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Victor Cruz Epitomizes the New York Giants

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By @AnthonyBeers

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Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

New York Giants fans suffered a defeat they won’t ever forget on Sunday night against the Philadelphia Eagles. But worse, they witnessed wide receiver Victor Cruz go down with an excruciatingly painful injury. Cruz tore his patellar tendon and was carted off the field. Any hope of a Giants victory was lost with Cruz as he exited the game on the cart.

While the pain of Cruz’s injury is still fresh, his future remains uncertain. His resiliency cannot be questioned, but whether or not Cruz can return to his recent form is an awfully big question. “If it has to do with overcoming,” Giants head coach Tom Coughlin told the New York Daily News. “He will overcome.” Coughlin knows better than anyone that Cruz has been an underdog since the beginning.

That resiliency and ability to overcome great odds is the basis of what the Giants franchise stands for. In all four of the Giants’ Super Bowl victories, they overcame great odds to get there. In Super Bowl XXI, the Giants defeated John Elway and the highly favored Denver Broncos for their first ever title. For Super Bowl XXV, the Giants’ unfathomably knocked off the defending champion San Francisco 49ers and went on to defeat the Buffalo Bills, all with backup quarterback Jeff Hostetler filling in for an injured Phil Simms. In Glendale, Ariz. the Giants upset one of the best teams in NFL history in the 2007 New England Patriots and their bid for perfection in Super Bowl XLII. Most recently in Super Bowl XLVI, the Giants’ defeated the Patriots after just a 9-7 regular season record. Every single time, the Giants overcame doubters and were expected to fail. Cruz’s life has been a similar story.

In 2007, Cruz learned that his father, Mike Walker, had committed suicide. At the time Cruz was suffering with keeping up with his grades at the University of Massachusetts and his work ethic was lackluster. Upon the news of his father’s passing Cruz and his father were not on the best terms. Living with that guilt could have destroyed Cruz who was already struggling in life, but instead he became motivated to get everything together and live his dreams.

Cruz got back into UMass and had such a dominant junior and senior year that he was expected to be a potential draft pick. After seven rounds in the 2010 NFL Draft, Cruz’s name went uncalled. The Giants actually selected punter Matt Dodge with Cruz still on the board. Instead of giving up, Cruz embraced his chance when he was invited for a tryout in Giants camp. In a preseason matchup against the New York Jets, Cruz went off for 145 receiving yards and three scores.

Within a season Cruz was the unquestioned established starter for the Giants. As a precise route runner, he became one of the most feared slot receivers in the game. He was vital to the Giants’ Super Bowl run in 2011. He became a team captain in 2014. And now, he is being faced with his most difficult task in his Giants career.

If Cruz can return form this injury he will only become even more beloved among Giants’ fans than he already is. The honor in his return would be admirable even if he’s half the player that the Giants had gotten used to. His story is remarkable and his determination impressive. He embraced the fans and the New York Giants franchise. NBC’s Josh Elliot reported that even as Cruz was being wheeled out into the tunnel following the injury that he requested to stop and talk to two Giants fans. Cruz wanted to articulate that he was going to be okay to the worried fans.

He’s always been that type of person. Whether it was burning Carlos Rogers, salsa dancing for his deceased abuela or taking as much time as he could for Giants fans, Cruz has been the definition of a classy professional. He is the epitome of Giants football; he will be back in blue, and he will dance again.

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