Killings, with wife Shavon and sister Daphne (far left), walked out of Methodist Hospital under his own power on Friday.
Defensive tackle Cedric Killings was released from Methodist Hospital on Friday. Killings, his physician, coach and teammates all spoke to the media afterward.
Neurosurgeon Dr. Rob Parrish – Methodist Hospital
(opening statement) "We're happy to be able to take care of him at the Methodist Hospital, and we're happy to have him leaving the Methodist Hospital under his own power."
(on DT Cedric Killings' expedient treatment and recovery) "He was treated appropriately on the field, which is the first step in treating spinal cord injury. And Dr. Lowe addressed that in a previous conference, any message, the real message to take away is Cedric did have a serious injury. He was treated appropriately on the field. That's absolutely perfect handling of the cervical spinal cord injury if you watch that tape, how he was moved onto the backboard, how he was immobilized and then he was transported here to the Methodist Hospital. And then he was given the Solu-Medrol, the steroid protocol for spinal cord injury, which is an accepted treatment for spinal cord injury and he was immobilized. And fortunately, his injury was such that he's making an excellent recovery."
(on how long the recovery will take) "Well, we'll just have to wait and see."
(on if DT Cedric Killings will rehab at the hospital) "No, he's going to do some rehab with the team and with the team trainers, and then we'll probably send him home to Miami for some rehab down there at a rehab facility in Miami near his home. And then we'll just have to see how everything goes."
(on if the deficits in DT Cedric Killings' left arm have improved) "Oh, everything has improved dramatically in the last few days, and we expect continued improvement."
(on when DT Cedric Killings will be back with the football team) "We're not making any comments about that and no decision at all about playing or when he's going to play."
(on if DT Cedric Killings' physical condition had to do with the expedient recovery) "Well, yeah, he's a perfect specimen of the physical condition of NFL athletes. I mean, he's in great condition. And that's always a help."
(on how much DT Cedric Killings' attitude in the hospital helped) "This guy's got the best attitude, equal to any patient I've ever had. He's been a great patient to work with; he's a great person and I've really appreciated having the opportunity to be his doctor."
(on if this injury could have been much worse) "Yeah. We're certainly fortunate that he was a few Newtons shy of the seriousness of the injury that (Bills TE Kevin) Everett had."
(on what he meant by Newtons) "Force. Newtons are a measure of force. So the force wasn't quite enough to cause the kind of fracture and spinal cord compression that Everett had in the Buffalo situation."
DT Cedric Killings – Methodist Hospital
(statement at Methodist Hospital) "This is my wife here, Shavon Killings, and this is my sister, Daphne. (She) flew in right after they heard, got news of what had happened and they've been here the whole way, been a big help to me and (I) just really appreciate having them here. And just for everybody else, all the support, all the calls, from the fans, from the community, from coaches - just everybody, everything has been tremendous and been great and a part of this and (I'm) just really excited, very fortunate and blessed to be in this position right here and to be able to be here standing and talking in front of you. Again, we are very thankful and we appreciate everything, all the support."
Head coach Gary Kubiak – practice
(on DT Cedric Killings walking into practice) "Well, it's awesome. You worry about him after what he had been through, but we knew he was doing good. It's nice for all his teammates to be able to see him walk in here with a smile on his face. It's a special bond between players, what they go through to play this game and to know that he's ok is a good feeling."
(on what he said in the team huddle) "We name captains every week. We have an offensive, defensive, and special teams captain. I told them (DT) Cedric (Killings) is the captain. I know he can't go with us, but he's going with us in spirit and we're going to down there and play well for him."
(on the injury report) "The only questions for our team, I would say, are going to be (RB) Ahman (Green) and (WR) Jerome (Mathis). The bottom line is those guys have not practices so it does not look good for either one of them, but they will be game time decisions. I would think that right now, Ahman would have more of a chance of possible playing then Jerome Mathis."
(on the kick return/punt return situation) "(CB) Dexter Wynn can do both. (WR) André Davis is a kick returner. (CB Jamar) Fletcher is a punt returner. We're counting on Dexter. That's who we're counting on right now, but we have plenty of guys to do it."
