From Total access via License Plate Guy:
"Rolle said on NFL Total Access that facing Cruz is much different than going against Hakeem Nicks. “Totally different to defend,'' Rolle said. "Hakeem Nicks, I think he is a little more deceptive than Victor Cruz. When you look at Nicks you might not think he is moving as fast but when you are up against him, running with him, you understand this guy is moving. His hands are probably the biggest I’ve ever seen on a receiver. I call him ‘The Silent killer.’ His routes are so smooth; everything he does is so smooth. While Victor Cruz is going to always put a little bit of salsa on it. I think he goes out there and gives you the wiggles, gives you the shake and he is exceptionally quick. If he takes a step on you, you can pretty much cancel Christmas.”
Nicks Highlight VIdeo - ( New Window )
The 2 best Giants WR performances I've seen are Nicks vs. Arizona in 2011 and Nicks vs. Tampa in 2012.
I'm not considering the importance of the game in terms of Championship implications, otherwise all 4 of Nicks' playoff games during the SB run top the 2 games I mentioned. But just straight up controlling a game from the 1st minute to the last and willing your team to a W, I've never seen a Giants receiver do what Nicks did in those 2 games (Cruz and Plax have come close though). His physicality and hands just allows him to dominate regardless of the coverage. Talib was playing Nicks so tough in that Tampa game, but Nicks just owned him time after time after time. And the Cardinals DBs including Peterson were all over Nicks in that game, just perfect coverage and Nicks still shit on them.
He's my favorite player on the team too. Health is literally the only knock on him as a player. When he's healthy he's capable of doing some special things, like he did during the Super Bowl run. If he stays healthy and Randle takes the next step... big things.
I think Randle has the same kind of skill set - that he can go up for the ball smoothly and confidently in traffic and come away with it
there some great footage in there of Nicks owning Tarell Brown (25)of the 49ers a number of times - and Brown is wrapped up with him physically in each contest.
They should get back to it this year.
Cruz is a great player, but Nicks is on an entirely different plateau.
If Cruz signing becomes the reason we cannot re-up Nicks it is a poor allocation of resources. Getting someone who can beat single coverage from the slot (see Steve Smith) is a lot easier than getting an outside WR who demands double coverage and still puts up numbers.
At the end of the day (thanks Rolle!), you simply base your assessment of a receiver on how well they help a team move the ball and/or score the ball when it decides to throw it. Nicks performs some of the traits that can lead to that result better than Cruz does. But the inverse of that is true as well.
As has been stated, Reese as a GM and Abrams as the cap guy are amongst the best in the NFL..
We will re-sign Nicks(franchise if necessary) if he can stay healthy. The only thing preventing an ultimate re-signing is his HEALTH imo
i think only fitz and andre johnson had a better 3 year start to a career than nicks (and maclin too i think). damn. 2012 was a major step back
But there's just something about the way Nicks dominated those 2 games vs. tight coverage that sticks out. It just felt like I was watching a Hall of Famer play. Maybe I'm just biased to Nicks' style of play, I do find it more visually pleasing than Cruz's quickness based game and Plax's size based game.
theres something about the way he catches the ball and moves out of his breaks that passes the eyeball test for me. thats why i cant help but get a little ticked when guys out of the draft get compared to nicks, even if the idea behind the comparison is accurate. nicks is just on another planet. he plays bigger than his size but doesnt have the movement limitations of a bigger wideout, huge hands, great route running, can play fineese, physical, and beat you with his savvy too. just a great overall talent.
will probably go thru a minor state of depression if he leaves. its gonna be tough to swallow for a long time
And I agree, love Nick's game.