EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) — Playing the Philadelphia Eagles always had a special meaning for Victor Cruz. This year, even more so.
The last time Cruz faced the Eagles was Oct. 12, 2014, and it almost cost the Giants receiver his career.
During the third quarter of the sixth game of that season, Cruz jumped in the end zone to catch a pass and tore the patellar tendon in his right knee. It was ugly and Cruz knew it right away. He cried.
Surgery and rehabilitation followed, and so did disappointment. The popular former free agent from nearby Paterson, New Jersey missed the following season with a calf injury that also required surgery.