There was a play in the third quarter of Sunday's game when backups Michael Coe, Derrick Martin, Jacquian Williams and Spencer Paysinger were all on the field. That's not exactly the way the coaches drew it up, but it wasn't exactly anything not planned for, either.
Given the names on the injured reserve list, that rings especially true for cornerbacks coach Peter Giunta.
"Coach Pete always says to be ready," Coe said after Sunday's loss in San Francisco. "You never know when your chance is to come out there. So I prepared all week like a starter."
Coe, primarily used for his special teams skills as a gunner, subbed in for an injured Aaron Ross, who went out with a bruised quad late in the first half. Coe took the majority of the defensive snaps the rest of the way and recorded two tackles, including one behind the line of scrimmage when he took down Kendall Hunter.
"I just went in there and tried to hold up," Coe said. "We have a high level up there in the DB's so I just tried to go in there and play to the best of my ability."
With Michael Boley on the sideline injured as well, the defense had to patch things together without their play caller.
"It was funny, we were talking about who on this defense is kind of the one that it would hurt the most to lose," defensive captain Justin Tuck said. "And unanimously we talked about Boley. He is that guy that gets everyone set up and lined up – the front seven and sometimes the back."
Asked if his absence hurt the Giants on Vernon Davis' go-ahead touchdown, Tuck said he didn't know if you can "credit that to Boley" not being there. Coe saw it the same way and said the defense was sticking to the game plan.
"Vernon caught a couple underneath routes, and we were playing the percentages from game film on what we thought he was going to do," Coe said. "We made some plays, but he made a couple good plays. But I think our defense played pretty good overall, but we just had to stop that big play from him getting in the end zone."Join other diehard Giants Fans! Follow @Giants
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