Kiwanuka, who has been playing through the ankle injury he sustained on the final play of the Washington game, said the rest he got...

Week 2 Giants vs. Rams - Injury Report

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 21:10:23 -0500

NFL injuries play a key part in every NFL game. This weeks game between the New York Giants and St. Louis Rams will be no different. The below injury report is from NFL.com. The Giants are coming into the game possibly without their top two pass rushers Mathias Kiwanuka and Osi Umenyiora who is out [...]

Mathias Kiwanuka's Ankle Not Healing At Rate Expected

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 14:32:19 -0500

New York Giants defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka cut two big ice bags from his left ankle after Thursday's practice at Giants Stadium. Once bare, the ankle looked normal on the outside. "I will probably take all the time up until game time before I'm 100 percent," Kiwanuka said. "But I'll be there." The condition of the ankle is a lingering concern to the Giants and to Kiwanuka. They expected it to be fully recovered by now, a week after it was injured on the final play of last Thursday's 16-7 victory over Washington in the season opener.

Mathias Kiwanuka's X-Rays are Negative

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:37:18 -0500

As time expired on the New York Giants' 16-7 victory against the Washington Redskins, Redskins tackle Chris Samuels fell on defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka, who lingered on the ground with pain in his left ankle. But afterward, Kiwanuka said the X-rays were negative and he was ably walking around the locker room -- encouraging news for a defense that lost defensive end Osi Umenyiora for the season less than two weeks ago.

Plan for the O

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 18:03:22 -0500

As mentioned yesterday, here's my game plan for the offense for the Giants game on Thursday. I'm going to try to do these game plans every week, because not only do I think they make good reading, but JZ is new, and he could use all the help he can get. As the season goes on, I want to try to add some

Giants vs. Redskins Prediction & Pick Against the Spread

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 09:37:12 -0500

A betting analysis for those who plan on wagering on the NFL Season Opener: Washington Redskins @ New York Giants -4.5.

FINAL: (Day 2) Tournament Vote Off: NFL QB's -- FINAL -- B. Favre vs D. McNabb -- Pick the FINAL Winner

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 07:15:19 -0500

Welcome to day 2 of THE SUPER BOWL QB's CHAMPIONSHIP Round tournament style vote off. What you do here is vote for the best QB of the pair. The winner will be the YARDS SUPER BOWL QB CHAMPION: *****NOTES FOR DETERMINING THE WINNER OF THE FINALS:***** ***** The winner will be the one with highest number of votes after 48 hours, this gives everyone a chance to vote or after 151 total votes have been casted or the first one to 76 votes, whichever comes first. ***** Since this is a 2-day vote off, you will be able to vote once a day for a total of 2 total votes at least 24 hours apart. **** After you vote, its an open floor for discussions about anything you want to talk about as long as you follow the 3 Rules of the Yard. Let's keep it friendly, and tell your friends we are here and lets make this fun for everyone. THE SUPER BOWL QB's CHAMPION IS: NOW IN SESSION IS: --- B. FAVRE vs D. MCNABB

NFL Punchlines: Jets Announce PSL Plan For New Stadium

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:27:09 -0500

Raiders center Jake Grove is "giddy" that he won the starting job. (San Fran Chronicle)

As DeSean Jackson shines, Reggie Brown has seen his role with the Eagles diminish. (Philly Inquirer)

Parcells has "his guys" all over the Dolphins roster. Why is this a story that gets written every time he goes to a new team? (Orlando Sentinel)

The Jets have announced their PSL plan for the new stadium. The upper deck ticket holders were spared the fee. How nice of Woody. (NY Daily News)

With all of the money the Jets poured into that o-line in the offseason they need to perform better than they have thus far. (NY Post)

With Strahan announcing he is staying retired and Mathias Kiwanuka moving to DE to replace Osi, what will the Giants do to fill the void left at linebacker? (NY Post)

The Vikings D will even be that much better with LB Chad Greenway in the lineup after he missed all of last season. (Star Tribune)

Cadillac Williams on PUP list = Earnest Graham's stock rising in fantasy drafts. (Miami Herald)

Also placed on the PUP list, Giants WR David Tyree. (Hartford Courant)

Are Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson the 3rd best receiving tandem in the league? Roy thinks so. (Detroit Free Press)

Brandon Marshall is trying to appeal his three game personal conduct policy suspension. (Denver Post)

Could we see an 18-game regular season as apart of the next collective bargaining agreement in 2011? If so, do you think it is a good idea? (Denver Post)

Tread lightly if you are thinking of drafting Rudi Johnson because according to him he'll be gone, "at any minute." (Cincy Enquirer)

Yesterday we mentioned that Ricky Manning Jr. was disgruntled and later in the day the Bears promptly released him. Coincidence? Probably not. (Sun-Times)

What About the Giants' Justin Tuck?

