Victor Cruz Done for Season; Jerry Reese Addresses the Media

 Posted by
Nov 162015
 
Odell Beckham and Victor Cruz, New York Giants (October 11, 2015)

Odell Beckham and Victor Cruz – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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VICTOR CRUZ DONE FOR SEASON…
New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz announced on BleacherReport.com on Monday that he will have season-ending surgery on his left calf. It will be the third leg surgery for Cruz since 2012. Cruz underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in 2013 and major patellar tendon surgery on his right knee in 2014. It is believed the calf injury – which first appeared in mid-August – is related to his comeback from the patellar tendon injury.

Cruz returned to practice on September 30, but suffered a setback with the calf injury. Since then, he had two platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections to help the healing process. Cruz had said that both were helping to improve his calf and he had started to run again. It was expected that he would attempt to return to practice after the upcoming bye week. However, he apparently suffered another setback on Saturday.

“Saturday he was on the side with the trainers and they were doing some three-quarter speed, then all of a sudden it happened again,” said General Manager Jerry Reese.

“We thought coming off the big patella injury that he had that he was going to be ready to go,” said Reese. “And then all of a sudden, he gets the calf, which has become more bizarre for me—it’s the ‘Year of the Calf’ for us, I guess. Every time we’ve gotten him out there, we babied him through, babied him through, babied him through, then we start to do some things with him and he just can’t do it. Even after the first time we thought he was ready, we thought about putting him on the reserve/return. Our doctors said, ‘That’s too far.’ They said it was too far, so we kept him on the 53 instead of putting him on it. And now if we had known, obviously, we would have gotten a roster player.”

Cruz signed a 6-year, $45.9 million contract in July 2013. Since then, he has only played in 20 games. The annual salaries and cap hits for the 29-year old Cruz in the final four years of his contract are as follows:

  • 2015: $6.15 million salary; $8.125 million cap hit
  • 2016: $7.9 million salary; $9.9 million cap hit
  • 2017: $7.4 million salary; $9.4 million cap hit
  • 2018: $8.4 million salary; $8.5 million cap hit

Reese was asked how much of a challenge it will be for Cruz to return after missing most of the past two seasons. “Yeah, who knows? When you’re gone for a couple of years like that, you just can’t jump back in and play, I don’t think,” said Reese. “I think you have to build your way back up and get your feet under you and get your confidence back and have the quarterback get his confidence back and get that chemistry back. I don’t think it’s an easy road back, but I know how hard he works and how hard he worked in getting back from the patella injury. We’ll see where that goes…If he has the same kind of progress that (safety) Nat (Berhe has) had, maybe this thing will get behind him and he can start on the road back.”

EMMETT CLEARY PROMOTED TO 53-MAN ROSTER, TRAMAIN JACOBS WAIVED…
The New York Giants have signed offensive tackle Emmett Cleary to the 53-man roster from the team’s Practice Squad. To make room for Cleary, the Giants waived cornerback Tramain Jacobs. The Giants have also terminated the Practice Squad contract of cornerback Dax Swanson.

The Giants signed Cleary to the Practice Squad in September 2015. Cleary was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Indianapolis Colts after the 2013 NFL Draft. He has since also spent time with the Buccaneers, Raiders, and Bengals. The Giants signed Cleary to a Reserve/Future contract in January 2015. He is a decent athlete who has played both right and left tackle.

The Giants signed Jacobs to the 53-man roster from the Practice Squad on November 7th. Jacobs was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Baltimore Ravens after the 2014 NFL Draft. The Ravens waived Jacobs in August 2015 and the Giants signed him to their Practice Squad in September.

The Giants signed Dax Swanson to the Practice Squad on November 5th. Swanson was originally signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted rookie free agent after the 2013 NFL Draft. Since then he has spent time on the Practice Squads of the San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

NEW YORK GIANTS INJURY UPDATE…
According to ESPN, center Weston Richburg has been diagnosed with a “mild” high ankle sprain. “Ankle sprain,” said Head Coach Tom Coughlin. “However long it takes, hopefully he’ll come back next week, he’ll look pretty good after the break.”

Cornerback Prince Amukamara, who has missed the last five games with a pectoral injury says he is ready to return. “I will be ready after the bye,” Amukamara said. “That was kind of the plan all along. We were looking at the fourth week, Buccaneers, seeing if I was going to be ready then. This game came and I still wasn’t ready, so it’s according to the original prognosis, which was three to six weeks and this was the fifth week. If we had a game next week, I would 100 percent be playing…I’m 100 percent playing, according to me, in the Redskins game, unless something not so smart happens.”

