Loading ...Does New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz feel like he deserves a raise following an 82 reception, 1,536 yard, eight touchdown season? Yes. Is he going to holdout in order to get said raise? Absolutely not.
"Holdout? I don't even know what that [word] means," Cruz said Tuesday. "That's not even in my vocabulary."
Cruz has remained firm on his stance that a holdout is a non-option, saying on several occasions it's not something that's going to happen. Skeptical reporters continue to hammer him with questions about it, however. It's so far from the norm in today's NFL that it's difficult for anyone to take him at his word.
“I think I was paid, you know, relative to where I came in this year and, you know, I came in as a free agent so that’s the salary I was on, so I don’t feel like I was underpaid,” Cruz said in early February. “I mean, I feel like after my performance this year, you know, I feel like I deserve to be paid more money at this point. But that’s something I’ll let my agents and those people take care of and I’ll just go out there and play the game.”
It seems inevitable that the salsa dancing superstar gets a new contract, but General Manager Jerry Reese has learned to be patient with his players. Had the Giants dove in head first on Steve Smith and paid him what he was seeking, they'd be knee-deep in a terrible contract with little wiggle room. Accordingly, the Giants may not begin to discuss a new contract with Cruz until sometime next season.
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We are lucky he feels the way he does. There players who would handle this a lot different. I think it’s smart if management is working with him. A long term below market value deal might best for both parties. I think if JR waits too long on this one Cruz will just drive his value up.
As it pertains to Hill, while some believe he isn’t “NFL ready,” his potential is through the roof! He’s so big, so fast and is clearly in need of grooming and development. It’s a good thing that he’s got 2 people above him on the depth chart will be both mentor and alleviator of the need to be a day one starter, instead allowing him to grow into the system gradually as his God-given gifts let him do what he can.
Sound familiar?
Let me give you a hint: Similar statements were made about our #1 pick in 2010.
You could also say that having Hill would give us flexibility and a stronger stance in the inevitably-difficult negotiations between the FO and Nicks and Cruz.
Same way that JPP’s emergence has given us flexibility with Osi’s contract situation.
I agree Hill is not the a talent you pass up. If you at the percentage of pass yardage he caught last year it was still amongst tops in the NCAA. Averaging 30 yards a catch shows he just didn’t run a fast 40 but showed it on the field.
The issue is that for those reasons I really doubt Hill makes it to us at 32. His upside is a true #1 so I can see him being drafted before Wright for that reason. I think he has more potential than any WR in this class.
I saw the discussion last thread on Poe. Much like with Hill, Poe is the type of prospect that would be hard to pass up. I would normally saw there’s not way we pass up on Poe but with concern about Austin, we might not be able to afford to projects at DT. I think Worley, Reyes and Still are also possible options at DT. It seems like there are 6 first round DT type talents who could be amongst top 32 prospects.
But the prospect than most looks like a past JR pick in the first round is the DE Jones from Syracuse. He has a Kiwi like frame and is coming out a year early so he might be undervaled.
Agreed on Chandler Jones, not so much on Poe. He’s got the measurables, but the rep on him is that he’s lazy. No way we get a guy like that in the 1st. Wouldn’t mind him in the 2nd, though.
The level of college football he played at makes such a rep needing to be researched. College production doesn’t mean produciton and vice versa. It’s a matter of JR and company feeling that putting a player like him around our coaches and players he will give an “A” effort. Look at JPP, he was the second best DE on his college team. I still really doubt Poe makes it to us. You can’t teach elite talent. At our pick you take elite talent with a few questions.
I sort of like Whitney Mercilus. Sure he doesnt look that explosive on tape, but he produced a ton and showed great burst at the combine. If he gets to learn behind Tuck and JPP I think he can be very, very good.
I wouldnt hate the pick if we got Hill, but he scares me more then any guy in the first. Routinely drops balls that hits him right in the hands. Sure he makes some circus catches as well, but those easy ones are absolute drive killers. Look at Braylon Edwards, all the potential in the world, but still suks because he cant be trusted to catch the damn ball.. Hill also makes DHB seem like polished when it comes to route running. Hill runs three routes, a go route, a comeback route and the slant. Does he have the potential sure, but he may also end up completely tanking. With JPP you at least knew hed be a solid rotation guy just based on speed and that incredible motor of his. Hill can fall flat on his face and be out of the league in three years without surprising me. He can also end up to be the next Andre Johnson..
/Rant
High sealing
I don’t think anyone has mentioned Mercilus just because all the mocks have him picked before us. But he’s definitely the type of DE we would draft.
