The receiver who wasn't even drafted in 2010, who arrived in Giants camp as a free agent that year with little hope of making the team, has been transformed into one of the game's top targets. Victor Cruz made New York's 53-man roster two seasons ago after finishing the preseason leading the NFL with 297 receiving yards, but he spent much of the year on IR. In 2011, the team's No. 4 receiver stepped up following injuries to both Mario Manningham and Domenik Hixon and finished with 82 catches for 1,536 yards and nine TDs.
BOX SCORE: 49ers 27, Giants 20
WR Victor CruzJan. 16, 2012
Q: How proud are you of the win against the Packers?
Cruz: Of course, any time you go on the road against a tough opponent, a team that has gone 15-1 and you go in there and play as well as we did and do all the positive things we set out to do, its something were very proud of and were looking to continue that trend.
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Q: How much of a motivating factor is it that you lost to San Francisco earlier in the season?
Cruz: Its very motivating. We understand that game came down to the wire and we were one play away from potentially winning that ballgame. Its a little sweet to go out there and play a team that weve already played and know that weve fought tooth-and-nail with. Hopefully it doesnt come down to the wire, hopefully we can win the game pretty well. As long as we can execute and do all the things we know how to do, well be okay.
Q: Chris Canty recently said that this time of year is all about the guys in the locker room and your teammates, is that true?
Cruz: Most definitely, its all about the moments you spend with the guys and understanding we can do something special. The guys we share it with, the guys on this team have been phenomenal all year. We understand this is a special time for us and we have to take advantage of it and soak in all the time and be ready to play this upcoming weekend.
Q: How important is the momentum the team is riding right now?
Cruz: We are riding a lot of momentum, a lot of confidence. Its great to play with that. Were a scary team right now because of the confidence were playing with and the amount of integrity and amount of passion we are playing with right now. At every position, not just Eli or myself or the defense. Everyone is playing with that same confidence and intensity. We are a scary team right now.
Q: Do you feel unstoppable?
Cruz: Thats a tricky word, but in a sense we do feel like, if were playing like weve been playing, if were executing at a high level the way weve been playing, were a tough team to stop.
Q: How is your injury?
Cruz: I am pretty good, I just got a little helmet to the thigh, but its nothing a little ice cant heal.
San Francisco 49ers
Q: What do you take with you from the first game against the 49ers
Cruz: Just the fact that we were able to move the ball pretty efficiently that game. We were going up and down, we had a few turnovers, unfortunately, early on in that game. We felt like we did some positive things. We basically controlled a lot of that game. Were looking to repeat that.
Q: Were you hoping to see them again at some point?
Cruz: We understood that they were a team we could potentially see again and that we wanted to see again in this situation. We got what we asked for.
Q: What does it say that you only need one more win to make it to the Super Bowl
Cruz: It says a lot. We had to battle through a lot of injuries early on this year and a lot of question marks in the receivers room early on as well. Just to overcome that and for guys to shine and step up and play well has been tremendous for our confidence. Weve been building off that ever since.