SET VICTOR ON CRUZ CONTROL
Giants can’t count on rusty receiver...yet
The Giants’ first practice of training camp on Friday was supposed to be open to the public, but Mother Nature intervened, moving Big Blue indoors and preventing fans from watching Victor Cruz snag his first crossing route from Eli Manning at 11:01 a.m. and dart swiftly up the turf toward Salsa-Town.
The empty bleachers, though, probably did both the Giants and their fans a favor, because there are unfortunately two stories here: The one that everyone wants to happen, and the less palatable tale that the Giants must plan for, however difficult that is to hear.
Hoping for a Cruz revival is natural and exciting. Expecting one is unrealistic and would be poor management on the Giants’ part.
Cruz is refreshingly optimistic about resuming his NFL career this season, about returning from his 2014 torn right knee patellar tendon and last year’s left-calf surgery, about being “out there with the first team making things happen” once the regular season arrives.
He participated fully in Friday’s light practice, the first of what he hopes to be several incremental steps toward being “my old self again.” He even challenged his critics in an online video earlier this week that “I know all the naysayers, I hear all the people saying I can’t do it or they’re doubting me … I’ve prove(n) people wrong before, and I’m excited to prove people wrong again.”
Still, there is a reason GM Jerry Reese drafted projected slot receiver Sterling Shepard (Oklahoma) in this year’s second round, why Shepard worked ahead of Cruz in the firstteam offense’s two-receiver set opposite Odell Beckham on Friday, and why even Eli Manning is proceeding tepidly when evaluating Cruz.
“It was great to see Victor out there today running routes, but hopefully he can continue to gain more confidence in his ability and his health and get back out there,” Manning said. “It’s been a while since he’s played football. … We have a lot of weapons. It’s just a matter of can we stay healthy, can we pick up things fast enough and make plays.”
Cruz actually said himself: “If I’m not where I once was, there’s no reason to be out here.” And the odds never have been stacked higher against the Paterson, N.J., product, who turns 30 years old in November, and who became a star by defying long odds in the first place.
Even if Cruz makes it to Week 1 healthy, he played just six games in McAdoo’s system in 2014. Manning and Co. are entering year three of this offense. That could affect chemistry in his third year of a five-year contract.
“Well that’s why we need him out there practicing,” Manning said, acknowledging that reality. “He had a training camp, six games of that (2014) season, he’s been around the offense, been in meetings, last year and through the season. He just hasn’t played in a football game in a long time. So we’ve just got to get him back to making plays, making catches. It’s different when you’re catching balls from a jugs machine, rather than, hey, you’ve got one-on-one, you’ve got to run a route and make a tough catch.”
Manning made sure to mention that Shepard, for all of his “potential” and “playmaking ability” has “still got a lot to learn.” No one is saying a healthy Cruz wouldn’t start ahead of the rookie. There were three-WR sets on Friday showing Shepard out wide and Cruz in the slot on the first-team offense. Cruz also is preaching patience, as difficult as that must be for him at this stage.
“In my mind I’m just worried about tomorrow,” he said. “I’m not worried about any games right now . ... I’m worried about the game that’s in my mind tomorrow during practice.”
It’s just that there is plenty of talk about the Giants hoping to be a top NFL offense this season, and so much of those aspirations are boosted by the prospect of Cruz’s return and the freedom it could afford Beckham in coverages. And planning for his presence just isn’t realistic — though hoping for it sure feels good.