Is Cruz washed up?

and without Odell, the only one I want Eli going to on critical downs. He had a drop Sunday, but came through when they needed him.

but I don't think Cruz is an asset to this team right now. He's having major issues getting any sort of separation and most of his completions are those where Eli is forced to thread the needle.

I think it might be beneficial to the team to let one of the young WR's who play bigger than Cruz (ie: Tavares King or Roger Lewis) get a chance on the outside. It's a more natural position for both players whereas Cruz has typically excelled in the slot which now mostly belongs to Shep.

was absolutely wide open on a slant at the goaline when Eli missed odell in the corner. Hes still an asset for sure. Washed up is a term people have different definitions for...i think he can still play. He can still get some separation it seems...obviously not like he used to and obviously its ok if Roger Lewis gets some burn.

just reposting what I did on the earlier, deleted thread, and in which I asked how you came about the info you cited...and since you refer to the time it took in this post.....

Well see if he can get that twitch back, but this is about what I expected. A possession guy that comes up big in big spots.

but Jackson, Garcon and Crowder all have more catches and yards than Cruz

and not all that much during the summer..

Cut him some slack?

You fuckers have a short memory.

Although I do think he is best in the slot, and have one of the younger guys on the outside.

but he exceeded my expectations and although he has had some drops he also has made several clutch catches including a crucial 4th down reception on Sunday. He isn't a top option as you have mentioned but he is still valuable due to his ability to make the clutch catch. Hopefully he will improve as his knee gets stronger as the season progresses.

.

And his hands are not great. I much prefer roger Lewis on the outside than Cruz at this point. He isn't that special player anymore he's a brand name. He should be benefiting a lot more from shep and Beckham and he simply is not getting open. All his catches have been contested. We just don't see the separation anymore and he isn't being covered by the best corner or even the second best corner.

and he gets closer to what he was. I just don't see it right now. He's made a couple of big third down catches for us but the overall production and eye test isn't good.

.

In comment 13180251 ColHowPepper said:

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just reposting what I did on the earlier, deleted thread, and in which I asked how you came about the info you cited...and since you refer to the time it took in this post.....

Literally just went through each team's stats on ESPN, ha. Was genuinely curious if we're being hard on him or not.. and I think we are.

but has a limited impact on games. Even his best game like NO, he had a lot of negative plays.

However, he is not an outside WR, he is a slot WR. The attributes he needs for the outside, he just does not possess anymore.

Save for OBJ, there are times nobody is getting any separation. I think once the offensive picks up a bit and Cruz has had some more time to get comfortable on the field you can re-evaluate and see what he has left. Right now, it's too soon.

that if Cruz was in the slot, he'd have a lot more catches right now.
As dep has been saying, VC is a slot receiver. He never had burner speed. If I had my way, Cruz would be back at slot and Shepard, King and Lewis could fight it out for the other WR position.

Not what he was but certainly not washed up. He's the first option on a couple of plays where he used to be the first option on a lot of plays. He still makes plays but just not as many.

In comment 13180309 chris r said:

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.

Brilliant post. Like all of your other ones, they contain words but say nothing.

can the guy get 1/2 season before he gets written off.

He won the N.O. game for us.....does that count for anything?

of the offensive line. I think its too early to analyze anyone elses performance until the line gives Eli enough time to throw over a consistent span of games.

In comment 13180278 Big Blue '56 said:

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and not all that much during the summer.. Cut him some slack?

I don't think the team or any team to be honest can afford to cut players particularly older vets coming back from possible career ending injuries that did not play in two years some slack. Normally those players are just cut. Not to be callous but let's not pretend this is some normal course of business in the NFL.

He is clearly not dynamic anymore but appears to be serviceable and has made a couple of big catches for an offense that needs them.

He is also too quiet for certain stretches knowing we have all the attention on OBJ.

Hopefully Lewis keeps developing and we can worry about Cruz in the offseason.

In comment 13180333 section125 said:

Quote:

that if Cruz was in the slot, he'd have a lot more catches right now. As dep has been saying, VC is a slot receiver. He never had burner speed. If I had my way, Cruz would be back at slot and Shepard, King and Lewis could fight it out for the other WR position.

But that's the thing that even Cruz knew. The Giants were ready to move on from him. They selected a slot receiver in the 2nd round. Everyone knew the deal including Cruz that he would have to make his bones on the outside now.

but he's not a player Giants should plan around. They need a big wr outside. He is more of a brand name at this point.

But not sure he ever did. He relies on quickness more than speed. More of an asset in the middle of the field. Same with the kid. They really could use a big, hard running guy on the outside. Kind of think Lewis or King would be a better choice there.

Doubtful

He's not the player he once was, but washed up is a stretch

washed up is harsh. Agreed.

750-800 yards and game winning tds is a good year for a receiver.

He is not the VC of old though.

now I know that's not happening, but I'd much prefer Lewis in as the #2 a little more. He's got decent speed and height.

In comment 13180414 Ben in Tampa said:

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Doubtful He's not the player he once was, but washed up is a stretch

Better than Reuben Randle anyway. =)

ask this at the end of the season not 6 weeks in.

Play WR. Sheppard has disappeared and has been involved in 2 picks.

In comment 13180439 Rory said:

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ask this at the end of the season not 6 weeks in.

What's dumber... posting it, or posting ON it calling it dumb, when it's explicitly stated in the first sentence that the thread is merely a continuation of an old one because some good exchanges went down. Reading is fun, sometimes.

Cruz had winning td game 1
set up winning FG in game 2

last week he converted 3rd downs and cruel 4th down

Cruz is a gamer

In comment 13180273 VenteSette said:

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but Jackson, Garcon and Crowder all have more catches and yards than Cruz

I think you missed the point. Which of those is their 3rd option and do they have more yds than VC?

