Victor Cruz believes the Jacksonville Jaguars were going after fellow New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. during the teams’ preseason matchup Saturday, and he’s voicing his displeasure with it.
“I was a little unhappy last week because I felt some of those DBs were gunning for him,” Cruz said to ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano on Tuesday. “It was sad to see that go down because I felt like I couldn’t help him. Couldn’t go out there on the field and run routes with him, take some of the pressure off him, things like that.”
Cruz wasn’t in the game after missing the majority of the 2014 season with a knee injury. But he was on the sideline on Saturday, and he got a good view of how Jacksonville defended Beckham Jr.
“When guys have an opportunity to get an interception and they don’t even go for the ball, that’s what you don’t want to see,” Cruz said. “From the sideline you could see it. When you’re running a vertical route and you take a peek at the safety and see him, head down, trying to spear you. You can see that from a mile away.”
Jaguars players were quick to deny those accusations, though.
“No. That’s just football. It’s a preseason game,” Jaguars safety Sergio Brown said. “That’s how you play football in the NFL. It’s not practice. It’s live, so if they throw the ball up, you’ve got to be prepared to catch it or protect yourself. No gunning.”
Beckham Jr. is coming off a stellar rookie campaign despite missing the first four games of the season. The 2014 NFL rookie of the Year had 91 receptions, 1,305 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns.
Thumbnail photo via Danny Wild/USA TODAY Sports Images
