DE Mathias Kiwanuka Says NY Giants Are "re-focused"

Kiwanuka Claims Giants Have No Leadership Issues

Zac Wassink
First published on Examiner

New York Giants defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka knows what to expect from the Tennessee Titans this coming Sunday; plenty of Chris Johnson.

"I said last week that no matter who you're facing, you have to stop the run," Kiwanuka explained on Thursday. "You have to stop the run and defend the pass. If we stick to our game plan and everybody is in the right gaps, and knows their assignments, then we'll be good...I think he is one of the most explosive in the league since I've been here."

Defensive back Antrel Rolle questioned the team's leadership earlier in the week, and the subject hasn't gone away since. Kiwanuka, a member of the Giants since 2006, is not concerned. "We have great leaders on this team," Kiwanuka stated. "People have stepped up in a lot of situations where they're needed. Now, was Rolle right to say what he said? Absolutely. There was a void at that moment. You can't expect people to be 100 percent all the time. There are going to be lapses here or there, and it's good that he said something because now everyone is paying attention to it...we do have good leadership on this team and that was one incident. You can't put everything in that category. You can't say there was bad leadership because of that one incident."

If anything, Kiwanuka states, Rolle's comments have fired up the Giants' roster. "It definitely makes us re-focus, he said. "It gave us a little boost of energy, and it put a little chip on people's shoulders who felt like they should have stepped up."

Kiwanuka is 100 percent accurate in saying that players, especially on defense, need to step up for the Giants this weekend. Nobody did so last Sunday night, and the team was embarrassed and annihilated by the Colts. At this point, though, players like Kiwanuka have to be ready to put the week behind them and get down to business against a Tennessee team looking to also bounce back with a win on Sunday.

Quotes courtesy New York Giants Communications Office

More from Associated Content: Jacobs says sorry, Bulluck talks Titans, Manning talks leadership

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Published by Zac Wassink - Featured Contributor in Sports

A gimmick sports writer with a love for Tottenham Hotspur, New York Red Bulls, US Soccer, Adelaide Crows, Juventus, Middlesbrough, New York Giants, New York Mets, Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Indians, Chicag...  View profile

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