Announcer:
From the New York Stock Exchange at the corner of Wall and Broad Streets in New York City, welcome Inside the ICE House. Our podcast from Intercontinental Exchange is your go-to for the latest on markets, leadership, vision, and business. For over 230 years, the NYSE has been the beating heart of global growth. Each week we bring you inspiring stories of innovators, job creators, and the movers and shakers of capitalism, here at the NYSE and ISE's exchanges around the world. Now let's go Inside the ICE House.
Jerry Foley:
Growing up in Trenton, New Jersey, my house was on the border of where New York and Philadelphia fandoms often collided. In fact, many make the argument, and perhaps even rightly so, that Trenton New Jersey is more Philly than it is New York. Nevertheless, my father was a Giants fan. In fact, his New York fandom spread to the ice and the diamond, rooting for the New York Rangers and New York Yankees as well.
And because I wanted to root for the same teams as he did, I learned quickly that Sundays were indeed Giant days. I've watched every single New York football Giants game since their 3-12-1 season of 1983. I have lived through the ups, the downs, the ups, and the downs again. But through it all, the Giants have created enough memories to last a lifetime for their fans. I thank my father for shunning the city of Philadelphia in favor of New York.
Our two guests had quite different paths to becoming New York Giants. And today, Inside the ICE House, we will discuss how they are the owners of two of the biggest plays in franchise history. That's pretty impressive when you're talking about a franchise that has 100 years worth of memories.
David Tyree and Victor Cruz both own Super Bowl rings, and are both a part of Giants lore as much as any Giant who has ever donned the uniform. David's miracle catch in Super Bowl XLII was so ridiculous, it has more nicknames than any play in NFL history. The Great Escape, Miracle on 42nd, 1085, and the Flee to Tyree, just to name a few.
Cruz burst onto the scene in 2010, and quickly became a fan favorite, and one of the best receivers in franchise history. Calls of, "Cruz" still hover above Exit 16W of the New Jersey turnpike to this day. And his 99 yarder against Rex Ryan's New York Jets in 2011 rocketed the Giants towards the playoffs, and ultimately a championship that season.
While defense may be the soul of the Giants, it's the offense that typically makes the Mount Rushmore of greatest plays in team history. Both David Tyree and Victor Cruz can certainly stake their claims to the Giants' Mount Rushmore of plays.
David, thanks so much for joining us Inside the ICE House and welcome to the New York Stock Exchange.
David Tyree:
I feel real welcome, man. This is amazing.
Jerry Foley:
David, the Giants are celebrating their 100th season, which is obviously what brings us here today. And your catch was named as the top play in team history. What's that mean to you?
David Tyree:
It means the world to me, honestly. Just thinking as a kid growing up in Jersey, I guess you could say I was gifted the privilege of being a New York football Giant. And not really being a historian of the National Football League, but understanding everything now, what this franchise is, the Mara family, the Tisch family, obviously in the greatest city ever.
To be a part of the history is something I couldn't have imagined when I got drafted. It was funny, growing up in '80s as a 49er fan. After the first check, that immediately evaporated. So yeah, being a part of this franchise means the world to me.
Jerry Foley:
So you were drafted out of Syracuse in 2003, in the sixth round, primarily as a special teams player. Now take us back to that draft weekend, where you were expecting to be a mid to late round selection. And what were your thoughts, I was going to say, as a Jersey boy, being selected by the Giants?
David Tyree:
Honestly, I didn't have great expectations. It is pretty weird sometimes where they hear, they might tell you you can go as high as the fourth round, to not at all. And that's a reality. It sounds really bogus when you hear it, but there's so many different factors as to why a player may or may not get drafted. So when phone finally rang in the sixth round, I was elated, because I didn't feel like I was really on anybody's draft board coming into my senior year. Just didn't have the high level stats, and being a special teamers, a dime a dozen.
