If anyone embellishes what being a New York Giant means, it's legendary wide receiver Victor Cruz. He played six seasons (2010 to 2016) with the G-Men and quickly became one of the most likable players in East Rutherford.
After a successful career at UMass, Cruz went undrafted in the 2010 NFL draft and signed with Big Blue the next day. While he would get an opportunity in his rookie year to shine for the Giants, a season-ending hamstring injury ended his season after three games, but Cruz would come back better than anyone could've imagined.
In 2011, Cruz posted 82 catches, 1,536 yards, and nine touchdowns in 16 games. His remarkable sophomore campaign included an explosive 99-yard touchdown catch against the New York Jets on Christmas Eve and many more incredible moments.
Still, the cherry on top was Cruz leading the Giants to their second Super Bowl victory in five years. He would finish the season as a Super Bowl Champion and receive Second-Team All-Pro honors. The best part about the 2011 season was that this was just the start for Cruz. He would follow up the '11 season with another 1,000-plus yard season and earned Pro Bowl honors.
Cruz was shaping up to be the Giants' WR1 for years to come and took the league by storm as people quickly learned his name. Cruz became a fan favorite in New York because of his personality. He was notorious for his iconic salsa dance celebration after every touchdown, which honored his late grandmother.
It's safe to say Cruz will go down as one of the best wide receivers in franchise history.
While he will be forever remembered as a Giant, we've all heard the saying, "All good things must come to an end." Cruz's time in New York ended after the 2016 season when the team released him due to salary cap constraints, and his injury history.
Cruz would get another opportunity before lacing up the cleats in 2017 with the Chicago Bears, but he was only there for a cup of coffee as the team released him before the start of the season.
In a recent New Rory & Mal podcast interview, Cruz was asked what it was like to go from the Giants to the Bears during his playing career. The former Giants' receiver did not hold back on his experience in Chicago playing for the Bears.
Giants legend Victor Cruz called his experience with the Bears trash
After being asked what it was like to move on from the Giants, Cruz explained:
"It's funny because once I transitioned, you know, the stigma, or not the stigma, but something they tell you in the league often is like, 'Oh, it ain't, you know, when you leave the Giants, it ain't the same everywhere.'"
He said he was excited to get a fresh opportunity with the Bears because they were a heralded organization that had been around for over 100 years. Still, his experience in Chicago did not live up to the hype, even though it was short-lived:
"Like, they [Bears] absolutely run a high-level organization there. And I got there and I was looking around, I was like, this [expletive] is trash. Food was trash, ownership was trash, coaching staff was trash… It was just awful. In comparison to the Giants, where it was like gourmet, we got packaged lunch."
Scathing. This would be a terrible Yelp review. His brief tenure in Chi-town was nearly a decade ago, and a lot has changed. Regardless, it's hard to imagine the Bears organization is thrilled with his brutal comments.
On the other hand, the Giants should be ecstatic to hear what Cruz had to say. Since leaving the team, the former wide receiver has been loyal to the organization and fanbase, embodying the 'Once A Giant, Always A Giant' motto.
This should motivate young players like Malik Nabers to understand why winning in New York with the Giants is special and why the organization treats its players better than others in the league.
Joe Schoen and the Giants' front office should use Cruz's comments as a sales pitch to NFL prospects the team is meeting with ahead of the draft and have No. 80 in the building to share his experience in New York and talk about what it means to be a Giant.