Hill doesn’t concern me as far as floping because he can always be a field stretcher. He ran those routes in college. And Braylon Edwards as a 3rd WR isn’t bad. When healthy BE is still a good WR and makes big plays even though he’s not totally reliable. MM was much the same but still effective.
Nobody will stretch the field if all they can do is run straight forward.
mario did a pretty good job of it….
Mario was a great route runner. Completely different.
Torrey Smith?
Is also a pretty decent route runner. If our FO thinks Hill can do some of the things Torrey Smith does, e better trade up for him…
I doubt he gets to us. Ironically, if he does then you’re more likely to be right. I think a team in the 20-25 range picks him, which is about the range D Thomas also from Gtech went in.
Fair analysis. I guess I trust our coaching staff to coach those sort of bugs out of him and make the best of his ridiculous skillset.
*High ceiling, but floors like a friggin water well…
It should be noted that Cruz is bilingual so the vocabulary he may be referring to is en Espanol.
If that’s indeed the case, I believe he’s correct. I’m not fluent in Spanish, but my understanding is that there is no single word equivalent in that language for the noun “holdout.” The closest equivalents I can think of are the verbs “resistir” (to resist) or “esperar” (to wait).
Keep those words in mind when Cruz fails to show up in camp next year.
LOL!
Mercilus is a legit, Reese-type, first pick.
I think Poe is, at best, a second-round guy who you take on potential but don’t count on in his rookie season. And please. let’s not compare this kid to JPP. The latter had a very high motor in college and checked out as a great kid when interviewed. The former slept through his entire college career and then showed at the Combine that he’s an athlete. Big deal. He’s all potential, no production. Not a good pick at #32 in any year, much less one where we have legitimate holes in the roster.
Hill has a huge upside, but if I were picking at #32 and I saw that both he and Fleener were on the board I’d take Fleener. He’s much more ready to contribute right now, and also has huge upside because he can gain some weight and become a good blocker while giving us a Vernon Davis-like option downfield. Perhaps he isn’t a field-stretcher quite as much as was Manningham, or as would be Hill, but he has sick speed for a tight end and will force every defense to single one of Nicks and Cruz and not even be confident that they can rotate toward the guy who is singled up.
I’m not saying Fleener is the guy, but I’d take him over most of the WRs available if Reese wants to go receiver right away. That first pick has to be ready to produce very quickly unless he is the kind of unearthly athlete that JPP was when he came available. They took him because they knew they had the guy who could be the successor to LT as a defensive dominator. Those guys come along very few times in a GM’s career. There are NONE of them in this draft once you get past the first 4-5 picks. Luck, Griffen, Kalil, Blackmon and Claiborne may be those kinds of guys. By #32 you’re looking for immediate contribution.
That would be an interesting choice. Fleener would be a receiving threat not unlike Shockey, though less physical. While Hill could be a great outside compliment or even replacement for Nicks & Cruz. I agree you probably pick Fleener because there’s more similar WRs in the draft than similar TEs.
LSU cornerback Mo Claiborne scored a 4 on the wonderlic test. Maybe he’ll drop to 32, and we can draft him. He could be, our new favorite retard. That’s only two points less than Mario.
Mario Manningham scored a woeful six on the Wonderlic test. And look how he turned out!
Worth noting…..Mo is appealing question #7 on the wonderlic test. Claiborne claims he would’ve scored a 5 if not for question 7, which was a trick question and was NOT multiple choice.
See for yourself…… Here is the question:
7. A train travels 20 feet in 1/5 second. At this same speed, how many feet will it travel in three seconds?
Claibornes answer was….. trains don’t have feet.
I agree with him on that! lol
Also worth mentioning, OT Tony Washington (aka lover boy) is a FA.
Tony Washington was arrested (at age 16) for having consensual sex with his fifteen-year-old biological sister. That was 8 years ago. It is said that Washington and his sister are on good terms now. I’m not sure what terms they where on back then? Tony had an outstanding combine that year and was projected to be drafted.
I think you need to remember the new CBA when evaluating first round draft picks, especially “projects”. Under the old CBA, first round picks got 5 or even 6 year contracts. You had time to develop them.
Now, all 1st round picks sign 4 year deals. Thus, if the guy is a project and won’t produce enough to justify a first round pick (and the rookie salary that goes with it) until his 3rd year, all you’ve gotten is 2 years and the right to franchise tag the guy.
More than before (despite the reduced salaries under the new CBA), it makes sense for your first round pick to be a guy who can give you steady production right from the get-go.
Worth remembering.