(on CB Dexter Wynn being able to return kicks and punts) "Yes, I think he can do both. That's something he's done for us in the past and Joe (Marciano) is comfortable with it. You can see (WR) André Davis back there on kick return also."
(on having to sign another receiver) "Do you we need to? Yes, we probably need to. Is it going to be an option for this week? It's something that has to be discussed here over the next 24 hours. What we're doing is trying to diagnose what's the best way we have a chance to win this weekend. Does that mean bringing a receiver off the practice squad? Or does that mean suiting up four tight ends? What does that mean? We're still trying to play that out and that will go all the way up until Sunday morning."
(on it being unlikely to sign someone outside the team) "Very unlikely. Very unlikely. We like our two kids on the practice squad, with (WR) Harry (Williams) and (WR) Devin (Aromashodu). We think they have a chance to be players and if we make a move, it will be with one of them."
DT Earl Cochran
(on what it was like to see DT Cedric Killings at practice) "I had no idea that he was coming today, but when he came into the door, everybody was wondering like, I know in the back of my mind, I went to see him in the hospital and he was moving around and in good spirits then, but when he was coming in the door today, I didn't have no idea how he was coming in; was it going to be on crutches, maybe in a wheelchair, but to see him walk through the door and walking around, moving around in good spirits and excited, that was big."
(on what DT Cedric Killings said to them) "Well, everybody had something to say but just to see him, from the beginning, just to see him when he came in there, you were kind of like there's time for words, but kind of like wanted to listen to what he had to say."
(on if everybody was silent when DT Cedric Killings walked in) "Yeah, everybody was silent, waiting. It was like great anticipation as soon as he walked through the door."
(on how much of a relief it was to see DT Cedric Killings) "That's big. Just a guy like that, a good guy on and off the field, that's big."
(on if they'll take that emotion into Atlanta) "That's big and you're going to take it into Atlanta knowing that that could possibly be your last play, so you're going to go out and give it all you have. Not to say that that was his last play, but just to know that something like that could happen, you're going to go out and give it all you have."
DE N.D. Kalu
(on how it was to see DT Cedric Killings) "Like I said, that smile, it would light up the whole practice stadium. So it was just good to see him walking, because that's your number one concern when you see somebody have an injury like that. And not only walking but moving, you know he's going to be fine. It was just inspiring for us."
(on how neat the moment was) "I mean, it was great. You can't really put it in words, it doesn't really justify what we felt out there, but like I said, just seeing him walk through there, it was a great feeling."
(on if he'll think about this in Atlanta) "It was inspiring, and just knowing that the coaches are dedicating the game to him, it means that much more because he's such a great guy. For him to get hurt the way he did right after he got called back to the team, you really want to go out there and leave it on the field for him."
(on if DT Cedric Killings' arrival was a total surprise) "It was a surprise. We didn't know; we actually thought he was still in the hospital, and some of the guys were actually planning to go see him again. So it was a surprise to see him there and not only walking, he was actually walking good. He wasn't limping. It was inspiring, and we're just happy for him, because when it's all said and done, it's football, but it's just a game and your health is all you've got. To see him walk, it was just good."
(on if he can share wthat DT Cedric Killings said to him) "No; just by sharing, you kind of cheapen it. But just gave us some inspiring words, let us know he's ok. And that's all that matters."
(on if this will carry over to Sunday in Atlanta) "It sounds good, but it better. The fact that he's going to be the captain for this week's game, there's going to be extra 'umph.' You don't want to have a loss for this one. You don't want to ever lose, but two, when you've got a game that's dedicated to a guy like Cedric after what he's been through, you really want to make sure you come out of there a winner."
(on if the defensive linemen were closer to DT Cedric Killings) "Oh, definitely. Especially during training camp, that's when you really get to know guys. This is our second year with Cedric and he's just a good person. Because he's not a star, people outside this locker room don't know how good of a person he is. But he's one of those guys that you want your sons to grow up to be like, you want your sisters to marry, so you don't ever want to see something bad happen to him. So again, when you see him walk through the doors and smiling, because when we saw him in the hospital he was still laid up in the bed, so to actually see him walk through the doors, I think that's what kind of pumped everybody up."