So to be drafted, to hear that phone ring, mom and dad around, I was actually dozing off a little bit. And then I'm talking to the Giants. And the phone rang again, I think the Detroit Lions were on the phone too, so I got hot toward the end of the sixth round there.
But no, it was pretty amazing. And as I hung up the phone, realizing I just got drafted, I realized, man, I guess I ain't got to take no flight nowhere, just drive my little hoopty around the corner. So it was a good time.
Jerry Foley:
Nice. So your first team all pro in 2005, all pro?
David Tyree:
Yeah.
Jerry Foley:
And also go to the Pro Bowl that year for your special teams play. Now the focus is on offense and defense, but special teams, that third phase of the game is one that can make all the difference in a game. How much pride did you take in being a great special teams player?
David Tyree:
All the pride in the world, man, I really expected to come in from day one, from my rookie year, and dominate. I was a little pissed off it took him that long for me to become All Pro, because I felt like my first two seasons were actually more dominant my third season.
But I always felt like, how can you impact the game? And I think every player has a natural position and wants to excel at the natural position. So did I. and I think that's what I did from the day I became a Giant. But I knew what they drafted me for. I wanted to over deliver. And to finally be crowned with that All Pro experience was amazing.
But I think that's about, when you think about any great team organization, it's about how someone makes a worthwhile contribution to the ultimate goal. And I think in football, it's pretty clear, and that's winning games and winning championships. But that meant the world to me, because it was more about grit than it was about skill, talent, or anything. And I think that's what gets you along in life.
Jerry Foley:
Yep. Yeah, the want to do it, right?
David Tyree:
There you go.
Jerry Foley:
So final week of 2007, you guys gave the Patriots everything they could handle that game. So after that game's over, and they finished their undefeated season, and especially the fact that you guys had really nothing to play for-
David Tyree:
True.
Jerry Foley:
... were you thinking, "You know what, we play these guys again, we can take them"?
David Tyree:
Absolutely. We play to win the game. And I think, I tell my children, it doesn't matter whether you're playing Yahtzee, Monopoly, every game, the whole point of the game is to win. And there's a lot of inferior fringe benefits, like teamwork, collaboration, and there's a lot of benefits to playing on a team. But the game, the whole purpose of any game is to win it.
And so if you make an inferior purpose, then you kind of miss the whole point. And I think that's what was great about Coach Coughlin's leadership, best team's coming into town, let's take the throne. We gave it our best shot and they were literally that good. But we had a little blood in the water and we felt like that was a great little run of show going into the playoffs.
Jerry Foley:
Yeah. And that's a good segue to my next question, actually. Coach Coughlin, like his influence on your playing career? And are there stories that stick with you about him? Other than the five minutes early and the stuff we kind of know?
David Tyree:
Yeah, man, I think if there's one story specifically that sticks with me, it was actually from that season as well. I lost my mom going into that playoff. I came back for the Patriots, the last game of the season. And I was pulled out of the Washington team meeting before the Washington game, and find out that tragic news.
And of course, I pretty much break down, as I really am wrestling with that reality. And as I'm weeping, I kind of hear this voice, this comforting voice. And as I'm coming to my own mind, and I opened my eyes, it's Coach Coughlin. So it was the last person I was expecting to have that warmth, that warmth and understanding. And I certainly didn't want to leave. Where I was, in a position of serving my family at that time, I just had the space from the Giants, and Coach Coughlin, to support, to take care of things with my mom.
But honestly, he's not just instrumental as a leader, he was instrumental as a man, as a figure to so many of us, and played a huge role in my development.
Jerry Foley:
So leading up to the Super Bowl, we all know you had a rough week of practice, or a rough practice, I should say.
David Tyree:
Yeah, rough practice. That gets a little blown out.
Jerry Foley:
Yeah, it gets blown out. Right, right, right.
David Tyree:
Golly, man.
Jerry Foley:
Well that's Strahan's fault. Strahan always says, "Beat them up ball," right?