GENERAL MANAGER JERRY REESE…
The transcript of Jerry Reese’s press conference on Monday is available in The Corner Forum while the video is available at Giants.com.

HEAD COACH TOM COUGHLIN…
The transcript of Tom Coughlin’s press conference on Monday is available in The Corner Forum while the video is available at Giants.com.

POSITION COACHES…
Transcripts and video clips of Monday’s media sessions with the following coaches are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
The following transcripts and video of player media sessions on Monday are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

ARTICLES…

Jerome Cunningham to 53-Man Roster; Owa Odighizuwa to Short-Term IR

 Posted by
Nov 052015
 

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JEROME CUNNINGHAM TO 53-MAN ROSTER…
The New York Giants have signed tight end Jerome Cunningham to the 53-man roster from the team’s Practice Squad. Tight end Larry Donnell suffered a neck injury in last Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints and has not practiced this week.

Cunningham spent the first five weeks of the 2015 on the 53-man roster, but only played in Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons. He was waived and signed to the Practice Squad in October.

OWAMAGBE ODIGHIZUWA TO SHORT-TERM IR…
The New York Giants have placed rookie defensive end Owamagbe Odighizuwa on the Reserve/Designated-for-Return List (short-term IR) due to his hamstring injury. The earliest Odighizuwa can return to the 53-man is the regular-season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles on January 3rd. Odighizuwa missed the first three games of the season due to a foot injury, was on the active roster for four games, but missed Saints game with the hamstring injury.

“Disappointed in the fact that we didn’t get to consistently work with him,” said Head Coach Tom Coughlin. “The missed time definitely affects the young player, without a doubt, especially in that position. He needs more work…He’ll be with us, he’ll be right here, he’ll be in the meeting rooms, he’ll be on the field with the trainers trying to get himself to the position where he eventually can go again. But being around it is the thing that’s important right now.”

GIANTS SIGN CB DAX SWANSON TO THE PRACTICE SQUAD…
The New York Giants have signed cornerback Dax Swanson to the Practice Squad. Swanson was originally signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted rookie free agent after the 2013 NFL Draft. Since then he has spent time on the Practice Squads of the San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Swanson is an instinctive, average-sized corner with good overall athleticism.

NEW YORK GIANTS INJURY REPORT…
WR Victor Cruz (calf), TE Larry Donnell (neck), LB Jon Beason (ankle/knee), LB J.T. Thomas (ankle), and CB Leon McFadden (groin) did not practice on Thursday.

“Started running today, even if it was just a light jog picking up some speed,” said Cruz. “The calf feels good and it’s all about how it feels running and going full speed because I haven’t tested it in that regard yet. But as of right now, it feels good, there’s no adverse pain, there’s nothing after today. Everything feels great…The MRI’s are clean, the MRI’s look good.”

As for his potential return to the playing field, Cruz said, “If I had to pick a time, and after the bye (Week 11) obviously looks like a promising date, but obviously the doctors haven’t told me that, no one said that to me. We’re just, like I said, taking it one day at a time…I don’t want to come back unless I’m 100 percent.”

RB Orleans Darkwa (back), WR Rueben Randle (hamstring), RG Geoff Schwartz (ankle), LB Uani ‘Unga (neck), CB Prince Amukamara (pectoral), and S Craig Dahl (neck) practiced on a limited basis.

“Prince worked well (on Wednesday),” said Head Coach Tom Coughlin before Thursday’s practice. “The idea, of course, is to get him going and get him in position where he’s maneuvering as a defensive back will maneuver so when he does get the green light he can go.”

OT Will Beatty (pectoral – PUP) and DE Jason Pierre-Paul (hand – roster exemption) continued to work on an undisclosed basis.

“(Beatty is) getting a lot of work in, really on both sides, whether it’s our offense or the look team and making some progress there, making some progress in individuals,” said Offensive Coordinator Ben McAdoo. “Good to see him out there moving around a little bit and we’ll see what happens this week.”

“(Pierre-Paul) practiced well (on Wednesday),” said Coughlin before Thursday’s practice. “This will be nice to have two days in a row. He got a lot of work on both sides, he played at end for the defensive unit and he also played some scout team. So we’re looking forward to extending that today.”

TOM COUGHLIN AND THE COORDINATORS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following coaches are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following players are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

The audio of Thursday’s ESPN Radio interview with WR Odell Beckham is available at ESPN.com.

