Ben McAdoo: Never say never, but Victor Cruz return is not an option

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After Giants receivers kept heading to the sideline or locker room with injuries during Sunday’s loss to the Chargers, some wondered if the team would bring back a former member of the team to flesh out the receiving group.

Victor Cruz is a free agent after failing to make the Bears out of training camp this summer and his familiarity with the team’s offense made him a popular name to bandy about when discussing where the Giants would go after watching Odell Beckham, Dwayne Harris, Brandon Marshall and Sterling Shepard leave with injuries.

It doesn’t look like there will be a reunion, however. Giants coach Ben McAdoo didn’t rule it out entirely thanks to the well-worn “never say never” caveat, but he said, via multiple reports, that Cruz is “not an option” to return to the team at the moment.

While he know the system, it’s not all that surprising. Cruz was unimpressive in 2016, his first action since tearing his patellar tendon during the 2014 season, and his brief time with the Bears showed no sign that he’d recovered what was missing from his game.

10 responses to “Ben McAdoo: Never say never, but Victor Cruz return is not an option

  1. At his “peak”, Cruz was more flash than performance, more sizzle than steak. Flashy, attention-drawing behavior goes over well in NY. After his 2014 injury, he had nothing left and tried to make it on his name alone. He couldn’t even make the Bears receiving corps this year, and if that doesn’t say you have no game left, I don’t know what does.

  2. Coming from an eagles fan, i wouldnt agree that cruz was more flash than performance. He lit my birds up a few times. And I’m sure 49ers fans will tell you the same. He lit them up a couple times as well, including the 2011 playoffs. And their regular season matchup the following season as well. And that was against a dominating niner D.

  3. As for dumping Eli??
    He ‘s the only thing they have left.
    If I was Eli I’d run for the hills before that idiot McAdoo gets him killed.

  4. I would say Cruz’s primary highlights were based on a scheme Gilbride had where Cruz was slot, wide receiver would rub Cruz’s receiver and Cruz would burn the D on an out-and-up.

    I may not be remembering the play scheme correctly but my point is Gilbride’s design made Cruz… Cruz was good but not great.

    Regardless, he’s the past.

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