For the Giants, a return to Indianapolis is a reminder of how good things can be.
Walking into Lucas Oil Stadium for the first time since winning Super Bowl XLVI will bring multiple Giants back to one of the best days of their lives, recalling the smallest details and the unforgettable moments.
The Giants meet the Colts in their third preseason game on Saturday, which means seeing former offensive linchpins Ahmad Bradshaw and Hakeem Nicks. It means Mario Manningham seeing the sideline he tight-roped to win a championship. It means Eli Manning seeing the house his brother built, which he forever made his own with a second Super Bowl MVP award. The reminders of that top-10 offense, which led the team to its second title in four years, will be all over the field and all throughout the building.
Bringing a similarly potent passing attack may not come as easily, but Victor Cruz believes once the team gets up to speed with the new offense, the pace of the new system will revive last year’s 28th-ranked attack.
“That [quicker] tempo is what we needed, I felt like,” Cruz said before Monday’s practice. “We’re all guys that want to get up on the ball and make plays and make things happen. … It’s something that’s going to be different for us, but I think that’s going to be beneficial for us, for receivers like myself and Rueben [Randle], guys who like to make plays and like to do things fast and keep the defense off balance.
“It’s definitely all up to us in order to make plays and catch the ball … turn those small plays into bigger plays, which I know we have the talent to do that.”
The talent may be there, but the effectiveness of new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo’s West Coast-style offense with this group remains a mystery. An offense built around the receivers’ ability to make plays after the catch has one fatal flaw – not giving the receivers an opportunity to make a catch.
Through two preseason games, the top two receivers – Cruz and Randle – have no receptions or targets through seven offensive series. Though Cruz is “not concerned,” he’s also anxious to get involved in the new system.
“I would love a few targets, a few catches. Who wouldn’t?” Cruz said. “Any receiver would love a few catches, but I’m a team guy … that’s all I’m worried about. A couple catches on top of that wouldn’t hurt.
“I’m still very optimistic on how my skill set fits this offense, and I think once the season kicks off, these next games, you’ll see more and more of that with our entire receiving corps.”
Cruz said he saw improvement in the second game, citing improved route running and blocking, and though Tom Coughlin said he may give the first-team offense more playing time Saturday, Cruz said the offense’s ceiling won’t be revealed because the entire arsenal still won’t be fully unveiled.
“You’re seeing very little of it right now. The full gamut isn’t in,” Cruz said. “We’re not throwing everything out there right now. … With every game, we’re building. We’re putting more and more in. We’re getting more and more comfortable on the practice field. It’s only a matter of time before we see everything come to fruition.
“It’s only a matter of time before we get the full thing rolling and the passing attack gets going. I think we’re just doing a good job of taking what the defense is giving us and trying to gash them.”