Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz admitted that he thought things were going to be easier in the opener, and seemed to wonder if he was working as hard as he could have.
During his first appearance with Mike Francesa on WFAN (via Newsday’s Tom Rock), Cruz sounded mystified by his three drops against the Cowboys.
“For me personally it was I guess a couple of first game jitters,” Cruz said. “Just trying to, personally, just thinking that the game was going to come to me naturally and I probably didn’t have to, you know, work as hard. But, you know, we got a nice little wake up call, a nice little rude awakening that teams are going to be prepared for us and we’re going to get every team’s best effort.
“I think as a team we’re more prepared and more focused this week.”
Cruz said the Cowboys did “nothing special” scheme-wise, but he is going to have to get used to more attention than he’s received from opposing game planners in the past.
“It’s definitely going to take some getting used to, but I have to understand it,” he said. “I have to understand that I’m going to get every defender’s best effort and everybody is going to be out there to stop me. I just have to come prepared and come with my A game.
“As much as it is going against the top defenders, they have to defend me as well. I’m excited about the challenge this year. Hopefully I can go out there and play my best and good things will come.”
Cruz doesn’t have the luxury of sneaking up on teams anymore. And after taking the path he’s taken, it’s hard to imagine him taking his success for granted, and not putting in the work required.