In comment 13180551 Eman11 said:

Quote:

In comment 13180273 VenteSette said: Quote: but Jackson, Garcon and Crowder all have more catches and yards than Cruz I think you missed the point. Which of those is their 3rd option and do they have more yds than VC?

Actually, VenteCette is correct and I missed Jamison Crowder, who does indeed have 7 more receiving yards than Cruz.

So there are 3 teams with a more productive 3rd WR and 6 teams with a more productive 3rd option, not 2 and 5. My apologies.

But still only 5 with a more productive 3rd option. Semantics at this point, but just getting it right.

In comment 13180559 Mike in Long Beach said:

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But still only 5 with a more productive 3rd option. Semantics at this point, but just getting it right.

He's better than I thought he was going to be. He will never be the same player he once was. He needs to move to the slot.

Btw, what's up Mike?

would have better numbers in the slot he really isn't at
his best playing outside . Reece drafted his replacement
because of nature of the injury .
Cruz fooled a lot of nay sayers wrong .
Love Cruz but I think we could use him in a trade if
the right offer came up maybe packaged with a late
draft pick for a LT or TE...
No I don't want to trade Cruz because of who he is
but we actually have enough decent WR's to make up
the production .

In comment 13180556 Mike in Long Beach said:

Quote:

In comment 13180551 Eman11 said: Quote: In comment 13180273 VenteSette said: Quote: but Jackson, Garcon and Crowder all have more catches and yards than Cruz I think you missed the point. Which of those is their 3rd option and do they have more yds than VC? Actually, VenteCette is correct and I missed Jamison Crowder, who does indeed have 7 more receiving yards than Cruz. So there are 3 teams with a more productive 3rd WR and 6 teams with a more productive 3rd option, not 2 and 5. My apologies.

Yes he is correct about Crowder but I was referring to him mentioning the fact Jackson and Garçon have more than VC. They all can't be the Skins 3rd option.

to get the ball to Cruz after checking his 1st and 2nd read.

In comment 13180370 Mason said:

Quote:

In comment 13180333 section125 said: Quote: that if Cruz was in the slot, he'd have a lot more catches right now. As dep has been saying, VC is a slot receiver. He never had burner speed. If I had my way, Cruz would be back at slot and Shepard, King and Lewis could fight it out for the other WR position. But that's the thing that even Cruz knew. The Giants were ready to move on from him. They selected a slot receiver in the 2nd round. Everyone knew the deal including Cruz that he would have to make his bones on the outside now.

You are not wrong, but I'd like to see Cruz back in the slot. I think he is a better slot receiver than Shepard, but who knows until he gets there. Just because Shepard was a 2nd round pick doesn't make him the better choice in the slot. I'd imagine that the current setup is what the coaches see as ideal with this group. Maybe Shepard is much better at slot than Lewis or King would be at WR if Cruz moved inside, even if Cruz were the better slot receiver?

ALL 3 were first downs!! STHU already....

He's a slot WR asked to play on the outside.

Why not have more 4 reciever sets in passing situations with Cruz and Sheppard in the slot.

I've seen like 6 people say "I'd put a bigger WR like King or Lewis outside"

Cruz is bigger then Lewis, he's bigger then King (half inch shorter but 10-15 pounds heavier)

That's all really

I like Lewis a lot , I'd go 4 WR sets a lot more even 5 WR sometimes

I'd also get Harris more reps at WR, anyone else notice the Giants using Harris as a FB last week? Lol so pathetic.

In comment 13180594 penkap75 said:

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Why not have more 4 reciever sets in passing situations with Cruz and Sheppard in the slot.

I've been asking the same thing for a couple of weeks now. It doesn't have to be their main offense but doing it some would be a good thing. Plus it gives t as more things they have to prepare for. Throw in it should help vs the two deep safety look they have trouble with and its a no brainer to me to incorporate it into their O.

In comment 13180599 DennyInDenville said:

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I've seen like 6 people say "I'd put a bigger WR like King or Lewis outside" Cruz is bigger then Lewis, he's bigger then King (half inch shorter but 10-15 pounds heavier) That's all really I like Lewis a lot , I'd go 4 WR sets a lot more even 5 WR sometimes I'd also get Harris more reps at WR, anyone else notice the Giants using Harris as a FB last week? Lol so pathetic.

I didn't say that. I said players who play bigger and who are more adept at playing the outside WR position (whereas Cruz is clearly more comfortable in the slot).

strictly, even projected over 16 games in a season, he's been on a decline since his breakout year.

He was on pace to have his worst season of his career prior to getting hurt in 2014. Still solid, but "game breaking" is something he's really shown over a season or two.

That aside I was expecting 0 from him now. Considering how awful his team is in the red zone it would be nice to have a bigger target but beggars can't be choosers. He might be one of the best #3 options in the league. That is assuming Shepard is contributing as a #2 though.

Cruz has always excelled in the slot. To gauge how Cruz is doing would be to have him play in the slot and see what we have. Do we have to play a tight end when we play four wide? No is the answer and there is no reason to have Donnell or Tye in the game in long passing downs. Put Lewis on the outside with Cruz and Shepherd in the slot. Our offensive coaching is not very creative.

Why would you think he's washed up? It's week 6 and he's on an ok pace. What if Cruz has a 7-98-1 line this week?

2011 was a perfect storm but Cruz is still in there somewhere. If the offense can keep growing he's gonna bust out and he's already shown glimpses of greatness this season.

Nothing would surprise me shit I was even saying this would be victor's last season back in August and I did think he'd play this year, but after six weeks I don't see any signs of a done player.