! Let’s salsa!
Cruz returns Giants
Victor Cruz is on the money about so many things, almost always hitting the right note throughout his storybook Giants career. But he is wrong about this:
“If I’m not who I once was there’s no reason to be out here,’’ he said Friday. “I feel I want to be at that same pedigree.’’
The Giants will be absolutely thrilled — and more than a bit surprised — if Cruz can return to the form that made him one of the most dangerous receivers in the NFL. They will embrace their good fortune if Cruz can resemble the 2011 version of himself, or the 2012 model or even the 2013 standard he set. But it is not crucial to the Giants’ chances this season that Cruz rekindles the magic and dances his way into the end zone on a regular basis. They need him to be healthy, get on the field, stay on the field and become a threat that defenses must honor to alleviate the heavy burden Odell Beckham Jr. carries.
There have been stops and starts in the Cruz comeback. What transpired on the first day of practice in this training camp was a good day for Cruz, an extremely good day. The Giants did not do anything too hot or heavy in an hour-long session inside their field house and Cruz went step-for-step with his teammates. What they did, he did. In the parlance of NFL practice participation, Cruz went “full,’’ which constituted a perfect opening day.
“I woke up, obviously hopped up super early just to get out here and feel good about myself and feel good about the day,’’ Cruz, clearly upbeat and relieved, said. “But the anxiety is definitely set- ting in, and I understand I have to pace myself, I have to take my time.’’
What was a fairly nondescript first day for new head coach Ben McAdoo, Cruz considered his day’s work “a huge accomplishment for me.’’
Beckham and rookie Sterling Shepard worked as the starters at receiver, while Cruz lined up in the slot with the second team.
Cruz has not played since Game 6 of the 2014 season, when he ruptured his right patella tendon against the Eagles in Philadelphia. One year ago, after an excruciating rehab on his knee, Cruz figured he was ready to roll, but a nagging left calf strain degenerated into a full-blown issue that necessitated surgery and put him out for the entire 2015 season.
Now he is back, looking fluid and comfortable, running routes and catching the ball, albeit without any defense on the field to stop him.
“He looked fine out here running routes,’’ McAdoo said. “He got some good individual work in, sharp on his assignments.’’
Asked if there are any physical restrictions or medical limitations on Cruz this summer, McAdoo said, “He’s gonna practice. Victor’s in the full practice and like all of our players we’re gonna monitor him but he’s out here practicing and champing at the bit ready to go.’’
Cruz, 29, looks to be in phenomenal shape. He appreciated the little things, such as simply being in the line of receivers with the offense and participating in tackling drills “for the first time in a long time.’’ Cruz is sick and tired of the special handling he has received the past two years.
“I’m on the same program as everybody else,’’ Cruz said.
There are doubters, to be sure. Cruz sees them on his social media, telling him to hang it up, ridiculing him for the failed comeback attempts.
“I think it’s more so the people outside of our bubble, outside of this family that we’re in that have those doubts,’’ he said. “And as much as people say they don’t read those Twitter comments, I read them, I skim them a little bit. I don’t let it affect me much but I skim them just to gauge what people are saying.’’
What Cruz has to prove is that he can be, if not what he once was, a reasonable facsimile, a target for Eli Manning to hone in on again.
“Just that I can do the things I once did, just that I can do it not just once but be consistent,’’ Cruz said.
Can he ever again be the Victor Cruz of old?
“I think I can be,’’ he said. “It definitely remains to be seen because I haven’t been out here. That’s the plan, that’s the goal, is to be myself.’’
Not a finished product. That is Victor Cruz’s view of Odell Beckham Jr., who is entering his third NFL season, a highlightreel player who has endured some rough-aroundthe-edges moments, both as a player and in the way he is viewed away from the f ield.
“He’s becoming slowly but surely a professional, understanding the rights and wrongs of this game and the rights and wrongs of his craft,’’ Cruz said Friday. “It’s just gonna take more and more reps, more and more time day in and day out to understand what’s good and what’s bad, but right now, between these lines, he understands.’’
Between the lines, Beckham has at times gone over the edge, most notably late last season when a series of altercations with thenPanthers cornerback Josh Norman led to a one-game suspension for Beckham. Opponents realize they can get under Beckham’s skin, a tactic that will be repeated until he proves he can rise above it.
“I think he has to temper that,’’ said Cruz, who lined up with Beckham in a game for only six quarters the past two years. “I think it takes people like myself, people like Eli [Manning], other leaders on the team to come up to him and say, ‘Hey man, we got your back. You don’t need to go above and beyond what’s being asked of you to do. Go out there and be the great player that you are … go out here and play, everything will take care of itself, we got your back.’ ”
Manning, 35, is much older than the 23-year old Beckham, and realizes he must keep the young receiver’s mind on the prize.
“It’s my job to keep him going when things are going well,’’ Manning said. “But there are going to be games where a defense takes him away for a quarter, or a couple series. It’s my job to pump him up and find ways to get him the ball, find ways to keep him happy, so he can make plays for us.’’
Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley said re- cently Beckham has become “too famous’’ with all his off-field activities. Cruz is no stranger to hanging with celebrities, but even he admits the past year has been “a little bit of a whirlwind’’ for Beckham.
“Just understanding that he’s gonna be pulled and tugged, just like we all are to do a bunch of things,’’ Cruz said. “He has to be smart, understand that it’s OK to say no sometimes, whether on or off the f ield, to these obligations, and understand what his priorities are. I think he understands what his priorities are.’’