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 06:54:49 -0500

With all the drama surrounding Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora and the Giants have people overlooked Big Blue's Justin Tuck? G101's Hazem Kiswani tells us why that's a big mistake.

Strahan: eehh, nah.

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 20:06:28 -0500

Okay, so Michael Strahan says no. Thank God. This whole Brett Favre thing has been so painful, I couldn't deal with another, "I'm old, but great, but old" story. Football-wise, not having Michael Strahan easily helps the New York Giants. Kiwanuka at DE is where he should be. He is not a linebacker and never will be, at least not in a 4-3. (3-4 is a different story). The Giants again will be in a rebuilding year, as they are every year, for the first 6 games. They constantly have problems, injuries, no-body fill ins that seem to make the team ready to tank. I don't care if that is a bad sentence. I am 4 Yuenglings in. So anyway, with all this crap, they still manage to shuffle together a formidable team by the end of the year. Is it the veterans? Is it the Coaching? I am not sure, but it is safe to say that they always have "names" hanging around on the roster. Dr. Z, Paul Zimmerman, reported last year prior to the Super Bowl that although Osi Umenyiora was athletically gifted, he would, at times, disappear from entire games. I must agree with this statement, or idea, since I did not provide a statement. Where am I going with this? Mathias Kiwanuka will emerge as a better all around DE than Osi U. He is more complete in his physical control of his body. Better run stuffing and contain from the end slot. I also suspect that he is going to have a stronger inside rush move. We will see.

Levarage Gap

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 23:00:02 -0500

So the Lemur is all a twitter about the possible return of Michael Strahan to the Giants with the loss of Osi Umenyiora. I'm not going to weigh in on the inevitable will he or won't he or should he or shouldn't he; that's what the Lemur does, after all, and I'd hate to step on the toes of longtime athletes in mid-bray.

But I will note this... only in New York, and for this situation, does this story get such obvious play. The Giants say they are just going to move Mathias Kiwanuka back to the down position, away from linebacking duties, and start something called Gerris Wilkinson in the newly available linebacking slot. If they are really going to back up the bank truck and pay Strahan the money they weren't willing to pay him last year, they've got a funny way of showing it.

As an Eagles fan, I'm all for Strahan continuing to be retired, in that the Giants with fewer pass rushers are a lot more fun to deal with. But it's also hard to imagine that a man who had checked out can come back and still provide the same performance.

There's also this: Umenyiora was a beast last year, but he was also an overrated one, thanks to his career day against Winston "Turnstile" Justice in the win over the Eagles on MNF. Take away that night, and Umenyiora is just another good pass rusher, rather than an utterly dominant one... and even if he and Strahan had both returned, they weren't likely to do so at the same level.

Combine this with the loss of Gibril Wilson to the Riaders (OK, admittely for a comically overinflated contract, as is The Raider Way), and you've got a lot going wrong for the defending champions before the season has even started.

There is one saving grace, however. The Giants have a cupcake schedule (Skins at home, Rams on the road, Bengals at home, then the fourth week bye) for the first month, when Strahan is presumably losing his Greecian beach flab, or when they're still teaching Wilkinson how to play the position. If you're going to have injuries, better early than late.

(Oh, and there is also the nice idea of Strahan coming back, eating their salary, providing no value, and staying off my television. A man can dream.)

Without Umenyiora, Giants can't repeat

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 20:23:00 -0500

The fat bellies and big heads of defending champions. The loss of Michael Strahan to retirement. The likelihood of David Tyree catching another pass with his helmet. The New York Giants were going to have a hard enough time defending their Super Bowl crown as it was. Now Big Blue has lost arguably its best player to a knee injury. Defensive end Osi Umenyiora is gone for the season, and with it, so are the hopes of the Giants repeating. To win a Super Bowl, a team must be dominant in at least one regard. For the Giants, the pass rush was their only dominant unit last year — and Umenyiora was at the center of it. The 26-year-old had a team-best 13 sacks on a squad that led the league with 53. Take those away, along with Strahan (nine sacks last season), and the sack attack starts to look very average. The Giants also lost Kawika Mitchell (4.5 sacks in 2007) to free agency. Justin Tuck (10 sacks in 2007) now becomes the team's top pass rusher, though his success is sure to decline with the loss of two of the game's best ends, creating a trickle-down effect through the entire defense that will expose New York's sub-par secondary. The options for Umenyiora's replacement — veteran free agents Renaldo Wynn and second-year pro Dave Tollefson – are certainly nothing to get excited about. The most sensible move would be to shift strongside linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka back to end, his natural position. Don't hold your breath for Strahan to return, either. The guy has his ring and a new broadcasting deal with Fox. It seems the Giants used up all their positive juju during their amazing Super Bowl run last year. Without Umenyiora, it's hard to see the 2008 Giants as much more than a .500 ballclub.

