Unless you've been following New York Giants training camp thoroughly, you probably hadn't heard of undrafted wide receiver Victor Cruz until Monday night's game against the Jets. Cruz abused the Jets (backup) defense en route to three touchdown receptions and national recognition. Cruz is just fine with all the attention.
"I heard LeBron James tweeted about me so that’s definitely one of the highlights of my life," Cruz said on Thursday. "I’m just happy that I got the opportunity to go out and show what I can do. This has all been a surreal moment for me. When I first looked at my phone after the game, I had about 180 text messages and twitter was just through the roof. It was definitely just a crazy moment – I’m still trying to soak it all in."
Cruz described his first career (preseason) NFL touchdown reception as "just surreal," saying "I just stuck my hand out at the last minute and he dove and missed. I tucked it in and took it into the end zone. I couldn’t believe it. I was smiling. I was like did I really just grab that with one hand? It was just surreal. Then I got into the end zone and it was probably one of the happiest moments in my life to date."
Cruz is obviously excited about becoming a star in the eyes of New York Giants fans overnight, but the rookie wide receiver is remaining grounded. "I want to work on my blocking. I had a few mishaps on that last weekend. I just want to make sure I keep it consistent, keep everything down pat."
Cruz's performance against the Jets was the talk of the New York football world on Tuesday morning. The fact remains that he still has plenty of work to do in order to make the team's final September roster. Barring a major setback, though, you should expect to see Cruz playing somewhere on Sundays this fall.
For more: Watch Victor Cruz Abuse the Jets Defense and follow NYGExaminer on Twitter
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