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Victor Cruz takes a giant step back on the field

Victor Cruz (725x450)
Victor Cruz (725x450)

For the first time in almost two years, Victor Cruz was back on the field for the Giants at a mandatory mini-camp last week. One thing after another has set back the New York Giants wide receiver from making his long-awaited return to the field.

Cruz was not expected to participate in the three day mini-camp; in fact he wasn’t expected to be back on the field for another month until training camp begins. Victor Cruz was very limited with his participation, but his early presence is a good sign for Giants fans. He mainly took some individual drills; however, he did take a few reps alongside teammates.

One step at a time. ????????

A photo posted by Victor Cruz (@teamvic) on Jun 14, 2016 at 4:57pm PDT

“We felt it was time to take the next step,” coach Ben McAdoo said in a media session after practice.

Cruz put a smile on his teammates’ faces when he took the field — finally joining live practice. It was a sure sign that Cruz is very serious about his return this season. Many teammates, all who have been supportive, made comments about Cruz’s early return.


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“It was good to see Victor back out there on the field, and running routes and getting back out there in the mix a little bit,” said Eli Manning. “Hopefully there is more to come and get him out there in some live action.”

When asked about Cruz participating in mini-camp, Odell Beckham Jr. smiled and said this, “It’s been a long road. Him and I talk about it every single day. There is nobody who wants to be out there more than him. At the end of the day, this is what we’ve been doing since we were little. Nobody wants to stop now, and I know he’s got that chip on his shoulder… I know he’s excited to be out there and I know it’s a hard line to get your opportunity to go and not try, and go a little bit more than you should. It’s just the competitive nature in us all. I remember I kind of did the same thing (when I had a hamstring injury as a rookie). I wanted to get back, and it’s just hard to be taken away from what you love and be out as long as he’s been out.”

“It’s definitely a step in the right direction,” Cruz said after the mini-camp. “I felt good and route running felt really good, so I just want to continue to take good steps forward. I’m pushing the issue every day, but (the athletic trainers) don’t necessarily take my word for it. But this was planned; I wanted to come out here and get a good workload in and take it a couple steps higher than what I’ve been doing the past couple weeks.” {all quotes courtesy from Giants.com}

Although Victor Cruz has shown improvement, he still has a long road ahead of him. It’s unclear how he’ll perform once he suits up for his first full-contact game, and there is no guarantee that he will be ready to take the field for the preseason. The Giants are still skeptical and not willing to take any chances with Cruz’s recovery. He feels like he’s ready to start that next step; he’s eager to get back to his old self. If it was up to Cruz, he would already be doing full participation; however, the Giants’ training staff wants to take it step by step.

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