I wish these guys stayed together and stayed healthy for years upon years. No way I would believe you have told me after the 2011 run this is how things unfolded for those three.
Cruz and Nicks are 31 and 30. Why couldn't we just enjoy some time at the top before falling from the sky and onto our faces?
If they suffer similar injuries this season , they will lose again . The one recent successful year was , not coincidentally , marked by a reduction in injuries . Everybody has injuries . But the Giants always seem to get more than their fair share . I was at the Chargers game last year when just about the entire group of wide receivers busted ankles .
You can only hope that Beckham rebounds and stays healthy for another 5-6 seasons. And that he remains a Giant throughout .
In that terrible collapse to the Eagles Mario was ripping there secondary to shreds .. I really believe the 2010 team could've and should've went further if not for that terrible 2nd half vs the the Eagles that kept them out of the playoffs
And Aaron Rodgers is ring less.
WRs yes, but cornerbacks? Other than sehorn, what was the last highly picked CB that lost his career to injury?
Not surprisingly, he didn't show up in camp at 100%, or 90% or 80%. The Giants dumped him. Someone so important to the last Lombardi Trophy should have been kept around and the team should have worked with him. If loyalty is expected from a player, loyalty should be shown.
Nicks was the subject of one of the worst displays of ignorance and crudity ever seen on BBI. His last season here many of the more dominant posters were accusing Nicks of doggin' it over unhappiness that his contract had not been done. Right. The guy is in his contract year and he's going to intentionally not hustle to catch balls or break up interceptions. Really bright.
Nicks, like Cruz, was a player without whom they wouldn't have won the Super Bowl, but the Giants made little effort to keep him. Besides his performance against the Packers, in the Super Bowl he caught 10 passes for 8 first downs.
I believe that he was healthy in 2012, but wound up in a terrible place to make a comeback. Andrew Luck looked first for T.Y. Hilton on every passing play, like Manning looking for Beckham. Veteran Reggie Wayne was a familiar second receiver and TE Coby Fleener was a fine third target.
Nicks was reduced to the fourth receiver, and every time the ball was thrown to him he was expected to perform. He didn't. He dropped some balls and did nothing exceptional and the Colts soured on him quickly.
Both Cruz and Nicks deserved better treatment, but at least they have their rings, which they earned.
Not surprisingly, he didn't show up in camp at 100%, or 90% or 80%. The Giants dumped him. Someone so important to the last Lombardi Trophy should have been kept around and the team should have worked with him. If loyalty is expected from a player, loyalty should be shown.
Nicks was the subject of one of the worst displays of ignorance and crudity ever seen on BBI. His last season here many of the more dominant posters were accusing Nicks of doggin' it over unhappiness that his contract had not been done. Right. The guy is in his contract year and he's going to intentionally not hustle to catch balls or break up interceptions. Really bright.
Nicks, like Cruz, was a player without whom they wouldn't have won the Super Bowl, but the Giants made little effort to keep him. Besides his performance against the Packers, in the Super Bowl he caught 10 passes for 8 first downs.
I believe that he was healthy in 2012, but wound up in a terrible place to make a comeback. Andrew Luck looked first for T.Y. Hilton on every passing play, like Manning looking for Beckham. Veteran Reggie Wayne was a familiar second receiver and TE Coby Fleener was a fine third target.
Nicks was reduced to the fourth receiver, and every time the ball was thrown to him he was expected to perform. He didn't. He dropped some balls and did nothing exceptional and the Colts soured on him quickly.
Both Cruz and Nicks deserved better treatment, but at least they have their rings, which they earned.
Neither Cruz nor Nicks was physically capable of playing in the league anymore.
Football is a brutal game that destroys bodies. And the NFL doesn't put up with those on active rosters. Both players lost just enough speed and quickness to go from all-star to new career doing something outside of competitive sports.
Football is a brutal game that destroys bodies. And the NFL doesn't put up with those on active rosters. Both players lost just enough speed and quickness to go from all-star to new career doing something outside of competitive sports.
Very well said.
He has permanent nerve damage in his lower leg. The fact he even suited up again is something to marvel at.
This is the dirty side of football. The fact Nicks could make a roster even though he had lost speed and his explosiveness due to the leg injury shows just how good he was, and because it was an injury that wasn't well circulated to the public, many people feel he just faded away. Same can be said of Cruz too.
I believe Retro's point re: Nicks being reluctant is also accurate. Everyone inside the locker room seemed to understand why he couldn't pull the trigger despite it being a contract year and were also frustrated by it being costly in game, was my impression.
It is what it is, good examples of the kind of things that don't often get printed in the media. I'm not sure what else the team could've done to support their comebacks, the wheels weren't working. They failed to stick with other teams or get another look.
