At the beginning of this football season, questions loomed surrounding the Giants’ passing game after their star receiver Steve Smith left for Philadelphia and dependable tight end Kevin Boss left for Oakland, both as free agents.
On to the stage stepped Victor Cruz, an undrafted free agent with the potential to make big plays. He first caught people’s attention in a preseason game against the New York Jets last season, when he scored three touchdowns and amassed 145 receiving yards, according to nfl.com.
After missing last season with a hamstring injury, according to Newsday. Cruz returned this season ready to make an impact. He certainly has done so, with eighty-three receptions and nine touchdowns, averaging 18.7 yards per catch, according to giants.com. His 1,536 total yards this season set a new Giants single-season record, passing the mark previously set by Amani Toomer.
Cruz played an integral role in the helping the Giants make the playoffs by making great plays in must-win games. His ninety-nine yard touchdown reception in Week 16 against the Jets put the Giants in the lead and turned the game’s momentum in the Giants’ favor, and a week later, in the final game of the regular season, Cruz helped ensure the team’s division championship victory with a seventy-four yard touchdown reception against Dallas, according to newsday.com.
Giants fans throughout the metropolitan area, including right here in Massapequa, have quickly grown fond of Victor Cruz. “I think he’s pretty awesome,” junior Adam Kammerer said. “He’s a great athlete.”
It is not unheard of for undrafted players to become superstars. Household names such as Kurt Warner, Wes Welker, Priest Holmes, Jeff Saturday, and Adam Vinatieri were all at one time hoping to find a team to sign with after being passed over in the draft; some, such as Dick Lane, even went on to become enshrined in football’s Hall of Fame, according to nfl.com.
What Victor Cruz’s career will become is still unknown. It is unsure whether twenty years from now people will even remember his name. However, for now fans hope to continue seeing this New Jersey native salsa dance in the end zone as six points are added to the scoreboard.