Victor Cruz was one of the top breakout wide receivers in the NFL during the 2011 season. Not only did he give New York Giants fans a new player to root for, but Cruz helped several fantasy football owners get to their championship as he gained yardage and touchdowns throughout the season.

Five games stood out for Cruz as the chemistry between him and Eli Manning helped lead the Giants to multiple victories, the lead in the NFC east and playoff contention.

Giants vs. Philadelphia Eagles

The Giants had something to prove when they headed into Philadelphia against their arch-rivals. In a 29-16 victory, Cruz caught for 110 total yards, including a 74 yard catch in the first quarter that led to an early 14-0 lead.

In the middle of the fourth quarter, Cruz caught his second touchdown in the game for 28 yards and a lead that the Giants would continue to grow with no matched points in the fourth.

Giants vs. Arizona Cardinals

After back to back wins against the Eagles and Ram, the Giants continued to roll into Arizona. Cruz had no touchdowns in the game, but he had six catches for 98 yards including a crucial third down catch that he ran for 13 yards. The drive led to a rushing touchdown by Brandon Jacobs.

Without the third down catch, the Cardinals may have beat the Giants and ended the win streak.

Giants vs. New England Patriots

The Giants love being the underdog and they certainly felt the pressure as they headed to New England to take on Tom Brady and the Patriots. Cruz had six catches for 91 yards in a similar performance to the game against the Cardinals. In the fourth quarter, Cruz was a part of the Giants drive that ended up with a Mario Manningham touchdown.

In the final minutes of the game, Cruz set up the pace for the game winning drive as he caught a 19 yard pass from Manning that brought the Giants up the field and eventually led to a Jake Ballard touchdown and upset victory over the Patriots.

Giants vs. Green Bay Packers

Even though the Giants lost to the Green Bay Packers in NFL Week 13, the offense was on fire all game. Cruz had seven catches in the game for a total of 119 yards. Late in the first quarter, he had a 42 yard catch that led to a field goal for the Giants.

Giants vs. New York Jets

In a battle same-city teams the Giants showed their dominance against the Jets. Victor Cruz was quiet for the most of the game except one key play that broke records and set up the Giants for victory. As the first half was winding down, the Giants were pinned at their own one yard line. Eli Manning shot a quick pass to Cruz. Cruz spun away from his opponent and turned the catch into a record 99 yard touchdown that was replayed on sports channels for days after and will go down as one of Cruz’s greatest catches.

Alan Donahue is a life-long New York Giants fan. He passionately follows the NFC East, plays in numerous fantasy football leagues and has written hundreds of sports articles.

More from this contributor:

Top 5 New Year’s Resolutions for the New York Giants

Five Worst NFL Quarterback Injuries of the 2011 Season

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Sunday, 1 p.m., MetLife Stadium, WTTG-5

Falcons 10-6, Giants 9-7

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By the time Victor Cruz turned the corner on Dallas’ Terence Newman in the first quarter tonight, the Giants’ sideline became a bouncing mass of blue and white waving their slot receiver toward the end zone.

They had seen this before: The way Cruz can catch a sliver of open space and turn the remaining field into a track meet.

They had seen it a week ago when Cruz rendered a flat-footed Jets secondary dumbfounded with a 99-yard catch-and-run that awoke a sleepy Giants offense.

Tonight, Dallas was the victim with a little more than five minutes to play in the first quarter, on a third-and-1.The Cowboys’ secondary tried to chase Cruz 74 yards down field but Newman dove around the 30-yard line and Gerald Sensabaugh gave up around the 10.

“I was just watching myself on the JumboTron just making sure they weren’t too close,” said Cruz, who’s goal this season was just to get one catch in a meaningful regular-season game.

For the second time in as many weeks, Cruz brought the Giants to life with an electric catch-and-run, then delivered a series of decisive blows throughout the game. In the 31-14 win over Dallas in front of 81,077, a victory that gave the Giants the NFC East division title and a berth in the playoffs, he finished with six catches for 178 yards and a touchdown. Over the past two games, he’s had 342 receiving yards.

