New York Giants sit down with their two Star Wide Outs

WR Victor Cruz discusses his knee surgery and recovery.

WR Victor Cruz
April 23, 2015
 
Q: Can you give us an update with your recovery and where you are?
A: Right now I have been running straight lines for almost a month now. I haven’t done any cutting yet. My knee feels good and is getting better every day. I am continuing to build the strength back in it and working hard in the weight room and rehabilitation room. Just staying the course.
 
Q: What is the next step?
A: Next step is cutting. Just figuring out when that is and listening to the training staff and listening to my body as well about figuring out the right time to start cutting and things like that. We will see how it goes, but it is all under how [the training staff] sees fit and my timing in progressing to the next steps.
 
Q: Is that close?
A: I think I am. I think personally I am close to that. It is just a matter of continuing to get stronger, get the leg stronger to be able to start cutting and things like that. I do feel like I am definitely close to that.
 
Q: Is there a mental threshold that you have yet to cross or have you crossed it yet?
A: I think I have crossed that. I think there is a moment where after surgery, a couple months after you are done and you are out of the crutches and you are out of the brace and moving around and thinking to yourself, ‘Okay, does this feel like you can do some of the things you once did?’ I felt like that was a yes. I felt like yes, the surgery went well. There isn’t anything negative. No ailments have come on the latter part of it. I do feel like I can continue to be that same guy I was before and it is going to heal to 100 percent. It is just a matter of being patient and taking my time and making sure it is fully healed before I try and do anything crazy.
 
Q: Your initial conference call after the injury you said there is no doubt I will be back. Do you still have that kind of confidence?
A: Absolutely. There is not a doubt in my mind that I will be back out there playing on the field. Obviously, it is just a matter of getting myself back to 100 percent. I definitely as of right now there is zero doubts in my mind that I will be playing in that first game and continuing to be at 100 percent playing at the level that I like to be playing at.
 
Q: When you watch last year what Odell [Beckham Jr.] was doing, did you itch to be back out there?
A: Absolutely. If I get another question somewhere out in the streets about how excited everyone is about myself and Odell I might just jump off a building. I am definitely excited – not just last year watching him do all those great things, but this year to start from the beginning and him and I have gotten closer over time and us as a receiving core have gotten closer even. I am excited to get back out there. Not just with him, but everyone and feel the pads again and put a helmet back on, but definitely with Odell to get out there and be out on the field when he is doing good things and when Rueben [Randle] is doing good things and myself. It is going to be a lot of fun to watch.
 
WR Odell Beckham Jr. Discusses his outlook for the New York Giants

 
WR Odell Beckham Jr.
April 23, 2015
 
Q: Does it seem like more than a year ago you were coming out of college to where you are now?
A: It seems like it flew by. Especially after the season went by, it went by so fast. Going into the offseason it seems like you have a lot of time off, but really it just keeps moving and it moves fast. Things have slowed down a lot since a year ago from today. I am just happy to be back.
 
Q: Do you have any sense of how good this team could be or is it a little too early to tell?
A: We still have guys who are going to come in. We have rookies who are going to come in. The reality of it is that there are 90 people in the locker room and there are only going to be 53 come the season. It is a little early to tell, but I think everyone’s mindset is right. Everyone knows what the goal is and what to expect from us this year.
 
Q: Victor said if he hears another person ask about how productive the two of you will be he is going to jump off a building… Are you aware of the expectations?
A: I think it was kind of something that we expected last year, and everybody from that matter expected. No one comes into this and doesn’t want to be the best at what they do. I think that goes for any profession. You want to be the best at what you do, so you are going to set the goals as high as possible and you are going to go for them.
 
Q: When you look back at your film last year what do you want to focus on improving?
A: A lot of the unnecessary stuff. Taking my helmet off or doing anything to draw more attention than what is necessary are definitely things I need to work on, but it is just so hard when you are so passionate about something. It is hard to control your emotions. The biggest thing for me is just controlling my emotions and doing whatever we need to do to win.
 
Q: By controlling your emotions do you mean frustration or the celebratory stuff?
A: [Taking my helmet off] was in frustration, but that goes along with controlling your emotions. You are not going to get every call. Not everything is going to go your way, but that is football and it comes with it, so just learning how to stay as composed as possible.
 
Q: How fine of a line is that to walk?
A: It is a tough line not to cross when you care so much about something; it gets the best of you. I think it is just a learning process. I was still young, very young. I think it comes with age and time.