Last year Victor Cruz emerged from nowhere having a breakout season for the New York Giants in 2011. He became a household name with his speed, agility, and salsa touchdown dances. Cruz is easy to root for. He has charisma and a great smile. However, the 2012 season has been a letdown to say the least.
Last year Cruz had 1,536 yards receiving with 9 touchdowns. He hasn't played nearly as well in 2012. Because he is on the last year of his contract, the entire season Cruz has been in contract discussions with the team. He is due to make 490 k this season. This salary is very low for a high end receiver such as Cruz. Some receivers make as much as $16 million a year.
Cruz has had several games with multiple dropped passes in 2012. I contend that his play has declined for two possible reasons:
1) He is worried about getting injured and hurting his future earnings. I have noticed he hasn't been trying to make the tough catches. He seems to be veering away from hits when the ball is thrown into traffic. I worry that he is more concerned about making a few more dollars than helping his team be successful. If that's the case the Giants don't really need a player like that on the team.
2) The Giants main receiver Hakeem Nicks has been injured all season. He has played sparingly this season. Since Nicks has not been 100 %, Cruz has been getting double coverage by the defenders. I don't think the Giants should pay a player big money if he can't find a way to be productive when the defense focuses on him. He seems to shrink when the defense gets in his face and plays him aggressively. His two worst games this season were against the Dallas Cowboys. In both games Cruz had several drops. What made it worse was that the defensive backs grabbed him and intimidated him to the point that he mentally checked out of the games. Morris Claiborne is a Dallas rookie and absolutely abused him in those contests.
I hope neither is correct about Victor. He has become a fan favorite in New York after his 2011 season. However I must say if either is true about Cruz I would not want him on my team. Since it appears that the contract won't get done til after the season, he had better perform if he wants to make the big bucks.
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