Receivers Wes Welker and Victor Cruz are “slot” machines, and you could say the Patriots and Giants have hit the jackpot with them.
Welker, the Patriots’ slot receiver, finished second in the NFL in receiving yards this season, behind Lions wideout Calvin Johnson. Third was the Giants’ slot man, Cruz.
Cruz and Welker will face off in Super Bowl XLVI, and if their style looks similar, there is a reason. Cruz said yesterday he has tried to emulate several traits of his counterpart.
“[Welker is] really quick in and out of his routes, and that’s something I try to imitate while I’m out there and try to be as quick as possible in and out of routes,” Cruz said. “But moving laterally is something I do well, and he’s been exceptional at that for years. So I watched a little bit of film on him and I know how good he is and I try to steal a few things from his repertoire.”
Both have the ability for explosive plays despite working in the slot. Each has scored a 99-yard touchdown this season.
Neither was drafted, Cruz out of Massachusetts and Welker out of Texas Tech. Cruz, 25 years old, is a little bigger, at 6-feet and 204 pounds. Welker, 30, is 5-foot-9 and 185. Each scored nine touchdowns this season and had more than 1,500 yards — 1,569 for Welker, 1,536 for Cruz. Welker had far more receptions — an NFL-best 122 to 82 for Cruz — and Cruz was more dangerous, averaging 18.7 yards per catch to Welker’s 12.9.
“There’s a lot of great slot receivers,” Giants safety Antrel Rolle said, “but right now at the top of their game, I would definitely have to say it’s those two.”
In the Giants’ 24-20 Week 9 win over the Patriots, Cruz caught six passes for 91 yards, one of 10 occasions during the regular season that he gained more than 90 yards.
Cruz, Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham were not on the Giants’ 2007 championship team that beat Welker’s Patriots. Cruz, though, was introduced to the Super Bowl rings from that year.
“One of our trainers gave me a pound [yesterday] and he had the ring on. I was like, ‘Man, I can’t even pound you because the ring is just so big,’ ” he said. “But it’ll be cool to get one of my own coming up, God willing.”