Victor Cruz On 49ers' Secondary: 'They Didn't Have Much To Say In That Second Half'
NEW YORK (WFAN) - Victor Cruz has excelled in his second full season with the Giants, and Sunday was no different.
The Paterson native found the end zone for the fourth time in six games in the Giants' 26-3 victory over the 49ers, catching six balls for 58 yards and a touchdown.
"I was trying to get myself open as much as possible," the wide receiver told WFAN's Mike Francesa in his weekly spot on Tuesday. "(Quarterback) Eli (Manning) found me six times and I made some really good catches. (I) bobbled one, which was kind of a tricky one to catch, but I got it. It was a good day. Every time I'm out there and I'm making plays for the team, it's always positive."
LISTEN: Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz chats with Mike Francesa
The 49ers, who the Giants defeated in last season's NFC championship game, were widely-regarded as the best team in the National Football League as Week 6 approached. Understandably so, Jim Harbaugh's team came in confident that they could get some revenge on the G-Men.
"They weren't saying much," Cruz admitted. "I mean (in) the first couple of drives we were chatting a little bit, but after I scored one and we kept them out of the end zone pretty much the whole game they didn't have much to say in that second half."
Entering Week 7, the UMass alum feels that the defending Super Bowl champions have finally reached their potential.
"I think we've found our stride," Cruz said. "I think we're slowly starting to form our identity, and that's that we're a solid defensive team that likes to stop people, and you're not just going to sit back and throw the ball around on us. We're very sound in our secondary after some early troubles, and offensively we're hitting our stride at the right time. We're running the ball well, which is always great to see, and it sets up everything."
And the passing game isn't too shabby, either.
Manning has completed 63.6 percent of his passes, tossing 11 touchdowns to five interceptions. Cruz, who has been New York's top receiving target this season, is on his way to his first Pro Bowl campaign.
The 25-year-old has caught 43 passes for 496 yards and six touchdowns thus far in 2012.
Has Cruz become a top five receiver in football? Where do you think he ranks among the best in the league? Let us know in the comments section below...