“I guess it’s just God-given ability,” Cruz said. “When I get the ball in my hands I try and make the most of every play, you know, I try and make the maximum yardage I can get every time I touch the ball.”

Said Giants coach Tom Coughlin: “He just keeps doing it, and thank God he does. I am cheering for him, doing cartwheels on the sidelines as he is running by.”

Unfortunately for Dallas, their Cruz-induced headaches were not limited to that 74-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

On a third-and-7 from the Giants’ 28-yard line in the fourth quarter, Eli Manning spun off pressure in the pocket and hurled one to Cruz 44 yards downfield. The safety went in the opposite direction on Cruz’s seam route, giving Manning the go-ahead to make the throw.

Two plays later, Manning hit Cruz again over the middle for a gain of 20, setting up a 28-yard field goal.

“He’s come up big,” Manning said. “Last year when we lost Steve Smith to an injury we really struggled not having anyone to work the middle of the field. We put a lot on Cruz, he’s done a great job doing that all season.”

The Dallas defense placed a safety over top for some much-needed help. But it didn’t help. The Cowboys tried, and failed, to get inside the receiver’s head. After Laurent Robinson scored on a 6-yard quick-slant touchdown, he broke out in Cruz’s signature touchdown salsa dance.

“I told him if he wants to do my dance, he needs to be a little more fluid, man,” Cruz said.

Conor Orr: corr@starledger.com

There is the quick update of the day.

Read More: Osi Umenyiora (DE – NYG), Ahmad Bradshaw (RB – NYG), Mario Manningham (WR – NYG), Hakeem Nicks (WR – NYG), Jake Ballard (TE – NYG), Mark Herzlich (LB – NYG), Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants

The New York Giants still have issues at the wide receiver position after Hakeem Nicks missed his second straight day of practice and Mario Manningham was once again limited. Giants head coach Tom Coughlin is hopeful that both will be available to play on Sunday. Nicks did some light running Thursday and assured reporters after practice that he would be on the field Sunday.

Running back Ahmad Bradshaw also sat out Thursday’s practice but he could return to the practice field on Friday.

Here is the full injury report for the New York Giants from Thursday, December 29:

Did not Participate
Jake Ballard (knee)
Ahmad Bradshaw (foot)
Mark Herzlich (ankle)
Hakeem Nicks (hamstring)

Limited Participation
Mario Manningham (knee)
Osi Umenyiora (ankle/knee)

For more on the Cowboys head over to Blogging the Boys, SB Nation’s Dallas Cowboys blog. For more on the Giants head over to Big Blue View, SB Nation’s New York Giants blog. For more on the NFL, visit SB Nation’s NFL news hub.

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP)—Coming off one of their best defensive efforts,
the New York Giants seemingly are getting another piece back for their NFC East
showdown with the Dallas Cowboys.

Two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Osi Umenyiora practiced on a limited basis
Wednesday after being sidelined for the month with a high ankle sprain and
continuing problems with his knee.

Expect him on the field Sunday night when the Giants (8-7) face the Cowboys
(8-7) for the division title and a first-round home game against either Atlanta
or Detroit.

“Hey, this is it,” backup defensive end Dave Tollefson said. “Win, you’re
in. Lose, you go home. So you might as well pull all the stops and get
everybody rolling,”

Umenyiora hurt the ankle—the team has not said which one—in a loss in
New Orleans on Nov. 28. He has missed the last four games and many wondered
whether he would be back on the field this season.

However, the nine-year veteran looked nimble running with the defensive
linemen early in practice.

“He’s tested everything, lots of times,” coach Tom Coughlin said. “That’s
what he’s been doing. He’s been working his tail off. He just hasn’t been able
to get right.”

Umenyiora did not immediately return an email from The Associated Press
seeking comment. He usually talks to reporters on Fridays.

