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He grew up just 15 minutes from Giants Stadium in Paterson, N.J., and starred at Paterson Catholic HS, scoring 19 touchdowns in an undefeated senior season in 2003. But hardly anyone noticed, the first slight in a career full of them. Even after a year of prep school, the wideout had few college suitors, and wound up at Division I-AA UMass. He thrived, becoming the sixth receiver in school history to top 1,000 receiving yards (in his junior year), and teaming with offensive lineman Vladimir Ducasse to fuel an offense that averaged 26.8 points per game last year.
Cruz figured that would draw NFL eyes, especially since scouts were flooding UMass games to evaluate Ducasse, who was picked by the Jets in the second round this April. Cruz thought he'd get a few workouts, eventually hear his name called in the draft.
New York Giants rookie receiver Victor Cruz rewarded with roster spot following stellar preseason
Monday, September 6th 2010, 4:00 AM
He started the preseason as the subject of LeBron James' tweets and Rex Ryan's rants. But that was never good enough for Victor Cruz. Actually, it was downright nerve-wracking.
"The day I feel secure," Cruz said last week, "is the day they call me into that office and let me know I made the team."
That finally happened late Saturday afternoon. And that's when Cruz was finally satisfied.
"Wow, hard work really pays off!" the 23-year-old tweeted. "Thank you everyone that believed in me! The hard work never ends!"
So why all the uncertainty for a player who led the NFL in preseason receiving yards and tied for the league lead in preseason TDs? Because Cruz learned long ago that he could never take opportunities for granted.
He grew up just 15 minutes from Giants Stadium in Paterson, N.J., and starred at Paterson Catholic HS, scoring 19 touchdowns in an undefeated senior season in 2003. But hardly anyone noticed, the first slight in a career full of them. Even after a year of prep school, the wideout had few college suitors, and wound up at Division I-AA UMass. He thrived, becoming the sixth receiver in school history to top 1,000 receiving yards (in his junior year), and teaming with offensive lineman Vladimir Ducasse to fuel an offense that averaged 26.8 points per game last year.
Cruz figured that would draw NFL eyes, especially since scouts were flooding UMass games to evaluate Ducasse, who was picked by the Jets in the second round this April. Cruz thought he'd get a few workouts, eventually hear his name called in the draft.
"I thought somebody would take a chance on me," he said.
Nobody did that until the Giants invited him to their late-April rookie camp. By the end of that, coaches were buzzing, and Cruz had earned an invite to August's training camp in Albany.
"When we saw him in the spring, we said, 'Ya know, there's a guy who's got pretty good quicks,'" said offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride. "But (in training camp), he kept running by our defensive backs. No matter who it was."
Still, nobody truly believed Cruz's talent until the preseason opener against the Jets. That's when Cruz went "nuts on the Jets," as LeBron put it in a tweet, with 145 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Instantly, the practice curiosity was a roster possibility, and Ryan was raving about how he'd sign Cruz in a heartbeat.
"That kid can play," Giants wideout Hakeem Nicks said last week. "He's going to play somewhere."
For now, somewhere is most likely special teams, as Nicks and Steve Smith are the starting receivers.
"He's proven that he can catch it," said Tom Coughlin. "If he can help us on special teams, it's going to be a tremendous asset for him."
Not that Cruz minds.
"Anything I can do to help the team," he said, "I'm there."
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