Of the more positive news Giants fans got this week was the fact that both Victor Cruz and Jason Pierre-Paul have returned to practice. This is after the fact that Antrel Rolle resumed practicing last week.
All this comes after the Giants lost some key contributors in the preseason. In the last few weeks, the Giants lost safety Stevie Brown for the year while losing running back Andre Brown for at least the first eight weeks of the season. Not to mention, they lost safety Will Hill to a suspension.
The Giants are also banged up on the offensive line with center David Baas also very questionable for Sunday’s opener in Dallas.
But getting back to Cruz and Pierre-Paul; just their presence on the field is uplifting—and both appear to be on track to play at Dallas.
“It’s good to have all your weapons out there and one of your top receivers, so it’s good to get him back running around,” said Eli Manning via Giants.com, regarding the return of Cruz. “I’m excited that he will be back for this opening game”
It seems Cruz is pretty much over his foot injury and will almost certainly suit up for the Cowboys game. Pierre-Paul on the other hand, is still questionable to return on Sunday—although the latest reports are encouraging.
The Giants will play it safe with its defensive star and just the fact that Pierre-Paul is practicing and inching towards a return is good enough news. Even if Pierre-Paul does not play on Sunday, his return is nearing (maybe in the Manning Bowl next week when the Giants host the Broncos).
“I feel great,” Pierre-Paul told Giants.com this week. “I feel good, (but) we’re not there. Ran off tired. I was completely tired. I wasn’t like I expected to be my first day out there, but I feel great.”
While the Giants lost some key components in the preseason, the return of Cruz and Pierre-Paul is the perfect antidote to ho-hum preseason.
Maybe their return will be enough momentum to get the Giants to get out of their funk.
Dan Stack | Featured Columnist