David Tyree:
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Jerry Foley:
So did you envision, after that practice, you had a role in the offense? I guess it would be hard to imagine that you'd have such a huge impact on the game after a practice like that.
David Tyree:
The funny thing was, Plaxico Burress was hurt pretty much most of that year, so he didn't practice much. So I was taking a whole lot of wide receiver reps that year, that belonged to Plaxico Burress. And he had came back toward the end of the season, into the playoffs, but I think he re-injured or re-aggravated something that week.
So I was back to taking all Plaxico's reps. So I blame that horrible Friday practice on Plax.
Jerry Foley:
All right.
David Tyree:
But other than that, I think I understood my role. I think I just understood my role, to be the next guy up. I think Eli and I had a chemistry, as he was emerging. I was always in the mix, but not necessarily crossing the threshold of getting high productivity numbers.
And so I was just ready. And I just had the worst practice of my life on that Friday practice. And the only reason why I know I didn't drop every pass is because Coach Coughlin actually commended me on one seven on seven. He said, "You finally decide to show up, yeah?" But other than that, I think it was was a miserable practice for a professional football player. But when the lights is on, that's when it counts.
Jerry Foley:
There you go. Exactly. So I always call it this, but before you made the greatest catch in the history of Western civilization-
David Tyree:
Come on, bro. That's what I'm talking about. Finally, some respect out here.
Jerry Foley:
Right? You actually caught a touchdown pass in that Super Bowl.
David Tyree:
The most forgotten touchdown pass.
Jerry Foley:
Do you think that gets overlooked because of the catch?
David Tyree:
Yeah, it is. It is. Not that I need any more feathers, but I feel comfortable with the helmet catch. But I think that was the cool part. That was in the game plan, that was a dialed up play, because of my role in the run game. Obviously, we had two great backs get down on the goal line. You would think that,, just give Brandon Jacobs the ball heavy run action. And Eli, that was actually all Eli Manning. I didn't run a great route, but just good enough to get some separation from Asante Samuel.
So honestly, I thought that was it for me. I'm a little no-name kid from Jersey, and I scored a go ahead touchdown in fourth quarter. We are good. But there was more that God had in store that day. And it was great to be trusted in those crucial moments. And I think that, to me, that was the biggest feather in the cap, people throwing the ball your way in crucial moments. So from Eli to the rest of the team, being trusted by my teammates, that meant the world.
Jerry Foley:
So perennial pro bowler, Rodney Harrison, is ripping your arm down while you're trying to catch it. What's going through your head? Anything? Or is it just survival at that point?
David Tyree:
Yeah, the funny thing is, you get a jump ball, you want a high point it. And it's definitely hanging up there Chariots of Fire style, like a Duracell commercial. And honestly, you're kind of locked in. I remember going up with two hands, but I was expecting to have a collision. I was expecting to be challenged.
And I think that, just mentally being prepared for it, just, I got it. So all I knew was in my head, I got it. I had no clue that it was on my helmet. All I knew is I clenched, I squeezed. And I do remember securing the ball on the way down. And I didn't even see, I gave Eli all the credit. I had to take some of it back, but I gave him all the credit after the post game, because I didn't see a replay. So I just knew I had the greatest game of my life, greatest performance. And it was the greatest experience I could ever have as a player, as an athlete, to contribute on the greatest stage. But when I finally saw the replay, it was, whoo. It's two miracles of one right there.
Jerry Foley:
That's right. That's right.
David Tyree:
Amazing day.
Jerry Foley:
The play has like seven names.
David Tyree:
I know, I know.
Jerry Foley:
The Great Escape, the Flee to Tyree.
David Tyree:
Yeah, I've settled in on the Helmet Catch and Catch-42.
Jerry Foley:
There you go.
David Tyree:
I like it.