The Giants have not been hurt by Umenyiora’s absence because second-year pro
and recent Pro Bowl selection Jason Pierre-Paul has been outstanding starting
for him at right end, twice winning NFC defensive player of the week honors.

However, Umenyiora’s addition also comes at a time when fellow two-time Pro
Bowl defensive end Justin Tuck is playing his best football after a season
marked by neck, groin and toe injuries.

With Umenyiora, Pierre-Paul, Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka, the Giants will
finally have all the part of the third-down pass quartet they envisioned using
all season. And some depth.

Pierre-Paul was forced to play more than 100 plays in the Giants’ 29-14 win
over the rival Jets at MetLife Stadium.

“That rest will help me a lot and it will get me going,” said Pierre-Paul,
who was selected the NFC defensive player of the week on Wednesday for the
second time in three weeks. “I was playing like 80 snaps a game and that is a
lot. You don’t really think about it, you just have to go.”

Pierre-Paul also won the honor in the Giants 37-34 win over Dallas on Dec.
11. He had eight tackles, two sacks, one of which resulted in a safety, a forced
fumble that led to a field goal and blocked Dan Bailey’s tying field goal
attempt on the final play of the game.

If the Giants do have everybody back that could make things a little tougher
for Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, who intends to play this weekend despite
suffering a bruised right hand in 20-7 loss to Philadelphia this past weekend.

“I think that Osi is a good player, so anytime they get another pass rusher
it presents more of a challenge,” Romo said in a conference call with New York
media. “We have to prepare for that. I think that group up front is an
outstanding group and they have three or four guys that you really have to
account for. It is going to be a great challenge for our guys up front and for
me to see different things and you just have to know that going into the week.
We will be prepared for it.”

The Giants’ defense, which ranks 28th in the league, played an outstanding
game against the Jets, particularly after yielding a touchdown on the opening
drive. It forced three turnovers and held the Jets to 4 of 21 on third-down
conversions. The only Jets touchdown in the second half came on an 11-yard drive
after an Eli Manning pass was intercepted.

Safety Antrel Rolle said the Giants are willing to pay the price to make the
playoffs for the first time since 2008. Nicked players are practicing and the
tempo has picked up.

Having Umenyiora back on the field is just another example of that.

“All on deck. We’re all fighting,” Rolle said. “We’re all trying to get
better. It means everything to have Osi out there. I know he’s probably not 100
percent, but he’s fighting. He’s fighting. He’s fighting for himself. He’s
fighting for this team. He’s fighting for what we have at stake.”

Tackle Chris Canty said having Umenyiora and his seven sacks back just gives
the defense another talented player.

“It would be pretty impeccable timing, to get everyone healthy and
running,” Tollefson said.

NOTES: WR Hakeem Nicks did not practice because of a recurring hamstring
injury. He said he would play Sunday. …WR Mario Manningham, who missed the
Jets game with a nagging season-long knee injury, worked on a limited basis.
…TE Jake Ballard, who sprained a knee against Washington on Dec. 18 and did
not play last week, did some running and light cutting away from the team. He
did practice. ….Coughlin, who injured his left leg on Saturday when slammed
into by running back D.J. Ware, got a message from Saints coach Sean Payton, who
broke his left leg when tight end Jimmy Graham slammed into him on Oct. 16 in a
game at Tampa, Fla. “You look like you’re a better athlete than me, you didn’t
go down,” Coughlin said Payton told him.

Thanks for reading! .

By Pat Johnston

– Newsdesk contributor

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Dec 27, 2011 – The New York Giants had two players selected for the 2012 Pro Bowl (via Giants Twitter) which will take place on Jan. 29, 2012 in Honolulu, Hawaii at Aloha Stadium at 7 p.m. (TV:NBC).

Quarterback Eli Manning and defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul were named to the roster for the Pro Bowl. Manning will be making his second trip to the Pro Bowl. He is the first Giants quarterback to make two Pro Bowls since Phil Simms was picked in 1985 and 1993. This will be Jason Pierre-Paul’s first trip to the Pro Bowl.

