Greg Jones (linebacker b. 1988)
Encyclopedia
Greg Jones II is an American football
linebacker
for the New York Giants
of the National Football League
. He was selected by the New York Giants
in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Michigan State University
.
. He was a two-time All-Greater Catholic League and PrepStar's All-Midwest Team selection for coach Bob Crable
. As a junior in 2005, he had 13 tackles for losses, including three sacks. As a senior in 2006 he had 71 tackles
, 23.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks
.
Jones was rated as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com
and was ranked as the 34th best outside linebacker in his class. Scout.com
had him ranked as the 24th best strong side linebacker.
, Sporting News, CollegeFootballNews.com, Rivals.com
and Scout.com
. He led the Spartans with 78 tackles, becoming the first true freshman to lead the team in tackles since Dan Bass in 1976. The 78 tackles also ranked first among Big Ten freshmen. In his first career start, he had eight tackles and 1.5 tackles for losses against Northwestern. He also had four sacks.
by the New York Giants
. Jones was awarded the starting middle linebacker job after a season-ending injury to Jonathan Goff
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
for the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was selected by the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft
2011 NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
.
Early years
Jones attended Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati, OhioCincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
. He was a two-time All-Greater Catholic League and PrepStar's All-Midwest Team selection for coach Bob Crable
Bob Crable
Bob Crable . He is a 1978 graduate of Archbishop Moeller High School with an accomplished high school football career...
. As a junior in 2005, he had 13 tackles for losses, including three sacks. As a senior in 2006 he had 71 tackles
Tackle (football move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....
, 23.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
.
Jones was rated as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting. The network was started in 1996 and currently employs more than 300 personnel.-Schools:The individual collegiate sites can be found...
and was ranked as the 34th best outside linebacker in his class. Scout.com
Scout.com
Scout.com is an integrated sports publishing company that produces both an Internet and print product. Scout has more than 2.1 million visitors...
had him ranked as the 24th best strong side linebacker.
2007
As a true freshman in 2007 Jones was named a first-team Freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of AmericaFootball Writers Association of America
The Football Writers Association of America is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the NCAA...
, Sporting News, CollegeFootballNews.com, Rivals.com
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting. The network was started in 1996 and currently employs more than 300 personnel.-Schools:The individual collegiate sites can be found...
and Scout.com
Scout.com
Scout.com is an integrated sports publishing company that produces both an Internet and print product. Scout has more than 2.1 million visitors...
. He led the Spartans with 78 tackles, becoming the first true freshman to lead the team in tackles since Dan Bass in 1976. The 78 tackles also ranked first among Big Ten freshmen. In his first career start, he had eight tackles and 1.5 tackles for losses against Northwestern. He also had four sacks.
2008
As a sophomore in 2008, Jones was named first-team All-Big Ten by the head coaches and second-team pick by the media. He was the first Spartan linebacker to earn All-Big ten first team since Josh Thornhill in 2001. Jones was also named to Collegefootballnews.com's all sophomore team. He was awarded Michigan State's Outstanding Underclass Back award. He started all 13 games, again leading the team in tackles with 127 and had two sacks.2009
As a junior in 2009, Jones recorded 154 tackles and nine sacks and was a consensus All-American. The 154 tackles led the team for the third straight year and was most in the Big Ten. Jones was also the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first Spartan to earn the honor. He earned first team All-Big Ten for the second consecutive year.2010
As a senior in 2010 Jones had 98 tackles, a sack and two interceptions. He was named a first team All-Big Ten for the third consecutive year and a first team All American for the second year in a row.New York Giants
Jones was selected with the 185th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft2011 NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players...
by the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Jones was awarded the starting middle linebacker job after a season-ending injury to Jonathan Goff
Jonathan Goff
Jonathan Goff is an American football linebacker for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Giants in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Vanderbilt.-Early years:Jonathan Goff was born to Gwendolyn Tyre and Tobie Goff in Atlanta,...
.