Mathias Kiwanuka tries to stop ex-Giant Ahmad Bradshaw
Ahmad Bradshaw #44 of the Indianapolis Colts gets tackled by Jacquian Williams #57 and Damontre Moore #98 of the New York Giants in the first quarter during their game at MetLife Stadium on Nov. 3, 2014 in East Rutherford, N.J. Credit: Getty Images / Jeff Zelevansky
Mathias Kiwanuka was a teammate of Ahmad Bradshaw's for six seasons. In that time, he often spoke about the running back's toughness and junkyard dog mentality. On Monday night, he was asked to do something about it.
"I know how to approach it, too,'' Kiwanuka said of the key to tackling the former Giant, who is in his second season with the Colts and made his first regular-season appearance against his old team. "You've got to keep your eyes on him until the very last second because he will move, he will shift. Don't watch his head, because that will get you in trouble. You've got to stay low, and once you get his legs, you have to drive yours because he's got power below.''
Bradshaw is having a bit of a revival to a career that seemed to have ended because of a neck injury and chronic foot troubles that hampered him throughout his tenure with the Giants. He was leading the Colts in rushing with 371 yards on 76 carries (4.9 per) and had caught 31 passes for 264 yards and six touchdowns. He had three receiving touchdowns with the Giants and never caught more than 47 passes in a season.
"He looks like a brand new created player to me,'' defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul said. "I'm glad he's doing well. He's doing very well . . . He's running like the Ahmad Bradshaw I know.
"That's the kind of player that you need on your team, a guy who is relentless and is going to make those yards. Even after he gets hit, he's going to make those yards. That's what he brought here and what he brought to Indy, too. I'm very proud of him. He's my guy.''
Bradshaw spoke last week about how emotional he would be for this game. With a long list of former Giants in the house to celebrate Michael Strahan's Hall of Fame ring ceremony on an evening the team dubbed its homecoming, there were plenty of old teammates to see beyond those on the opposing sideline. But Bradshaw spent very little time during warm-ups catching up. Fellow Colt and former Giant Hakeem Nicks was more visible, greeting old teammates roughly two hours before the game.
Bradshaw's presence on the field this season was never a sure thing. In October 2013, he had surgery to fuse vertebrae in his neck. He contemplated retirement, he said. But Kiwanuka, who dealt with his own neck injury in 2010, said he never thought Bradshaw's career was over.
"I never think anybody's done until they say that they're done, and he never said that once,'' Kiwanuka said. "I saw him out a couple times and he was optimistic, so I was just hoping for the best.''
He continues to. Except for Monday night.
"Yeah, he's a former teammate,'' Kiwanuka said. "I wish him the best every week except this week. You never wish an injury on anybody, but if we can hold him to the worst outing of his year, that will be good for us.''
Asked if he thought he'd ever have to go against Bradshaw, Pierre-Paul shrugged. As a free agent after this season, he knows he could be the one returning to MetLife Stadium in enemy togs in a year or two.
"Hey, it's football,'' Pierre-Paul said. "You never know where you're going to be at. I'm going to tackle him. I'm going to get there. As long as he doesn't hit me with a stiff arm, I'm good.''
Notes & quotes: Devon Kennard started at strong-side linebacker, giving the Giants four rookie starters. The others were WR Odell Beckham Jr., RB Andre Williams and G Weston Richburg. The only member of the seven-player 2014 draft class not active was CB Bennett Jackson, who had season-ending knee surgery . . . CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (hamstring, back) started after being listed as questionable . . . RB Rashad Jennings (knee) and DT Cullen Jenkins (calf) were inactive, as were CB Mike Harris, T Charles Brown, DE Kerry Wynn, T James Brewer and G Brandon Mosley . . . Bradshaw and Nicks weren't the only former Giants on the Colts' roster. T Jamon Meredith and DT Kelcy Quarles spent time with the Giants. They were inactive . . . The Giants were 7-3 coming off byes under Tom Coughlin.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