There were no Giants in the lead at their position after the conclusion of the fan vote period.

Fan voting concluded on Dec. 19 but the official selections were announced on Dec. 27 at 7 p.m. on NFL Network’s NFL Total Access 2012 Pro Bowl Selection Show.

For more Giants coverage, visit our team page or our blog Big Blue View.

Read More: Eli Manning (QB – NYG), Jason Pierre-Paul (DE – NYG), New York Giants

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That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.

In this Week 16 matchup, the 7-7 New York Giants “visit” the 8-6 New York Jets in a game that has playoff implications for both teams. Currently second in their divisions, the Jets are currently holding onto the sixth seed in the AFC playoffs while the Giants are behind the Dallas Cowboys by a game for the NFC East division title. In this game between New York teams with plenty of playoff ramifications, both the Giants and Jets have important players injured that may factor into this game.

New York Jets RB Joe McKnight
Wikimedia Commons

Out for Giants: TE Jake Ballard, LB Mark Herzlich, DE Osi Umenyiora

With Ballard officially ruled out with a knee injury, quarterback Eli Manning will be without his best tight end with an injury to his posterior cruciate ligament. As expected, both Umenyiora and Herzlich will miss another game with ankle injuries.

Out for Jets: None

Doubtful for Giants: WR Mario Manningham

Manning may also be missing his third wide receiver in Manningham on Saturday. When available, Manningham allows Victor Cruz some playing time in the slot in three-receiver sets, which gets him away from the tough coverage of either Darrelle Revis or Antonio Cromartie. A tough pass defense to beat, the Giants may struggle finding any receivers if Manningham is unable to play with his knee problem.

Doubtful for Jets: None

Questionable for Giants: RB D.J. Ware

Ware has practiced sparingly this week with a knee injury and may not be available for this game. However, with Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw running well as of late, Ware’s role as a third-down receiving back is not as important this week.

Questionable for Jets: CB Marquice Cole, RB Joe McKnight

McKnight suffered a separated shoulder against the Philadelphia Eagles last week and is expected to be a game-time decision. As one of the backups to Shonn Greene, his injury could be a tough break both on offense and in the return game, where Cromartie would return kicks in his absence. Cole, a backup defensive back and special-teams contributor, is more likely to miss this game than McKnight with a knee injury.

Probable for Giants: C David Baas, TE Travis Beckum, RB Ahmad Bradshaw, S Derrick Martin, TE Bear Pascoe, WR Devin Thomas

The most crucial Giant listed as probable this week is Bradshaw (foot), who should be ready to go on Saturday. Baas’ availability to start moves Kevin Boothe to left guard. Beckum (chest) and Pascoe (ribs) will be crucial members in the passing and pass-protection game with Ballard out.

Probable for Jets: WR Plaxico Burress, DE Mike DeVito, G Vladimir Ducasse, RB Shonn Greene, LB David Harris, WR Santonio Holmes, WR Jeremy Kerley, G Brandon Moore, DE Ropati Pitoitua, QB Mark Sanchez, G Caleb Schlauderaff, S Eric Smith

Offensive starters listed as probable for the Jets are Burress (illness), Greene (rib, shoulder), Holmes (hip), Moore (hip), and Sanchez (neck). Defensive starters listed as probable for the Jets are DeVito (knee), Harris (non-injury related), and Smith (knee). DeVito, Holmes, and Smith were the only players of this list who were limited participants in the team’s most recent practice but should all be available to play.

Sources:

NFL Injuries, Yahoo! Sports

Giants likely minus 2 key players, ESPN New York

Jets’ Joe McKnight, Marquice Cole listed as questionable for Giants game, nj.com

The NFL Injury Report, NFL

More from this contributor:

Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers Week 16 Injury Report Assessment: Fan’s Preview

San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks Week 16 Injury Report Assessment: Fan’s Preview

Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts Week 16 Injury Report: Fan’s Preview

Five 49ers with Great Performances in 20-3 Win Over Steelers: Fan’s Take

Pittsburgh Steelers at San Francisco 49ers Week 15 Injury Report Assessment: Fan’s Preview

Austin Chang is a lifelong football fan, San Francisco 49ers supporter, and a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @_austinchang.