DT Amobi Okoye
(on DT Cedric Killings giving the team a lift) "Yes, it does give us a lift because we now know one of our family members is back ok and back with us. I think it's a great thing for the coaches to dedicate the game to him. I know I'm going to go out there and play hard for him."
(on DT Cedric Killings' recovery) "Hopefully, the recovery process will be a speedy one for him."
(on how it felt to see DT Cedric Killings) "It felt good seeing him, especially on the line because that's a person I've played with, so it felt good just seeing him."
CB Dunta Robinson
(on DT Cedric Killings) "To see him walk in, especially to walk in, that was the biggest thing for us. Good to see him in high spirits. Glad he came to see us. A lot of guys have been asking about him, asking how he was doing, so it was definitely good for him to make an appearance."
(on how much everybody will carry this with them in Atlanta) "And for coach to make him an honorary captain, that's something that we'll remember. He'll definitely be on our minds while we're in Atlanta. We definitely want to get this win for Ced."
(on how relieving it was to see DT Cedric Killings walk in) "Like I said, it was great to see him walk in because he's such a great person. And to see him smiling and for him to be as happy as he was to see us, it made us feel good. Like I said, we know Ced's a strong person and things like that happen to people that can handle those situations, and he's definitely one of those persons."
(on if he's volunteered to play wide receiver because of the injuries) "No, I haven't volunteered to play no receiver, man. I see those guys getting a lot of reps, I see we've brought in a few new guys, so I think they've got it under control on that side."
(on if he's returned punts in the past) "Yeah, but them days over with. I get payed to make tackles and to get interceptions. That's it."
LB DeMeco Ryans
(on seeing DT Cedric Killings) "It was big to see him walking in. It was a blessing, just to see him up and moving. Just to see the smile on his face is a blessing because you never know in this game; you never know when that last hit is. So it was a blessing to see him."
(on how nice it was to see DT Cedric Killings so healthy) "It's just a great feeling, man. Great feeling overall. For him to be the captain is very special also for this week."
(on the emotions of the team when DT Cedric Killings walked in) "Everybody was pumped up. Everybody stood up, started clapping for him. It was just an amazing, amazing thing to see him walk through those doors."
QB Matt Schaub
(on what it was like to see DT Cedric Killings) "It was very special. It lifts us all up to see him walking around laughing, joking and in good spirits."
(on how excited the team was to see DT Cedric Killings healthy) "We were definitely all very excited and very enthused at seeing him walking around, watching him smile and walk through those doors. It just lifts everyone up."
DE Anthony Weaver
(on if it was a neat thing to see DT Cedric Killings walk in) "It is, it is. And it makes you believe in the power of prayer. Because when he went down, we were all praying for him. And to see him walk in there today, it's a huge relief in all of our hearts."
(on what was going through everybody's mind as they waited for DT Cedric Killings to walk through the door) "I think we all kind of knew what was coming, but when you actually see it, everybody was just thrilled and happy for him, because we all wanted to see that happen."
(on if DT Cedric Killings said anything to him in particular) "No, he's just the same old Ced. The thing about it is he was just Ced, you know? And that's good. Whenever you can be that positive after something like that happens to you, it takes a special person to do that."
(on what DT Cedric Killings said to the team) "I don't think it was so much what he said, it was just him coming in smiling and being the same old (DT) Cedric Killings that we have all grown to know and love. Whenever somebody can go through what he's been through and stay in those positive spirits, that's special and that's something we can all be thankful for."
(on seeing how good DT Cedric Killings is walking) "It was a huge relief off all our shoulders. Whenever you see one of your teammates go down like that, it sticks with you. To see him come back and walk in like that, it was awesome."
(on if he was surprised) "I was. I was. I was thrilled and I'm happy for him and I'm happy for his family and all of our prayers were answered."
(on DT Cedric Killings almost bouncing as he walked in) "That's what I said before, we were happy to see that. He was the same old (DT) Cedric (Killings), smiling, enjoying life, and you have to love that."
(on the bond between the defensive linemen) "You are always going to be closer to your positional guys because those are the guys you spend the most time with. Our defensive line is really close. We go out every week together and we've come to know each other on and off the field. Whenever you lose a guy, it hurts you. It hurts you. But, to see him come in like he did, it gives us all a little boost today."
