Giants games boil down to Victor Cruz. At least it has seemed that way recently. He caught two touchdown passes to help beat the Eagles. He lived to tell the tale of laying the ball on the turf even though he wasn’t touched against Arizona. And he had a spectacular catch against the Seahawks but also played a role in two crucial turnovers.
In the fourth quarter, he fumbled after a short completion, and he later tipped a pass deep in Seattle territory that turned into a long interception return for a touchdown by the Seahawks – a huge swing in the game.
Cruz’s on-the-job training has been entertaining/aggravating. After the success of his tip-the-ball-to-yourself touchdown (you should see the clip above if you haven’t already), he seemed to want to try something similar late in the game. But tipping the ball in traffic near the goal line isn’t as advisable.
Here are his responses to questions from reporters after Sunday’s loss:
Q: On the interception, when you stuck out that one hand, did you think you had it?
A: I thought I gripped it, but as soon as I went to grip it in I got hit and it got bobbled up in the air and I knew it was all downhill from there because there were two guys. I knew one of them was going to pick it off.
Q: Does it erase your big highlight earlier in the day?
A: Kind of because that was for the game. There was about a minute and some change left, maybe less. We were driving, we were in there, we potentially could have won the game on that play. It kind of erases it. You always want to win the game, but whenever you do something to negate that it always wipes the good and you see the bad.
Q: How tough is this loss?
A: It’s very tough. Especially when you have a good game and you want to see yourself get the win and get the victory and lift your teammates up. You’re at home. Get the crowd behind you. It’s tough, but it happens in this league and we have to come back the next week and be ready to play.
Q: Did you slip coming out of your break and did that mess up your timing?
A: A little bit. I kind of got my feet out from under me a little bit, but I feel like I still had a chance to make a play. I still kind of had enough energy, enough body motion to get over there and make that play. I kind of tried to stick my hand out and as soon as I tried to reel it in I got hit. It was tough, but we had some opportunities to win the game. Like I said, we didn’t capitalize.
Extra point: Cruz has the talent to make Giants fans forget Steve Smith. But Smith’s steadiness and savviness are still being missed.
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