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Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

The New York Giants and the New York Jets may share a home, but there’s no brotherly love between the two teams. The G-men battle Fireman Ed and Co. on a Saturday night game that will have a huge impact on whether either team makes it into the playoffs.

That’s all the news for today.

By Ed Valentine

– Regional Editor

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Dec 23, 2011 – Let’s continue our position-by-position look at the New York Giants and New York Jets with a look at the special teams units for each team.

Giants

When the Jets let punter Steve Weatherford go after last season the Giants snapped up the veteran free-agent punter to avoid the disastrous inconsistencies experienced a season ago with rookie punter Matt Dodge. Weatherford has responded with a career year. His 46.3 yards per punt average is the best of his career by nearly three yards and his net average of 40.0 puts the Giants seventh in the league, a vast improvement from a season ago. 

Placekicker Lawrence Tynes is having an excellent season. He is 16-of-20 on field-goal attempts, with two of his misses coming from outside 50 yards. Thirty-three of Tynes’ 70 kickoffs have been for touchbacks, a percentage of 47.1. That puts Tynes, historically near the bottom of the league in kickoffs, in the middle of the pack for NFL kickers.

The problem for the Giants has been in the return game, where they simply have not generated any big plays all season.

The Giants’ average of 23.0 yards per kickoff return is 19th in the league and they have only one return longer than 40 yards all season. Devin Thomas handled the job early in the season, and rookie speedsters Da’Rel Scott and Jerrel Jernigan have been the primary returners recently.

Punt return has been even worse. The Giants average just 7.4 yards per return, 28th in the league. Aaron Ross handled those duties early in the season and Will Blackmon has taken over recently. The Giants are one of only two NFL (Carolina being the other) that does not have a punt return of 20 yards or longer this season.

Jets

The Jets replaced Weatherford with T.J. Conley and the rookie from Idaho has done a decent job. He has a 43.0 yards per punt average. His net average of 38.7 puts the Jets 17th in the league. Conley leads the league in forcing fair catches, with 25.

Placekicker Nick Folk is 18-of-23 on field-goal attempts, including thee-of-six from more than 50 yards. Folk’s difficulty comes on kickoffs, where only 16 of his 73 kickoffs (20.9) have gone for touchbacks. That puts the Jets 31st in the league in that category.

Where the Jets are clearly superior to the Giants is in the return game.

The Jets are third in the league with an average of 26.8 yards per kickoff return, and have a league-best of seven returns of 40 yards or longer. Joe McKnight leads all regular NFL kick returners with a 32.3 yards per return average and has five of those 40+ yard runbacks. Antonio Cromartie has the other two.

The Jets average 8.6 yards per punt return. Rookie Jeremy Kerley has been the primary return man, averaging 9.4 yards per return.

Advantage: Jets … based purely on the quality of their return game

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Not much else going on in the NFL world today.

With former NFL Giants like Bill Ard, Stephen Baker, Chris
Calloway, Eric Dorsey, Sam Garnes and Rodney Hampton providing
support, the New York Giants Youth Football Camps will return next
summer to more than 27 locations, including a camp in Summit at the
Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child at 44 Blackburn Road.

A $40 discount is available for those who register today, Thursday,
Dec. 22, followed by a $30 discount for registrations through
February 2012.

New York Giants Youth Football Camps provide non-contact
instruction to young people from 6 to 14.

With professional coaches and New York Giants athletes, young
people learn to run, throw, catch, defend and compete “the Giants
way.”

All programs provide football non-contact instruction, athletic
skill development, and fitness and agility training.

‘Safe Environment’

“We are a great place for kids to learn football in a safe,
well-structured environment,” said camp Executive Director Thomas
Finks.

