Curtis Riley filling the Giants' personality void with movie star looks and a golden smile

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie left a large vacancy on the Giants, not only for his play on the field but for his personality off it. He was the quirky, light-hearted guy who made everyone laugh. It may not seem like an important role in a defense – and more specifically in a secondary – but it definitely is.

Curtis Riley seems to be filling that void.

The third-year safety who signed here this offseason has become a popular personality on the team, bringing a big smile, a gold grill and a classic nickname.

Riley is called “Boobie” almost universally. He picked up the handle in high school because he looked like Boobie Miles, the real-life running back from “Friday Night Lights.” It stuck.

“I just could do it all, and I actually had the same haircut he had,” Riley said. “I had a baby face. I looked just like Derek Luke in the movie. So everybody just started calling me Boobie from there.”

It’s to the point that even when the Giants coaches want Riley to get on the field, they yell: “Put Boobie in!” And when Riley tweaked his hamstring in practice on Monday, the trainers came over to him and asked: "You ok, Boobie?"

Riley has another way of standing out on the field, too. When he’s practicing and playing he wears a gold grill on his teeth.

“I love gold, man, I’ve always loved gold,” he said. “It’s something I’ve been doing for a while. I wear it in training camp and in every game. I have a nice smile and I love gold, so I want to shine.”