A CHEMISTRY LESSON
Cruz admits absence from OTAS & camp hurt timing for Giant WRS
LONG BEFORE the offensive line was in tatters, before injuries decimated the running back corps and before Eli Manning had morphed into an interception machine, the Giants offense was already in trouble.
And Victor Cruz finally admitted that on Wednesday. Ever since the season ended, multiple theories have been opined for the Giants’ 2013 offensive meltdown. But the delicate chemistry of the attack was off from the very start, Cruz said, when both he and Hakeem Nicks missed large chunks of the Giants’ offseason training program.
“I think for a quarterback like Eli, for receivers like myself and guys like Hakeem and Rueben (Randle) and Jerrel (Jernigan), you’ve got to kind of have that continuity, that consistency together over a period of time that’s going to continue to instill trust in Eli and us,” Cruz said at an event to promote Xbox One’s Playoff Face Off contest in Manhattan. “We understood exactly how to come in and pick it up and be on the same page rather quickly. But I think it did play a little bit of a part in our continuity early on, and throughout the length of the season.”
It played a far larger part than Cruz — or anyone else — could have imagined. Cruz missed most of OTAs as he hammered out a contract extension, and Nicks missed time for still-unexplained reasons. Then, a heel injury shelved Cruz for most of training camp, and a groin issue slowed Nicks.
Tom Coughlin never liked the repeated absences of his stars, but Cruz, Nicks and Manning all insisted the offense would be fine. Coughlin, however, turned out to be right.
“Honestly, I thought we’d go in and we’d pick it up right where we left off,” Cruz said. “Especially with guys like that that have been around and done it before, like myself and Hakeem. It goes to show you it takes a lot more than just that. You’ve got to build a lot more continuity and more trust mentally with your quarterback.”
The issues were evident all season.
“You could definitely feel it throughout the season,” Cruz said. “You could see it from game to game that our productivity wasn’t there.”
Cruz hopes that all changes this offseason, even though the Giants will have a new offensive coordinator. The team interviewed ex-Giants QB coach Mike Sullivan and former Titans coordinator Dowell Loggains on Wednesday, and Cruz threw heavy support behind Sullivan, who would likely run a system similar to retired coordinator Kevin Gilbride’s scheme.
Cruz said the Giants don’t need anything new.
“I just think we need a refresher, more so than people needing a whole big name,” he said. “A refreshing face that we know, one we’re all comfortable with.”
Cruz added that he plans to start working with Manning soon, too. Cruz is still recovering from lateseason knee surgery, and he plans to contact Manning after Valentine’s Day to schedule some offseason sessions.
GIANTS TO INTERVIEW PACK’S MCADOO
Two NFL sources say the Giants will interview Packers QB coach Ben McAdoo for the offensive coordinator vacancy. McAddo has interviewed for the open Cleveland Browns head coaching position and is believed to be the leading candidate for offensive coordinator in Miami. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have requested permission to interview Giants VP of Player Evaluation Marc Ross for their GM opening, according to a source.