Sunday Morning Quarterback

Not all was bad Saturday night as New York dropped its preseason opener to Carolina. Here are some of the highlights.

Mathias Kiwanuka, while struggling at times, showed the promise that he might be able to play linebacker.

“It was up and down,” Kiwanuka said. “It was good to be out there in a game situation and to get those looks and get stuff on film that I can get corrected and also focus on the positive.”

Kiwanuka finished the game with three tackles, but was also sucked inside on more than one occasion…

David Diehl also made a big debut, of sorts, starting at left tackle. Diehl appeared to hold up fine at his new home.

“I feel comfortable,” he said. “The more work I get, the better I feel. It was great to be in a game situation.”…

Reuben Droughns was pleased that he was able to show the fans something in his first game in a Giants uniform.

“There were a lot of jitters early on,” he admitted. “I wanted to impress the crowd. All around it was exciting.”

Droughns said coming into the game that he “wanted to get a long one.”

He succeeded. Late in the second quarter, he took a short pass from Jared Lorenzen and turned it into a 32-yard gain. Actually Droughns stated that he was never touched down at the Panthers six-yard line and should have been given the touchdown after he crawled into the end zone. There was no harm done as Derrick Ward scored three plays later…

Speaking of the running game, Tom Coughlin was especially pleased with his RBs.

“Ryan Grant did a nice job, Derrick Ward did a nice job and showed some quickness,” Coughlin said. “(Ahmad) Bradshaw did a nice job up until the fumble. You can’t put the football on the ground.”…

Anthony Mix posted a nice, 10-yard TD catch that can only help his chances of making the club.

“It was exciting, very exciting,” Mix said of his third-quarter TD grab. “That’s always a confidence booster. It’s nice to make an impression. I needed it.”

Mix was lined up one-on-one with a Carolina cornerback and said he just did what he was supposed to.

“I saw the DB and saw it was press man (coverage) with a fade ball,” Mix explained. “That’s what a receiver lives for – especially in the red zone. It was just basic pitch-and-catch.”