It wasn't the knee that was the issue. It was the lingering effect from compartment syndrome that has caused a loss of sensation in his lower leg that will remain for life.
He wasn't reluctant to complete - heck, the guy tried to play again with us and the Colts and just couldn't.
There was a reluctance there, understandable given what he was dealing with and what he likely knew was gone in terms of a contract extension that would've created a financial legacy for him. The fear between the ears was real for certain, I give him a ton of credit just for getting back on the field.
In that terrible collapse to the Eagles Mario was ripping there secondary to shreds .. I really believe the 2010 team could've and should've went further if not for that terrible 2nd half vs the the Eagles that kept them out of the playoffs
That 2010 team was super bowl quality. They showed for 52 minutes against the eagles how dominant they could be. Mental lapses cost them dearly and it carried over next week into Green Bay. Shame how that season ended. The Giants had some really good teams 2005-2012, they got two championships out of it, but it always felt like they never fulfilled potential in other years.
Coughlin has a long track record of bringing players back too soon. The Giants had a long history of players having back to back ACLs which tends to happen when they get brought back too quick.
I also do not trust Coughlin with Cruz reinjuring himself. One thing I liked about McAdoo was that if there was any doubt,there was no doubt. The player was down. Don't risk it. The exception was with Beckham. They should have sat him longer even though the Giants were desperate.
I would rather lose some games right now, then have a player have recurring injuries and then end up diminished.
If there is any doubt leave them out unless its a playoff game or you need the win for the playoffs.
Cruz actually suffered a calf injury compensating for the knee. It was done in training, not in a game.
Nicks never reinjured himself. His compartment syndrome after effects is what led to his eventual retirement.
Complete bullshit. Jenkins played from week 1 with a bad ankle last year. Collins played through multiple injuries.
The year before, Vernon played through a broken hand for the first half of the season. Pugh played through injury for most of the past two years and also sat out and came back from injuries.
do people just make shit up to try and support a point?
I disagree all were very good.. If you wanna credit there sucess to Eli then why were Sinorice Moss, Ramses Barden and Tim Carter such huge flops?
Plus Wilson, Alford, C Jones, how about Bradshaw and his feet a few years In. Plax and his shooting. So Tim was a bad fit but was done at 24. How about Wilkinson at LB.
Many of these guys were font line players that require high draft picks to replace
How about losing as we and Baas at 31 to career ending injuries at positions routinely played to mid 30s
Yes everyone has injuries. No other NFL team has come close to losing skill players
If you asked me summer 2012 about Nicks' future, I'd have told you'd he break every Giants receiving record. It's a damn shame what happened to him.
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were likely a bit overrated and boosted by Eli's best years.
I disagree all were very good.. If you wanna credit there sucess to Eli then why were Sinorice Moss, Ramses Barden and Tim Carter such huge flops?
Because they were absolutely terrible NFL WRs? I didn't say Eli was a magician.
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...they don't last long before injuries ruin them prematurely
WRs yes, but cornerbacks? Other than sehorn, what was the last highly picked CB that lost his career to injury?
Terrell Thomas, 2nd round pick. His loss has somehow been overshadowed, but he was turning into a good player.
Are we still doing this bullshit? Cmon.
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In comment 14014588 jnoble said:
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...they don't last long before injuries ruin them prematurely
WRs yes, but cornerbacks? Other than sehorn, what was the last highly picked CB that lost his career to injury?
Terrell Thomas, 2nd round pick. His loss has somehow been overshadowed, but he was turning into a good player.
Totally whiffed on that. Yeah, he could've been a good one.
I know all teams suffer injuries but the number of career ending / altering injuries the Giants suffered to very promising young players was brutal
Steve Smith
Kenny Phillips
Terrell Thomas
Hakeem Nicks
JPP
Victor Cruz
David Wilson
That was my screensaver for about 5 years. Great pic.
Mine used to be Tynes running off the field with Giants in pursuit:
One of my faves as well. I have it signed by all 3
If I remember correctly, they bracketed Nicks - hottest WR in the league - and put Rogers on Cruz. That led to the first half where Cruz slaughtered Rogers for like 11 catches and the famous Rogers quote : "I can't cover that option route all day!"
Possibly in 2009 and 2010 but after missing those 2 seasons he had a serviceable in 2011 with the Jets: 45-612-13.6-8
Not so much in 2012 back with the Steelers and of course that was the end of it.
Didn't he get injured? and thats when Cruz started catching less balls, I think Cruz caught 10, 8 of which were in the first half...didnt help the Giants line got completely owned in that game though.