Jerry Foley:
So Burress scores with less than a minute to go. So when think back to the Super Bowl, your play followed by Burress' touchdown, that often comes to mind. But it was the defense that was on the field last. So needing to stop maybe the greatest offense in NFL history.
David Tyree:
Yep.
Jerry Foley:
How nervous were you during New England's final drive, when Brady's throwing like 70-yard Hail Mary's down the field?
David Tyree:
I ain't going to lie, I pray a lot, but I was praying, boy. I'm like, I know everybody was praying, they was praying on the... But honestly, there was one play that was pretty terrifying, and it looked like Randy Moss was behind two of our defenders.
Jerry Foley:
Yeah, Webster.
David Tyree:
And it was like, "Really?" But nah, man, I think there was a resolve about, once the Helmet Catch, there was the Wings of Destiny behind the team. And I think that's a powerful thing. You see it every now and then with certain teams, that there's something going on with the chemistry of this team. And I think that was where the real rest was. And thank God it shook out. Passes got broken up, sacked early. I think that sack by J. Alfred early, took another gust of wind out of the Patriots. And they were just throwing up Haymakers, hope for the best.
Jerry Foley:
Yeah. Another name that lives in Giant lore, who really wasn't a starter, right? J. Alfred makes that play.
David Tyree:
Yeah, absolutely.
Jerry Foley:
But everyone remembers that sack.
David Tyree:
Yeah, man, Jersey boys came to show up, man.
Jerry Foley:
There you go.
David Tyree:
Essex County in the building.
Jerry Foley:
So few of us, right?
David Tyree:
Yeah, yeah.
Jerry Foley:
So this is for people I work with, I'll be honest with you.
David Tyree:
Sure.
Jerry Foley:
There's a lot of folks at the Intercontinental Exchange who are from the greater Boston area, who are absolutely heartbroken after Superbowl XLII.
David Tyree:
Yes.
Jerry Foley:
Just want to know if you have a message for all those folks?
David Tyree:
Hey, man, I feel great. I feel great. I had a good time making the Helmet Catch against your previously undefeated Patriots, 18-1 all day. Nah, man, I tell people, "Listen, y'all got three chips afterwards, get over it."
Jerry Foley:
There you go. Nice. Yep.
David Tyree:
Get over it.
Jerry Foley:
That one bothers them though.
David Tyree:
Yeah, it does. It does.
Jerry Foley:
Eats at them.
David Tyree:
You know what, I felt like, obviously when we talk about this fun little rivalry between New York City and Boston. I think that's what it's all about. And the hungry and humble won that day, I would say.
I think those guys worked for their season, one of the greatest football teams ever. But I think we were hungry, and we knew we had to get it the right way. I think that was the footprint on that Super Bowl XLII team. So yeah, eat your heart out. Good times. This one belongs with New York.
Jerry Foley:
So before we finish, just personal note, 2008, 30 people at my house watching the game, you make the catch. My wife looks at me and says, "Your sister's crying." And I went like this, "Yeah, I can't believe it. I can't believe she's crying." So a solid 10 people were wiping their eyes after your catch. So I just wanted to let you know that. It was-
David Tyree:
I love it.
Jerry Foley:
It was voted number one for a reason.
David Tyree:
Appreciate it.
Jerry Foley:
It was a ridiculous memory.
David Tyree:
Yeah.
Jerry Foley:
And you are a Giant.
David Tyree:
I appreciate it, man. It means the world. That's what I always tell people. I said, "The Helmet Catch is a metaphor for every person in his life." I believe every person's going to have their own moment. Can't guarantee an audience of a hundred million, but I feel like, when you're talking about having a moment of validation, a moment of triumph, I think it's a metaphor for the human experience.
And when you talk about Giants fans, and what this city means, it's special. So appreciate that. Always love the Helmet Catch stories. Keep them coming.
Jerry Foley:
David, thanks so much for joining us Inside the ICE House.
David Tyree:
Appreciate it.
Jerry Foley:
Our next guest was a Super Bowl Champion in 2011. He erupted onto the scene in the 2010 preseason, even prompting a tweet from LeBron James. And he took the league by storm. In 2011, he set the Giants single season receiving yards record with 1,536, and his 99 yard touchdown against the New York Jets that season is a play that will never be forgotten. Like David Tyree and yours truly, he's from New Jersey, which means he likely lives his life with a chip on his shoulder. And that's perfectly acceptable and even warranted.
Victor, thanks so much for joining us Inside the ICE House, and welcome to the New York Stock Exchange.
Victor Cruz:
No problem. Thank you for having me.
Jerry Foley:
Absolutely.
Victor Cruz:
I need that intro everywhere I go.
Jerry Foley:
You see that?
Victor Cruz:
That was pretty good.
Jerry Foley:
Nice.
Victor Cruz:
That was pretty solid.
Jerry Foley:
Yeah, nice. There you go. Awesome. Appreciate that, man. Nice. As a New Jersey native, growing up across the river in Patterson, did you ever think you'd be part of the opening bell ceremony at the Stock Exchange?
Victor Cruz:
Never. You see it on TV, you see it in different moments. You kind of just admire it from afar. You see what it entails. And to be here in the building, to hear the history of it all, and to be part of it, to be part of that history now, is pretty incredible.
Jerry Foley:
So you were recently named to the Giants Top 100 Players in Franchise History. What's that honor mean to you, to be recognized among the greats of the New York Football Giants?
Victor Cruz:
Man, I still get goosebumps when someone brings it up, or tells me, or any of that. I grew up, like you said, in Patterson, New Jersey, in a town that isn't the safest. And you got to be occupied with sports and occupied with different things, to just ensure that you're staying out of trouble.
And my mother made sure she did that. And to couple that with a discipline, and to make it through high school, to get to college, to make it through college, and to have an opportunity in the NFL. And then you fast-forward, and now I'm Super Bowl Champion, and I've done some good things on the football field, to now I'm part of the hundred best players in New York Giants history? There are no words to really explain how I feel about that. And there will be none, forever.
And I hope my daughter, who likes to ridicule me day in and day out for whatever she sees fit, I'm sure when she gets older and sees that one, that if she's proud of anything that dad has done, that that's high up there on the list.
Jerry Foley:
So you go un-drafted out of UMass, but were signed by the Giants in 2010. Sure there was some disappointment about not being selected, but were you expecting to be chosen? And when it didn't happen and the Giants came calling, was it a no-brainer to sign with them?
Victor Cruz:
Yeah, so I was a realist. I knew that I wasn't 6'5", and 4-3, and some anomaly that was going to get picked up. I knew I went to a small school, I knew I had an outside chance to get drafted late, had a couple calls from some teams throughout the course of the draft.
But when my name wasn't called, I wasn't necessarily shocked. But I knew I'd at least have a chance in free agency, I'd have an opportunity to go to a football team and prove myself to them. And a couple teams called right after the draft. But when the Giants called, there was just something about it that I was like, "Okay, I got to try my hand at home. I got to try my hand at my hometown team. And if it doesn't work out here, then we'll see what happens." But I had to give it a shot here at home.
Jerry Foley:
So how long was it until you earned Coach Coughlin's trust? I'm just saying, as an un-drafted free agent, that had to be difficult, and couldn't have been easy.
Victor Cruz:
Yeah, there were levels to it. Obviously, coming in, my rookie year, I was doing some great things. I was improving every day on the football field, improving every day during these preseason games. But it wasn't until, I distinctly remember I was getting my start in week three. And it was even after that. I played week three, I played great. It was kind of my coming out game against the Eagles in the regular season.
And then I remember, I still wasn't named a starter yet, until the following week where I was sitting there and the next game came through. And we were kind of a little bit of a rut. There was not much going on for us offensively. And I was staying on the sideline, just waiting for a three receiver, four receiver set to be called so I can run in there.
And prior to that, he kind of looked at me, right before one of the offensive series, and kind of pointed at me, and just pointed into the field, like, "Get in."
Jerry Foley:
Yeah, right.
Victor Cruz:
And I was like, okay.
Jerry Foley:
Nice.
Victor Cruz:
And I ran in there, and I think that was when he was like, "Okay, I trust you enough now. I've seen what you've done in the weeks prior to lead up to this to prepare for this moment. I trust you. Go in there and get it done."
Jerry Foley:
So before Coughlin was Head Coach, he was a Wide Receivers Coach on the 1990 Giants. Did his experience coaching receivers help you?
Victor Cruz:
Big time. Whether it's him yelling at us after making a one hand catch in practice, to yelling at us to say, "Put two hands on the ball." Or just understanding the route tree, and understanding the concepts, and understanding what we were trying to achieve. And he would just sit in our receiver room, or sit in our offensive room, while we were going over film at times, and just give us little tidbits, and give us tricks of the trade.
And I think those small things to just have in our minds while we're out there practicing, or out there during the games, really helped us really just getting on the nuances of the receiver position, because he's seen it all, up until this point.
Jerry Foley:
So obviously, the golden rule of Coach Coughlin's, if you weren't five minutes early, you were late. What did you make of that famous rule, and how this type of discipline and preparation set the team up for the 11 run?
Victor Cruz:
I loved it, man. I think it gave us accountability. I think it made everybody aware of what was at stake here, and aware of the level of discipline it took to get to this level, to get to this Super Bowl level. And Coach Coughlin had proven that, up until that point, obviously going in '07, winning in '07. He had a pedigree of going into organizations, putting his discipline down, and having everyone align to that discipline.
And not everyone liked it at first. Everyone kind of... There's always a little pushback. But when you have good leadership on the football team, and you got guys at the top of the food chain, so to speak, that understand what he's trying to achieve, and they're able to trickle that down to the rest of the team, I think it pays dividends. And we had great leaders on our teams throughout all of those Super Bowl run years for sure.
Jerry Foley:
So in the 2010 preseason, you had the three touchdowns against the Jets. And in 2011, you have one of the most famous players in Giants history, 99 yarder against the Jets. What was it about the Jets that brought this out in you?
Victor Cruz:
I honestly don't know, man. I think it was just, anytime you play the Jets, it just brings a higher level of discipline. You know what's at stake. You know that the bragging rights are there. You know that it's going to be a game, especially the one in 2011 leading into the playoffs, you knew what was at stake there. We had to win out to the rest of that season just to have an opportunity to get into the playoff hunt, and into the playoffs.
So we knew what was at stake. And same for them. On the flip side, they had to win, and they were in a position to make it to the playoffs, and they knew what was at stake as well. So being part of this fan base for years, being from the New Jersey area, you know what it is to have bragging rights in that Snoopy Bowl. And I'm just happy I'm on the right side of history on that one.
Jerry Foley:
Yeah, it was Christmas Eve. So just personal story real quick, after that game's over, I raced to Mass on Christmas Eve. Priest sees me with a Giants shirt on. I wore a Giants shirt, I didn't care. And he says, "Did we win?" I said, "We won, Father." And it was one of the coolest things ever, because-
Victor Cruz:
Wow.
Jerry Foley:
... I was just thinking of your play, the 99 yarder. It was just, thanks for that.
Victor Cruz:
That's awesome.
Jerry Foley:
It was incredible. But before that game, Jets cornerback, Darrelle Rivas, says he know you very well. After the 99 yard touchdown reception, was there any satisfaction that he knew your name after that?
Victor Cruz:
Yeah, big time. And not just him, right? I think, obviously, he embodied what the team felt. And he would only speak that if they've had conversations as a team, and as a defensive back room, obviously, they're watching a ton of film on us, and watching us on film, and giving their critiques, and giving their game plans on how they want to stop us.
