Victor Cruz knows what it takes to be a champion as he helped the New York Giants win the Super Bowl during the 2011 season. But now that the 2022 NFL season is underway, how do the Giants get back on track and get back in the Super Bowl picture? In an exclusive interview with PopCulture.com, Cruz, who played wide receiver for the Giants from 2010 to 2016, revealed two keys for the current team making a run at the big game this season.
“They have to figure out who they are. I think they’re still figuring out their identity, and what this team is going to be,” Cruz exclusively told PopCulture. “I think they’re off to a good start in the preseason. I think they’ve shown some positive changes, at least from a year ago, but they have to figure out their identity and figure out who they’re going to be, and who they are as a football team, and then go out there and perform, and that takes time.
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“It might take the first month of the season, it might take some time to really figure that out and get through that, but they got to figure that out, and then it comes down to just playmakers have to make plays. Daniel Jones has to flat out make plays, Saquon Barkley has to make plays, that receiving corps has to make plays. So it just comes down to guys understanding their roles and making those big plays when their number is called.”
Ever since the Giants won the Super Bowl in 2011, the team has reached the playoffs once which was in 2016. During that span, the Giants have recorded two winning seasons and have only won at least 10 games once which was the 2016 season. The lack of success has led to the Giants hiring Brian Daboll as the head coach during the offseason. For the Giants to be successful this year and beyond, Jones has to be the franchise quarterback the team expects him to be. But can he take that next step in 2022?
“I think he’s shown periods and flashes throughout certain drives and series where he can be that franchise guy, where he can deliver the ball downfield, make plays, get his team into the end zone,” Cruz said. “I think he can do that. I think the biggest thing for him is just being consistent in that regard. I think it’s being more decisive when he throws a football, and just being consistent with his decision-making, and I think that’ll really go a long way for him.”
