Cruz didn’t seem to care.
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“If I’m not who I once was there’s no reason to be out here, ” he said Friday. “I feel like I want to go back and be at that same pedigree, and that’s what I worked hard all season for”. The once-dominant wideout avoided the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, and now has people wondering if he’ll be able to achieve his former success.
Wanting to stay with the Giants, Cruz even took a pay cut during the offseason.
There have been stops and starts in the Cruz comeback.
Not only are fans excited, but Cruz’s own excitement to return to the field of play is also evident in a recent video clip posted online. What they did, he did. He lined up in the slot on both the first and second team.
Victor Cruz being carted off the field against the Eagles on October 12, 2014.
Cruz guessed that he will need only one play to really know that he is back. He missed all of 2015 dealing with a calf injury that he aggravated just when he was expected to return.
“(Cruz) got some good individual work in and was sharp on his assignments. McAdoo said he wouldn’t make a determination on Cruz’ status until after Thursday afternoon’s conditioning tests. “You want to get in that right temperament, be at your best, play your best football and he’s got to make sure he controls that, where we’re getting his best and his actions don’t affect the team in a negative way”.
Cruz, 29, looks to be in phenomenal shape. He participated in every drill. Cruz is sick and exhausted of the special handling he’s received the past two years.
Cruz said he’s “just about” 100 percent and he feels as though his speed is nearing where it was pre-injury. Whether Cruz returns to previous form remains to be seen. “I’m pretty coachable, so we can go back and forth”.
“As much as people say they don’t read those comments, I skim them a bit”, Cruz said. I know all the naysayers, I hear all the people saying I can’t do it, or they’re doubting me, whatever the case may be.
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 again hone in on. “I was just happy to be out here with the guys”. “That’s the plan, that’s the goal, is to be myself”.
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Can he ever again be the Victor Cruz of old?