So it was just rooted even deeper. I think that's why, there's an audio clip after, I think it was after the 99 yarder, where I come back to the sideline and I'm like, "I think they know my name now." And then that was just one of those moments, where I don't normally talk trash, or be out of my body a little bit, but I think that one was warranted just a little bit.
Jerry Foley:
I think it's okay to finish trash.
Victor Cruz:
Yeah, I think it's okay. It's okay, that one. But we knew. As the receiving core, we knew we had to continue to prove ourselves week in and week out. That even though we had done some good things up until that point, we still had a lot to accomplish. We still had a lot of goals that were unfinished, and we wanted to go ahead and complete those before it was all said and done.
Jerry Foley:
So obviously, you're also remembered for bringing one of the most famous celebrations to touchdowns, the Salsa. How'd that come about?
Victor Cruz:
Oh man, so if anyone doesn't know, I'm half Puerto Rican. My mom was born and raised in Puerto Rico. She moved here when she was, what, eight years old. And so I grew up learning all the dances in my household. My grandmother taught me everything, whether it was Merengue, Bachata, Salsa, everything was danced and taught in my household.
So fast-forward, when I get into the NFL, I had a coach named Mike Sullivan, and he was like, "Man, you got to represent your culture." I was getting my first start. It was Hispanic Heritage month. He was like, "You know what you have to do. You know you got to represent when you get in that end zone." And I was like, "I don't know if you know this coach, but I'm a free agent, and un-drafted free agent. I'm just trying to make sure I catch the ball and not trip on my own shoelace. I just want to make sure that Eli can count on me to be where I'm supposed to be and everything else to take care of itself."
But I knew. I knew when he said that to me, and all week long, he kept saying and saying it. And then pregame came around, and he was like, we always had this thing where we said a prayer before every game out there on the field. And after the prayer, he looked at me and was like, "You know what you have to do?"
I was like, "All right, if I get in the end zone, I'll figure something out." And I remember the first catch of the game, going up the sideline, and I'm going in the end zone, and I was like, "Man, I can't believe that it happened this early." But the first thing that popped into my brain was Salsa dance. And I was like, "Okay, I'm doing this. This is it."
And then my grandmother gave me a call after the game, God bless her. And she says, "From now on you have to do that dance every single time you score a touchdown." And I was like, done.
Jerry Foley:
And that was the game in Philly?
Victor Cruz:
That was the game in Philly, week three. I think I had three catches, like 103 yards, and two touchdowns.
Jerry Foley:
Yeah, two touchdowns. Yeah.
Victor Cruz:
Pretty decent outing to debut the Salsa. So that's when it was born.
Jerry Foley:
Yep. Awesome. So there's a lot of anticipation surrounding the Giants receiving core, but an added focus on first round pick, Malik Nabors. What are your thoughts on his ability and the talent he possesses coming out of LSU, which is wide receiver factory these days?
Victor Cruz:
I think it's incredible. I've gotten a chance to go to a couple training camp practices and watch him play, and just watch his energy, and watch him, just how he conducts himself as a football player. And I think he's got all the tools. He's got the frame, body-wise, to be a great receiver.
He's got the moxie, he's got some energy, he plays with a little chip on his shoulder. And he's just a dog. He goes out there and makes the contested catches, and he wants, he embraces the responsibility of being the guy on that team to do that.
So I think he's shown that up until this point, and now it's a matter of proving it out there on the football field, and proving it to his peers on other teams, that he can be that guy, and getting the respect of everyone in the National Football League, which I think he's well on his way to doing.
Jerry Foley:
Victor, thanks so much for joining us Inside the ICE House. We really appreciate it.
Victor Cruz:
No problem. My pleasure. Thanks for having me.
Announcer:
That's our conversation for this week. Remember to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen, and follow us on X, at ICE House Podcast. From the New York Stock Exchange, we'll talk to you again next week Inside the ICE House.
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