Victor Cruz – © USA TODAY Sports Images
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October 17, 2014 New York Giants Injury Report: RB Rashad Jennings (knee) did not practice on Friday. Jennings has been ruled out of the game against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (back/hamstring) and LB Spencer Paysinger (hamstring) practiced on a limited basis. Both are officially “questionable” for the game.
“(Rodgers-Cromartie) practiced, he got out there, and did some things, moved around, said he felt pretty good,” said Head Coach Tom Coughlin. “We will see what it looks like, what the morning brings.”
LB Jon Beason (toe) and P Steve Weatherford (left ankle) fully practiced. Both are “probable” for the game.
Victor Cruz Vows to Return: WR Victor Cruz, who suffered a devastating season-ending and potentially career-threatening knee injury last Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles, addressed the media on Friday for the first time since the injury. Cruz underwent surgery on Monday to repair the torn patella tendon in his right knee.
“I will be back,” said Cruz. “I don’t have any doubt that my rehab process will be successful. I will be in tip-top shape and ready to go when the time is right. I don’t have any doubt in my mind, I have never been bred that way, I never just believed in doubt. I always believed in whatever I can put my mind to, whatever God has enabled me to do, or whatever He has planned for me is going to happen. I think that is what fuels me, I don’t have any doubt that I will come back from this injury in a positive way.
“I’m excited about the rehab process and getting back to my old self, my normal self. The next couple days I just want to continue to go in there and get my rehab, continue to be a voice in the locker room with my peers, with my teammates and just continue to be a good teammate. Even though I’m not physically out on the field, I still want to be able to talk to those guys and make sure I continue to be a voice. I’m headed in the right direction.
“The (doctors) said my chances of coming back are very high. They just told me I’d be in a brace for about six weeks and then just to begin the rehab process. It could go from anywhere from four to eight months for a full recovery. I’m just excited for the process, excited to challenge every day, challenge myself every day to get better and do things better until I’m 100 percent again.”
Cruz said that fellow teammates CB Zack Bowman and WR Marcus Harris had the same injury.
“They just told me to be patient,” Cruz said. “It’s something that you can come back from, it’s something that if you strengthen it properly and you do the due diligence as far as the rehab is concerned, you can come back strong, you can come back faster and you won’t even think about it come a couple months down the road. You’ll be playing and not even thinking about anything below your kneecap. I’m excited for that and they just reassured me that this is something that I can come back from and it’s something that won’t hinder my abilities moving forward as well.
“That is my goal (to be ready by training camp). Even before that, I want to be able to start training properly, start training my body properly for training camp, and I will think I will definitely be ready by then. I think I will be ready to do all of the good things to continue to be my old self come training camp next year.
“A lot of the guys (on the Giants) are telling me when they get in the end zone, they’re going to do the salsa for me and stuff like that. It’s pretty humbling, for sure. It’s just something that shows me what type of impact I’ve had on my teammates on the team. It just feels good, man, it feels good to know that those guys are on my side and they’re rooting for me to come back stronger and in the meantime, they’re going to hold down the fort.”
Cruz also revealed that he taped a video message for his teammates that will be played on Saturday night in the team’s hotel.
“They will be getting a message from me on Saturday night about motivation and staying strong and continuing to move forward with the season and with the things they have to do as a team,” Cruz said. “Accomplishing team goals, even with some setbacks and the injuries on our team and just little things like that. They will be getting a message from me. Throughout the week, being in the facility, I have spoken to a lot of them and showed them that I am smiling and am in good spirits and that I am continuing to be the same person I am even though I am fighting through this rehab period right now.”
Cruz said he plans to continue to help his teammates despite the injury.
“There are definitely things that I can do individually that I’m going to do, like pop up in the locker room, pop up in the receiver meeting rooms,” Cruz said. “I’m on text message with all of my receivers and a lot of my teammates already, so just continuing to do that, continuing to be a voice for them. Good, bad, whatever they feel, they can talk to me about it and just continuing that trend.”
October 17, 2014 Tom Coughlin Press Conference: The video from Friday’s press conference with Head Coach Tom Coughlin is available at Giants.com.
Giants.com Q&A with Head Coach Tom Coughlin: The Coughlin Corner: How to Bounce Back by Michael Eisen of Giants.com
October 17, 2014 New York Giants Player Media Q&As: Video clips of Friday’s media Q&A sessions with the following players are available at Giants.com:
- WR Rueben Randle (Video)
- WR Kevin Ogletree (Video)
- DE Jason Pierre-Paul (Video)
- S Antrel Rolle (Video)
Article on Head Coach Tom Coughlin: Tom Coughlin uses Patriots as example of how NY Giants can bounce back from blowout loss by Ebenezer Samuel of The New York Daily News
Articles on New York Giants Wide Receivers:
Articles on WR Victor Cruz:
