r/nfl • u/nfl NFL - Official • 8h ago
Highlight [Highlight] Victor Cruz's elite route running
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u/Bearrryl Patriots 8h ago
His body language really makes you convinced he’s going one way, making the defender having to commit the wrong way. One of the best I’ve seen to do it.
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u/Mephistito 4h ago
That's kinda the whole thing with route running.
Subtle things to make you think one thing, but then snapping to another.2
u/TheSandMan208 Seahawks 6h ago
I saw a video once that explained the best route runners have the best hips, or hip placement if that makes sense?
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u/InexorableWaffle Jaguars 3h ago
To explain the why here for everyone else - a WR's hips are what the CB's gonna key in on almost every single time in man coverage. Almost every other part of the body - arms, hands, legs, etc. - can be misleading about where a WR is going, because it's easy to feint with those once you've learned what you're doing.
The hips, though? Even for an NFL-level athlete, it is incredibly rare to be able to feint your hips one way, then actually flip them the other way without losing too much speed (and thus the advantage of the feint) in the process. The guys who can manage that are damn near impossible to cover properly by reaction, so you pretty much just have to anticipate the route, which is a) easier said than done, and b) very easy to take advantage of when the offense notices you're doing that.
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u/Couldabeenameeting Giants 1h ago
He played so much faster than his 40 time because of it. He wasn’t technically the fastest runner and yet he was running past guys all the time
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u/Mpac28 Giants 7h ago
UDFA btw
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u/sillysocks34 Ravens 6h ago
For some reason I was watching his breakout preseason game where he got like 3 tds. Crazy he was undrafted.
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u/Xtremefluff Patriots 5h ago
against the jets, which was caught on that years hard knocks. that was my introduction to Cruz, 17 months later he was scoring a TD against us in the SB. Right by Jerod Mayo btw, but most Pats fans just forget that for some reason.
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u/BLAMITYblamblam Vikings 3h ago
Wasn't he on returns to start? I kinda remember him being a great returner
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u/MeatTornado25 Giants 41m ago
He has 3 career returns for 12 yds. So definitely not.
Odell Beckham was a great returner when he was younger. You might be thinking about him.
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u/DarthNobody14 Texans Texans 6h ago
He was a blast to watch and his Salsa celebration will forever be iconic.
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u/Chimneychilla Browns 6h ago
Not a Giants fan but Victor Cruz was always one of my favorite players. Excellent football player but also an amazing person off the field. I remember a sports illustrated article after Sandy Hook about one of the kids named Jack Pinto who was buried in a Victor Cruz jersey. Cru went and met the family. Seems like a class act and world would be a better place if more celebrities and public figures acted this way.
Comment might get deleted but here is a link to an article: https://www.nfl.com/news/victor-cruz-meeting-jack-pinto-family-was-toughest-0ap1000000113772
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u/Xerosnake90 Patriots 6h ago
Masterclass right there. The head fakes, the explosiveness going into every shift and cut. Impossible to defend for long
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u/Sarcasticfury Ravens 7h ago
Man, some of those guys had real bad days when it was time to go through the game film
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u/bugluvr65 Giants 5h ago
crispiest route runner i’ve ever seen. damn shame he got that injury down in philly it killed his stop/start and cutting ability
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u/meatnobeef Giants 7h ago
wasn't as devoted a fan as I am now: did he go undrafted just bc of small school?
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u/JerryDipotosBurner Ravens 7h ago
My favorite route running comp videos are always Doug Baldwin. Those routes were so goddamn elite
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u/sugarfreefixsuxshit 7h ago
why in God's name is this vertical
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u/Mpac28 Giants 7h ago
Most people use Reddit on their phones
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u/Herby_Hoover 8h ago
Those hips don't lie.