“Experienced players benefit from our Accelerated Skills program.
Newcomers gain skills and confidence from our Comprehensive Skills
program. And we even host a significant number of kids that use our
camps to cross-train for sports like hockey and baseball,” Finks
noted.

New York Giants Youth Football Camps trained more than 2,000 young
people last summer. The Giants Youth Camps plan to expand program
options to meet the needs of even more participants next
summer.

“We will be announcing three new programs after the first of the
year,” Finks said. “The New York Giants have tremendous resources
and are truly committed to teaching kids through football.”

The camp next summer at the Oak Knoll School will be held from 9
a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, June 25, through Friday, June 29.

The price is $459, but a discounted price of $419 is available to
those who register today, Thursday, Dec. 22, after which a
discounted price of $429 will be available for registrations
through February.

For information and registration, visit www.NYGiantsCamps.com or
call (877) 226-9919.

If you like reading our blog, remember to bookmark it.

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

According to a Yahoo! Sports report, the Christmas Eve clash between the New York Giants and New York Jets actually matters for a change. “For all the history of these teams – the Jets have Joe Namath and Super Bowl III while the Giants have Lawrence Taylor, the David Tyree catch and three titles – none of it intersects,” says the author of the article, Jason Cole. But of the 11 times the teams played during the regular season over the past 42 years, five were highly entertaining and significant. Here’s a look back at the top five games in the Giants-Jets rivalry.

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning
wikimedia commons

1) Nov. 1, 1981

The Giants and Jets were both in the midst of the playoff race by the midway point of the season, and the early November matchup between the squads would determine who was the top team in New York in the 1981 season. The Jets, featuring legendary Sack Exchange players Mark Gastineau, Joe Klecko, Marty Lyons and Abdul Salaam, sacked Giants quarterback Phil Simms nine times and held their offense to just seven points. The Jets came away with a 26-7 win.

2) Dec. 18, 1988

The teams squared off in the season finale of the 1988 season, with the Jets coming away with a 27-21 victory to knock the 10-6 Giants out of the playoff race. The Jets, who finished 8-7-1, were already eliminated from the postseason, but they showed plenty of heart in the affair. The Jets held a 20-7 lead in the third quarter, but Phil Simms hit Stephen Baker and Lionel Manuel for touchdown passes to give the Giants a 21-20 advantage. But with time winding down, Jets wide receiver Al Toon caught a touchdown pass to seal the victory for the Jets and end the Giants’ playoff hopes.

3) Nov. 2, 2003

The Giants would win their third straight game against the Jets in a wildly entertaining overtime affair on Nov. 2, 2003. New York Jets quarterback Chad Pennington pushed the pace of the offense and led a late comeback charge, tying the game at 28-all in the waning minutes of regulation time. But Giants kicker Brett Conway booted a field game with four seconds left in overtime to earn a 31-28 victory for his team.

4) Oct. 7, 2007

The last time the Giants played the Jets in the regular season was in the 2007-08 season, the year they won the Super Bowl over the New England Patriots. The Giants would ultimately win their fourth consecutive game over the Jets in thrilling, come-from-behind fashion. The Giants found themselves behind, 24-14, but Eli Manning connected on touchdown passes to wide receivers Jeremy Shockey and Plaxico Burress to put his team back on top. Aaron Ross then sealed the victory with a game-changing interception, ultimately helping the Giants come out on top, 35-24.

5) Nov. 10, 1974

The Jets earned a 26-20 win over the Giants for their first ever regular-season overtime victory. It was also the first time any regular-season NFL game ended with an overtime win, as this was the year that the league instituted overtime to non-playoff games. It was a back-and-forth affair, with the Jets tying the game in the fourth quarter on a quarterback sneak from Joe Namath. In the overtime period, Namath connected with Emerson Boozer to seal the win for the Jets.

Eric Holden is a lifelong New York Jets fan and he will be pulling for his team to knock Big Blue out of the playoffs on Christmas Eve. Follow the author on Twitter @ericholden.

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