Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie aggravates groin injury in Giants loss Sunday night

Before the 2016 NFL season began, the Week 5 schedule was one to circle for fans in the 9-4-1.

Lakewood Ranch High alum Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Sarasota’s Sam Shields were set to face each other on opposite sidelines in front of a nationally televised audience.

Except, a concussion picked up in Week 1 pushed Shields out of the Green Bay Packers lineup, while Rodgers-Cromartie overcame a groin injury to return to the New York Giants lineup.

DRC played 61 of 80 defensive snaps in Sunday’s 23-16 loss to the Packers.

“I thought it was a gutty performance by DRC,” Giants head coach Ben McAdoo told NJ.com. “Going back out and playing for his teammates shows the type of character he has, and I appreciate it personally.”

However, DRC’s status for next week’s game is unknown after he aggravated the groin injury that caused him to miss the previous Monday night game against Minnesota.

DRC has five of his 24 career interceptions in his two-plus season with the Giants and tallied a season-high three tackles against Green Bay.

Meanwhile, Shields picked up his fourth concussion in his seven-year NFL career when he tackled Jacksonville running back T.J. Yeldon in the season opener. He’s continuing to work toward returning to the field under the concussion protocol guidelines.

Despite the recent injuries accrued among locals in the NFL, there’s still plenty to cheer with other Hometown Heroes that are tearing it up at the next level.

Desmond Blue: The Southeast High alum is a former defensive player of the year for the Herald. Often considered undersized by Division I recruiters, Blue’s persevered through his talent and hard work.

He landed at New Mexico Military Institute before heading to Division II’s Eastern New Mexico University. And he’s crushing it.

linebacker has started all six games for the Greyhounds (4-2) and ranks third on the team with 26 tackles. Blue also has 3 1/2 tackles for a loss, 1 1/2 sacks, two interceptions, two pass breakups, four passes defended and a fumble recovery. A solid force on defense all season, Blue turned heads with his season-opening performance against Southwest Baptist: seven tackles, two tackles for a loss and a sack.

Bruce Livingston: A senior defensive lineman with Arkansas Tech University, Livingston is a success story in his own right after playing high school football at the former Bradenton Prep, which shut down its program in 2010. This year, Livingston ranks fifth on the team with 27 tackles, and he tops the Wonder Boys with 3 1/2 tackles for a loss. Livingston’s also forced a fumble, broke up one pass, has a sack and two quarterback hurries.

Kelvin McKnight: In his sophomore season with Samford, McKnight continues impressing. The former Manatee High star leads the Bulldogs with 17.2 yards per catch and ranks third among Samford receivers with 19 receptions. Averaging 81.5 receiving yards per game, McKnight has three touchdowns as a slot receiver and is also the main punt returner, accruing 76 yards on 10 returns through five games.

Jordan Grabski: A junior at Idaho, this Southeast alum made the most of his playing time with the Vandals this year. Playing in just his second game of 2016, Grabski hauled in an interception and returned it 17 yards in a 34-13 loss to Troy University on Oct. 1.

Eric Thompson: In his senior season with Youngstown State, this former Southeast defensive back has an interception, three pass breakups and four passes defended in the Penguins secondary.

This story was originally published October 11, 2016 at 6:40 PM with the headline "Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie aggravates groin injury in Giants loss Sunday night."