ARTICLES…

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
Instead of practicing, the Giants will hold a “recovery day” on Friday. The players will select two of six recovery stations, based on seniority. Their choices are massage, yoga, FMS (Functional Movement Screen) exercises designed for the individual, air compression boots, contrast bath (between a hot and cold tub), and self-massage with stick rollers and elastic bands.

The Giants will also have a 45-minute, up-tempo “walk-thru” practice on Saturday that is not open to the media. The Giants play the Buccaneers in Tampa on Sunday.

Prince Amukamara Out 2-4 Weeks; Odell Beckham Not Practicing

 Posted by
Oct 152015
 


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INJURY REPORT – PRINCE AMUKAMARA OUT 2-4 WEEKS…
WR Odell Beckham (hamstring), WR Victor Cruz (calf), LB Jon Beason (concussion), LB Devon Kennard (hamstring), LB Jonathan Casillas (calf), and CB Prince Amukamara (pectoral) did not practice on Thursday.

The bad news on the injury front is that Amukamara could miss a month with a pectoral injury. He has already been ruled out of Monday night’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles. “They’re saying two-to-four (weeks),” said Head Coach Tom Coughlin. “He has a partial tear of the pec, and it occurred in the (49ers) game. It’s most unfortunate, he’s made a lot of plays this Fall but we’ll continue on and we will get him back.”

“(The pectoral muscle is) still attached,” said Amukamara. “It gives me a chance to rehab it and we’ll do another MRI in a couple weeks to see if progress has been made and we’ll go from there.”

Beckham did not practice, but he did do some running. “We’ll see (if Beckham can practice later this week),” said Coughlin. “Today he can’t go. He’s day-to-day, but today he can’t go.”

“Day-by-day thing, with the game being Monday, so won’t really be able to tell until Monday,” said Beckham.

WR Rueben Randle (hamstring), DE Robert Ayers (hamstring), DE George Selvie (calf), and CB Trumaine McBride (groin) practiced on a limited basis.

“I’m fine,” said Randle. “Today I tried to test (the hamstring) a little bit so it felt pretty good. It’s a little sore now, but it’s getting better, so as long as I’m progressing, I’m pretty positive about it…Just trying to rehab it as much as possible, strengthen back up, and see how it feels Monday night…I don’t see myself sitting out this game. It’s enough time for me to heal up enough to play, so we’ll see how it goes.”

LG Justin Pugh (ankle) fully practiced.

PRACTICE SQUAD MOVES…
The New York Giants have signed offensive tackle Xavier Proctor and cornerback Brandon McGee to the team’s Practice Squad. To make room for these two players, the Giants terminated the Practice Squad contracts of tight end Dominique Jones and offensive guard Adam Gettis.

Originally a defensive tackle, Proctor signed with the Orlando Predators of the AFL out of college in 2013. He signed with the Detroit Lions in August 2013 and spent the year on the team’s Practice Squad. The Lions moved him to offensive tackle in 2014 but waived him in September 2014.

McGee was originally drafted in the 5th round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams. He played in 15 games in 2013 and two games in 2014 with no starts, accruing 18 tackles. He missed most of 2014 with a foot injury. In 2015, the Rams waived him in September, signed him to the Practice Squad and then the 53-man roster, and then waived him in October. McGee combines decent size with very good speed and quickness.

Jones was signed by the Giants to the Practice Squad on October 7 after spending time with the Broncos and Ravens in 2015. The Giants signed Gettis off of the Practice Squad of the Pittsburgh Steelers in December 2014.

WORKOUT WEDNESDAY…
In addition to previously-reported wide receivers Terrell Pryor, T.J. Graham, and A.J. Jenkins, the following players worked out for the Giants on Wednesday:

  • QB Bryn Renner
  • WR Devin Gardner
  • WR Antwan Goodley
  • WR Mike Williams
  • LB Philip Wheeler
  • CB Brandon McGee
  • CB Garry Peters
  • CB Greg Reid
  • CB Dax Swanson

As reported, the Giants signed McGee to the Practice Squad.

HEAD COACH TOM COUGHLIN…
The transcript of Tom Coughlin’s press conference on Thursday is available in The Corner Forum while the video is available at Giants.com.

THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
The following transcripts and video of player media sessions on Thursday are available in The Corner Forum and at Giants.com:

ARTICLES…

WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The Giants practice on Friday and hold physical recovery cycles on Saturday in advance of Sunday’s away game against the Philadelphia Eagles.