Former New York Giants receiver Victor Cruz gives his thoughts on the team and Daniel Jones’ … [+] performance in Week 1. (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for Captain Morgan)
Getty Images for Captain Morgan
Former New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz is well aware his former team needs to play better than it did in Week 1.
The Giants had an absolute disastrous showing in their home season opener against the Minnesota Vikings as they were soundly defeated, 28-6. New York failed to score a touchdown and averaged just 3.5 yards per play.
Cruz — who was a key member of the Giants’ Super Bowl XLVI squad back in 2011 — says New York needs to play better “complementary” football moving forward, calling on the offensive unit to help out the defense.
“Obviously, not great,” says Cruz in a one-on-one interview when asked of the Giants’ performance against the Vikings. “Not being able to get a touchdown on the board, stalling on a couple of third downs inside the red zone — where you have to get points. You have to score touchdowns when you get there in this league. Field goals are only going to carry you so far.
“Overall, our defense is solid, but it has to be complementary football. It has to be the offense dominating time of possession, giving the defense a break and putting them in advantageous positions defensively to pin their ears back and get after the quarterback when they can.”
Although things didn’t look pretty and fans once again booed starting quarterback Daniel Jones during the home game, Cruz isn’t pushing the panic button on the team — yet.
“It’s just tough, it’s tough sledding right now,” says Cruz of the Giants. “I don’t want to push the panic button after just one week. I think we have a tremendous coaching staff that can make the necessary adjustments and make the changes, but we have to get better play across the board — not just defensively or at quarterback. Everybody has to be able to go and get better play across, all 11 guys on both sides of the ball if we want to get better and want to put a better showing out there for the fans in Week 2.”
The offense has been a stain on the team since the start of last season, with the Giants actually going 1-6 in Daniel Jones’ seven starts since he signed his four-year, $160 million contract.
It’s no secret that Jones hasn’t looked like the same quarterback as he did during his breakout 2022 season when he led the Giants to a surprise playoff berth and postseason victory. During that campaign, Jones threw for 15 touchdowns against just five interceptions for a a league-best 1.1% interception rate to go along with 708 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.
In the two seasons since, Jones has thrown two touchdowns against eight interceptions with a robust 3.97% interception rate. It didn’t help matters that Jones threw two red zone interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown. He finished the Vikings loss with a 44.3 passer rating after averaging just 4.4 yards per pass attempt.
Although Jones’ confidence looks to be declining with each game, Cruz believes New York can still put the sixth-year starter in a position to succeed from a play-calling perspective.
“Obviously, he had a rough start,” says Cruz of Jones’ season debut. “That’s clear to see. I think there’s way to clear up some decision making from what he sees out there, put him in advantageous positions from a play-calling perspective. I’m excited to see where they go.”
Cruz is actually keeping busy before the Giants host a big-time home matchup against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5 on Thursday Night Football. That’s because he’s partnering with Captain Morgan for a scavenger hunt called “Follow the Captain” which will see a “Captain’s Cruise with Cruz.” The sailgate will see Cruz host the cruise in the Hudson River before the Giants’ game against the Cowboys.
“This year on Sep. 26, we’re going to have our first-ever sailgate,” explains Cruz of his partnership with Captain Morgan. “We’re bringing people on a massive beat, on a yacht, 300-to-400 people to come and enjoy cocktails — obviously they have to be 21 and older. I just encourage everyone to bring your crew, bring your people and go to followthecaptain.com and see how you can join us.”
The former Pro Bowl receiver details how fans will have the chance to win autographed items and NFL tickets along with exclusive behind-the-scenes tours of famous stadiums by visiting the website and “Follow the Captain.”
“We have plenty of things that are happening throughout the season,” says Cruz. “You’ll have the opportunity to join us in New Orleans for the Super Bowl as well. Following the QR codes, following Captain Morgan on the social channels and have a good time with our first-ever sailgate.”
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Publish date : 2024-09-14 08:10:00
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