NFL Punchlines: Carson Palmer Suffers Broken Nose

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 17:53:25 -0500

The Raiders are in the market for a 3rd receiver after the injury to Drew Carter. Could they look to Joe Horn to fill that role? (San Fran Chronicle)

Shawn Merriman is still weighing his options after tearing 2 knee ligaments. (Union-Tribune)

The one man the Steelers "can't go without" might surprise you. (Post-Gazette)

Mathias Kiwanuka would gladly switch back to DE from LB if it will help the Giants in the wake of losing Osi Umenyiora for the season. (NY Post)

Jonathan Vilma is happy with the direction the Saints defense is headed. (Times-Picayune)

A mature Albert Haynesworth? Of course, he is playing for a long-term contract. (Tennessean)

Vikings fans: Tarvaris Jackson promises he will start the season opener. (Star Tribune)

Donald Driver is doing his part to aid Aaron Rodgers' development. (Journal Sentinel)

As expected, Chad Pennington will be named Dolphins starting QB for the opener vs the Jets. (Miami Herald)

Jason Witlock compares Carl Peterson to Al Davis. (KC Star)

Not many things went right for the Colts as they opened Lucas Oil Stadium last night vs. the Bills. We take that back actually, the roof worked just fine. (Indy Star)

Matt Leinart's stinker of a performance on Saturday has all but forced Ken Whisenhunt's hand to name Kurt Warner the starter in Arizona. (AZ Republic)

Greg Ellis plans on bettering his career best 12 1/2 sacks from last season. (Dallas Morning News)

Although Carson Palmer has a broken nose he is not even on the injury report for week one vs the Ravens. (Cincy Enquirer)

Jason Taylor will likely miss the season opener after spraining his knee Saturday night. (Baltimore Sun)

Who will backup Matt Ryan in Atlanta? (AJC)

Giants moving Kiwanuka to DE to replace Umenyiora

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:04:01 -0500

The New York Giants moved Mathias Kiwanuka back to defensive end to replace the injured Osi Umenyiora on Monday, a decision that decreases the already slim chances of the Super Bowl champions needing to make a push to get seven-time Pro Bowler Michael Strahan out of retirement. ''Obviously this is not the way you want it to happen but it's an opportunity for a lot of guys, and I am one of the guys who has to step up and take advantage of it,'' said Kiwanuka, who walked off the field with defensive line coach Mike Waufle well after teammates left the field following a short morning walk through. The Giants' first-round draft pick in 2006, Kiwanuka was moved from defensive end to strongside linebacker last season so the team could get its best 11 defenders on the field. However, he has played almost his whole career as a lineman, including his first season with the Giants and last season on third-down situations before breaking a leg against Detroit in November. Coach Tom Coughlin refused to speculate on whether the Giants were still interested in Strahan, the 36-year-old who retired in June after a 15-year career that was capped by the Giants' stunning win over the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. He said he has not been involved in discussions on the topic and he has not talked to Strahan since Umenyiora suffered a season-ending torn meniscus in his left knee on Saturday night against the Jets. ''I'm more concerned with the team that we have right here in our locker room and that this team mentally prepares itself as best we can,'' Coughlin said when pressed. General manager Jerry Reese said that injuries are a part of the game and that the team was fortunate to have players capable of picking up the slack. ''As always, we'll continue to research all of our options,'' Reese said. Strahan, who is vacationing in Greece, turned down a $6 million contract offer in the offseason. He has since signed to work on Fox Sports NFL pregame shows on Sunday. Strahan told the NFL Network on Sunday that he has not heard from the Giants. ''I haven't heard from anybody else, so to say if I would or wouldn't is premature,'' Strahan said. ''So I'm enjoying my retired life right now.'' Teammates tended to doubt that Strahan would return. ''As I know it, he is probably on a beach somewhere sipping on some pina coladas, so I doubt football is the first thing on his mind today,'' said defensive end Justin Tuck, who replaced Strahan at left end. Defensive tackle Barry Cofield said Strahan gave no indication that he wanted to play again when he visited the Giants at training camp in Albany, N.Y., less than two weeks ago. ''He has not been bouncing back and forth like (Brett) Favre,'' Cofield said. ''He has been pretty happy. We saw him up here and he said he missed it but he was content. He has decided to go on to the next phase of his life so I don't look too strongly into that (him playing again.)'' Danny Clark, a nine-year veteran who was signed as a free agent in the offseason, will move from weakside linebacker to the strong side to replace Kiwanuka. Gerris Wilkinson will start at weakside linebacker.