New York Giants: Victor Cruz, thanks for the memories

Victor Cruz will one day be in the New York Giants ring of honor because he resembles everything a New York Football Giants player should resemble.

Monday Night Football 2010 and the New York Giants are playing the inaugural preseason matchup with the New York Jets.

By now it’s the third quarter and not many fans are left in the stadium and you yourself probably shut the television off already or switched to a different station.

But that one-handed catch was a true breakout for an un-drafted rookie who went on to become an all-time great Giant.

An undrafted rookie out of the University of Massachusetts, Victor Cruz made the New York Giants in 2010 and went on to take advantage of every opportunity he got.

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In 2011 he once again made the team and went on to have a stellar year, raking up 1536 yards on 82 receptions and scoring 9 touchdowns.

The Giants that season ranked 5th in passing yards per game in large part to Cruz.

That 2011 season was filled with memorable moments for Victor.

In the third game of the season he came out with a bang, scoring two touchdowns alone with 110 yards on only three receptions.

After that breakout there was no turning back for him.

Victor averaged 96.0 yards per game that season.

But there was no greater game than Christmas Eve, Jets, Giants, for real now in the regular season.

It was coming down to half time and the Jets had already had the lead. The Giants were backed up in their own end zone.

Eli Manning hits Victor on an out route, makes two defenders look silly, and races everyone down the Jets sideline for a 99-yard touchdown.

That play gave them enough momentum to carry that into a halftime lead and take down the Jets which would keep them alive for the division race only for one more week as the division came down to week 17 against the Cowboys.

And with the season on the line, Victor Cruz again is unstoppable.

10 minutes into the game, Eli rolls left and hits Cruz on an out route, Hakeem Nicks makes one block and it’s Cruz who takes it down the sideline 74 yards for a touchdown.

He went on to have 178 yards and propel the Giants into the playoffs.

Of course we know how the season ended and Cruz being a big part of it scoring a touchdown early in the Super Bowl, but if it wasn’t for him the Giants wouldn’t even be in that spot.

Cruz was a highlight reel to watch, him out racing opponents and reaching the end zone to do his trademark salsa dance.

But Cruz wasn’t just a football player, he embodied everything a New York fan wanted to see in their football players. Everyone adored Victor and loved to root him on.

He was a hardness, blue color guy who turned a practice squad spot into a key part in a Super Bowl winning team.

He wasn’t a top pick in the draft and wasn’t blessed with all world talent, but he always found a way in the biggest most clutch and key spots in a season or a game.

He was a pillar in the Giants community, was a spokesperson and a leader for this Giants club.

Cruz used his platform as a football player and a New York icon and used it in the way that people came to respect and love Cruz.

He created his own Nike shoe, wrote his own book which ended up being a New York Times best seller.

Was always in the community doing charity work and attending events.

And most importantly, he created his own foundation back in 2012 called the Victor Cruz Foundation which helped continue research and created partnerships with educators and S.T.E.M programs to help encourage and impact today’s youth.

Victor, from every Giant fan and every football fan who loved you we want to thank you. From a practice squad player, to the Super Bowl, you never changed and was always a great leader and pillar in the community.

Next. Gallman is very undervalued. dark

Thank you for helping giving Giant fans the greatest joy of hoisting up a 4th Lombardi Trophy.

You will forever portray the ideal way to represent yourself as a New York Giant and for that we thank you as a New York Giant community.

Good luck in your next chapter as an ESPN analyst.

Thank you Victor!

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