Boley hurt; Jones tries to pick up pieces
San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore carries the ball in the second quarter as New York Giants safety Kenny Phillips, middle linebacker Greg Jones and defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, second from right, go in for the tackle. (Nov. 13, 2011) Credit: AP
SAN FRANCISCO -- Greg Jones has spent the entire season as the Giants' starting middle linebacker on the depth chart. On the field, that's been a different story. When Jonathan Goff was lost for the year, Jones took his title as starter but not his responsibility. That went to veteran Michael Boley. Until Sunday.
Boley, who arguably has been the most critical player on the Giants' defense this year, left the game with a hamstring injury late in the second quarter. That left Jones, the rookie sixth-round pick, to take over.
It was Jones who directed the defense -- and it was Jones who took responsibility for the 49ers' go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. "When you make a mistake like that, it can be costly," he said of letting 49ers tight end Vernon Davis get free on a 31-yard touchdown pass. "I'm learning that as I go along. It's an adjustment for me, but I feel like given the opportunity again, that's a mistake that won't happen."
Jones might get that opportunity soon. Giants coach Tom Coughlin had no update on Boley's injury, but it's conceivable he could miss a few games. That would leave Jones -- and fellow rookie linebackers Spencer Paysinger and Jacquian Williams -- to keep the middle of the defense together. Mathias Kiwanuka would become the team's only veteran linebacker.
"We were talking about who on this defense would it hurt to lose, and unanimously we talked about Boley,'' Justin Tuck said. "He is that guy that gets everyone set up, lined up. It's tough.''
Said Kiwanuka, "Regardless of who is on the field, we have to be able to play and get stops. Michael Boley is a big part of this team and a big part of this defense, and we all know that. So when he goes down, everybody else as a group has to step up their play a little bit."
The Giants also lost starting cornerback Aaron Ross in the first half to a thigh contusion. He was replaced by Michael Coe.
"With Boley [and Ross] down, we had four young guys that had to go in and play," Coughlin said. "They played as hard as they could. They'll learn from this."
