FLOWERY BRANCH -- New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz, who does the Salsa dance after he scores touchdowns, talked to the Atlanta media on Wednesday.
Here's what Cruz, who likely has a future on Dancing With The Stars, had to say:
Q: Can you talk about the new offense and how it appears to be gelling over the past two games?
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
Credit: D. Orlando Ledbetter
A: It's going well for us. It obviously took us a while for us to get into a groove a little bit and get things going. I think the past two games (quarterback) Eli (Manning) has picked it up a little bit. He's getting a little bit more comfortable and everything has been clicking.
Q: What do you see in the Falcons secondary when you watch them on film?
A: I see two aggressive corners. I see guys that understand how to play the ball. They are both very quick and very fast. Obviously, one of the safeties (William Moore) went down with an injury, which is unfortunate. But I do see safeties that do go downhill and can definitely make plays in the passing game. We have a challenge for us offensively from a wide receiver standpoint. We have to be discipline with our routes and make plays.
Q: What do you think of the offense as a whole with Donnell having a breakout party and Eli elevating his play?
A: I think it's all positive. The more play-makers that we have, the more guys understanding the offense and understanding how to get themselves open and making big plays, the better. We need more of that. We are definitely getting there. We've got (wide receiver) Odell Beckham (Jr.) back. He's getting his injury healed up. The more guys that we have out there making plays, the better.
Q: Have you seen the Falcons run defense?
A: Anytime you're running the ball well, that opens things up for the offense. You're able to get things going and have a fluid offense. You can have your playbook wide up. Going into every game we want (Rashad) Jennings and Andre Williams to get their touches and get the ball moving forward and kind of set the tempo for the game. We are excited for that opportunity. Then obviously as receivers we'll have our chance in the play-action passing game.
Q: Can you all take advantage of the Falcons injuries?
A: You just kind of look at it and understand what they have. They'll definitely be treating it as the next man up approach. This is the National Football League. The guys that are behind (the starters) are professionals and they understand how to play and they are good players as well. We definitely see the injuries, but we don't pay too much attention to them because we have to understand that we have to play our game and that the next man up is capable of doing good things as well.
Q: Is the Giants receiver group as talented as the Falcons wide receivers with Julio Jones and Roddy White?
A: We feel like our ability is definitely tops in the league. We feel like the accolades will come once we make plays and start doing things that we know we can do in the wide receiver room. But we are not looking for any accolades or any comparisons or anything of that nature. We just want to go out there and make plays. Then the accolades will come.
Q: How did Beckham look in practice?
A: He had a couple of good catches. He's still limited. We are still easing him in a little bit. He feels comfortable. He knows the offense. So, it's just a matter of him continuing to get better from a mental standpoint and then the physical will come.
Q: How much attention do you get from your Salsa dance when you score?
A: Every day, when I see people in the streets, out and about, everybody is doing the dance. Everybody is always wanting me to do the dance. It's fun. Obviously, it's fun when I'm doing it because that means we put up six points. But you know off the field, you have to take that. You understand how it is especially in this city. I have fun with it. The fans have fun with it. It's all fun.
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