SALSA HEAT: Wide receiver Victor Cruz said he thinks the Giants were feeling the pressure of the playoff push during their December slide, but will play carefree tomorrow against the Eagles. (NY Post: Charles Wenzelberg)
Victor Cruz believes the Giants felt tension over the past three weeks — even if they didn’t realize it.
With the Giants on the verge of missing the playoffs as they finish their regular season tomorrow against the Eagles, Cruz yesterday said playing must-win games down the stretch affected the psyche of the team.
But now, with the team’s postseason hopes flickering, he does not believe the Giants feel any more pressure going into tomorrow’s rivalry game.
“I think there was a little bit [of tension] there,” Cruz said. “I think whether we even knew it or not, I think there was some pressure, obviously, going into the last four games where we had to win and we had to keep doing the things we had to do with everybody looking back at last year.
“I feel like there’s no pressure for us [now]. We’ve just got to go out there and take care of business and we understand that. You can kind of feel the tension slip away from this team, and we’re just relaxed and ready to go.”
How is there zero pressure on the Giants if they need to win tomorrow to have a shot at the playoffs? They also need wins by the Lions, Packers and Redskins (or tie) to get in.
“I just think because of all that we’ve been through this year, I think we just understand that now it’s either do or die and we’ve just got to go out there and relax and play football,” Cruz said. “That’s the only thing that’s guaranteed for us right now, is this game [tomorrow] and all we have to do is just relax and play some ball.”
Cruz arguably has been the Giants’ most productive player this season, with 82 catches, 1040 yards and nine touchdowns to earn a Pro Bowl nod.
That said, he has slowed during the team’s swoon. In Week 7, Cruz’s 77-yard touchdown beat the Redskins and made the Giants 5-2. Through seven games, he had caught 50 passes for 627 yards and seven TDs.
In the last eight games, though, Cruz has just 32 catches, 413 yards and two scores while the Giants have gone 3-5.
Cruz, who will be a restricted free agent following the season, previously said he hoped to have his contract resolved before the end of the season. He insisted he is not upset his situation remains up in the air.
“I’m not disappointed. I think we’re still moving in the right direction,” he said. “It’s a negotiation, and everything’s not going to happen the way you want it to. We’re just going back and forth, and hopefully we’ll get things squared away soon.”
In late October, Cruz said “the structure” of the contract was “in place.” He said that has not changed.
“As of right now at least, it’s still the same,” he said. “It’s just a matter of getting the numbers right and all that stuff that goes on with this type of negotiation. I’m just being patient. I’m in no rush.”
If the pressure-free Giants fail to make the playoffs, the question is whether they need a personnel shakeup to become formidable again. Cruz said he doesn’t think so.
“I think we have the core pieces in place here,” he said. “I just think we just need to sharpen up certain spots on the field, certain things that we’ve got to sharpen up, whether it’s going to get some guys in free agency or during the draft or just sharpening things up within ourselves.”