Victor Cruz's Calf Still Cause for Concern for New York Giants

Of all the things that could have happened to New York Giants receiver Victor Cruz, his current calf injury was probably one of the last things he and the team needed.

Cruz, remember, was progressing at a steady pace from season-ending knee surgery to repair a ruptured patellar tendon. His progress was in fact so promising that at times it seemed too good to be true.

Unfortunately, it appears that it was, as even though his calf issue is not believed to be related to his knee, it's still a setback.

What’s more, Cruz, who is normally upbeat, didn’t sound quite as positive when he spoke to reporters this week about being ready for opening day at Dallas.

“Not yet, at least,” he said when asked if this issue has put any doubt in his mind.

“Nothing has been set in stone, in terms of playing that first week or not playing that first week. I’m still excited for Week 1—that’s still the goal. Obviously, the training staff will advise if they see differently as the next week-and-a-half comes along. But we’ll see.”

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

How Cruz’s Absence Is Hurting the Giants

Having a healthy Cruz on the field to complement Odell Beckham Jr. is vital to the Giants' success.

Without Cruz, they don’t have a proven and consistent receiver who is going to be where quarterback Eli Manning needs him to be on every play.

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

While last year Beckham managed just fine without Cruz on the field, remember that opposing teams had very little film on Beckham and how the Giants used him—this due to the fact that he was sidelined in the preseason with a hamstring injury.

To make matters worse for opponents, offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo became creative with his use of Beckham, moving him all over the field to get the ideal matchups. That made game-planning by opponents even more challenging.

Fast forward to present time. Opposing defensive coordinators now have significant film and tendencies they can study to defend against Beckham.

While the second-year receiver is still very much capable of winning his battles, having a reliable receiver of Cruz’s caliber on the field is going to make life so much easier for Beckham because opposing defenses might think twice about allocating extra resources to defend the current Madden cover boy.

How a Healthy Cruz Can Help the Giants

A big reason why having a healthy Cruz on the field is vital to the Giants’ success is to keep the New York defense, which is far from being settled, off the field as much as possible.

Right now the Giants, whose offensive line is still a work in progress, don’t have a strong running game.

Through three preseason games, the Giants are averaging 98.0 rushing yards per game, which puts them 17th in the league. That’s a big factor why their average of 291.0 net yards per game currently has them sitting 21st in the NFL.

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

Then there is the matter of the Giants defense, which thanks to injuries and questionable depth, particularly in the defensive backfield, is far from being ready to go for the season.

Until that defense settles in—and if history has taught us anything, it’s that it took the 2007 group, which had a little better talent, about 10 quarters of regular-season play before things clicked—the offense is probably going to have to carry the team on its shoulders.

It can’t do that, however, if it doesn't have a running game and if opposing defenses are teeing off on Beckham.

How Can Cruz Make Up for Lost Time?

Although Cruz is a veteran, because of his injuries, he has only been able to grown in this new offense in spurts rather than long strides.

The biggest thing that is likely to suffer when he does get back on the field is the timing between him and Manning.

Fortunately, both men believe there are things they can do to make sure to expedite the timing.

“There’s things we can do in the meeting rooms—understanding where he likes to position the ball and coming out and getting together with him at any point in time,” Cruz said, hinting that he and Manning might seek to work out on their own.

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

“Trying to get some timing down with it within the practices or something we do kind of off the field—whatever we can squeeze in timing-wise, it will be good.”

Whatever the two men do to expedite their timing and reignite their on-field chemistry will have to be quick, as time is fast expiring on the preseason. Manning, for his part, knows that it’s going to take some time to pick up where he and Cruz left off before the injury, but as usual, the 34-year-old quarterback didn’t sound too worried about it.

“I thought he looked good and looked sharp before the calf injury,” Manning said. “Hopefully he can come back and get healed up and be back to his normal self.

“Yeah, there’s still some work to do with Victor. Again, getting familiar with the offense, the timing of certain routes. It’ll be a work in progress, but that’s OK; we’ve got a long season. We’ve got time to work and practice and get better at things.”

Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. All quotes and information were obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced.

Follow @Patricia_Traina.