A GIANT FOREVER
Cruz wants to retire in Blue
Victor Cruz wants to salsa dance his way back to East Rutherford and retire a Giant.
“I do plan on reaching out and going there and making it happen for sure,” Cruz told the Daily News on Tuesday of his intentions to sign a traditional one-day contract with Big Blue. “I’ve just been all over the place with ESPN and just working and things like that.”
Once a Giant, always a Giant, as they say.
Cruz, along with former teammate Amani Toomer and other high-profile celebrities, made his way downtown to the annual BGC Charity Day, a part of the Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund, which pays respect to those lost on Sept. 11, 2001. Cruz represented his namesake foundation at the event.
“I was a sophomore in high school,” Cruz recalled on the 17th anniversary of the attacks. “I just transferred to a new school. It was literally the first week of school and we got sent home half a day. I kind of didn’t know what was happening. When I got home and started to see the news coverage and exactly what’s going on that’s when it kind of hit me. It was just a sad time.”
The former Giants receiver-turnedESPN-analyst officially hung up the cleats last month after injuries hindered the final stages of the 31-yearold’s career.
“Just like football, the more reps, the more cracks at it the better and more comfortable I get,” Cruz said of his early-goings at the self-proclaimed “Worldwide Leader in Sports.”
Cruz’s Giants fandom seemingly hasn’t left his side as he picked Pat Shurmur’s team to win its first division crown since 2011, while many other experts have them pegged for a basement finish.
But that season, seven years ago as you may remember, ended with another Super Bowl win over the Pats.
“I got them winning the division, so they can’t fail me,” Cruz said with a smile after taking aim at the offensive line. “They’ve got to get Eli some help, he’s got to stay up. Those crucial third downs, he needs to stay upright and deliver the ball down the field. He’s got to get some protection in order to do so. Once they get that squared away, I think they’ll be off to a good pace.”
Cruz, like everyone else in this town, was also in awe of Savior Sam and Gang Green following the Jets 48-17 win over the Lions on “Monday Night Football.”
“I know he threw that early pick six, but (Darnold) surely redeemed himself,” Cruz said of the Jets rookie signal caller. “He’s a guy that’s mature beyond his years and he’s played that way. He’s going to make mistakes, you know, things that happen when you’re a rookie. He looks like he’s got the goods and that’s a good Detroit Lions team that he beat.”