14 GiantsTraining O'Boyle

Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz hopes to be back at full strength by training camp. (John O'Boyle | The Star-Ledger)

The only question that Giants fans want Victor Cruz to answer this offseason "Will you be able to recapture your Pro Bowl form?" While Cruz can't answer that question just yet, he did give an update on where he stands in his rehab and recovery from a torn patellar tendon in his right knee.

During an interview on Sirius XM's "Opening Drive" on Wednesday with hosts Bob Papa and Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith Sr., Cruz detailed the level of activity he can do with his rehab, and hinted that he is getting close to doing some running on a field.

"The injury's going well, the rehab's going very, very well," Cruz said. "I'm a little more than halfway there, we're building the strength back in my leg. The rehab's been hard, it's been difficult, it's been long, it's been grueling, but I've been going through it, man, and it's definitely paying off now. The strength is coming back slowly but surely.

"I started running on this cool machine called the Alter-G, where it lets you run with a certain percentage of your body weight. And I just started doing that yesterday so it's only a matter of time before I get out there on that field, so I'm excited about that."

Cruz indicated that the toughest aspect of his rehab is more mental than physical, the constant reminder that every day of rehab represents a baby step towards progress. In a sense, Cruz is re-learning from scratch the physical activities that are second nature to a professional wide receiver: such as running on flat ground.

Cruz praised the Giants' training staff for keeping his mind focused on the tedium of rehab instead of his longing for the gridiron.

"[The Giants' medical staff does] a good job of when I'm feeling good, they still tell me things I need to hear to bring me back down to earth a little bit," Cruz said. "So they do a good job of keeping me humble and keeping me mindful of the fact that I still have a little ways to go. These steps that I've taken so far have been great ones, and they always remind me to send me videos of myself eight weeks ago, ten weeks ago just to remind me how far I've come."

As for when he'll be back running and cutting in pads, Cruz has the start of training camp in his crosshairs, but said that he should be feeling close to 100 percent well before the start date. His goal is to be ready to shake off the rust in the months leading up to training camp and be ready to go full throttle when practices start.

"Obviously the next couple of months are very, very important in terms of building the strength [in my knee] and continuing to mold my body back into running shape and things like that," Cruz said. "And I just want to take these next couple of months to do that and really focus on that. Training camp is definitely the timetable. More importantly, even before training camp, I'll be feeling almost 100 percent around May-ish, June-ish and I can really start rehabbing and strengthening it and start running routes and things like that, hopefully."

Cruz was also asked, during an earlier interview on Wednesday with WFAN's Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton, about Giants general manager Jerry Reese's comments during the NFL Scouting Combine that the team cannot count on Cruz and stand pat at the wide receiver position this offseason. Cruz was understanding and diplomatic about Reese's remarks.

"I haven't spoken to Jerry, I've spoken to coach Coughlin, but nothing about my place, nothing in-depth of that nature," Cruz said. "I understand how this league works, I understand exactly how a GM is supposed to work and how he has to handle his business. I'm a realist."

Cruz added that he's well aware that players tend to become "chopped liver" if they don't bounce back from injuries. The notion of joining the unemployment line, should provide plenty of motivation for Cruz to get him through the last few months of his rehab.

Nick Powell may be reached at npowell@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickpowellbkny. Find NJ.com Giants on Facebook.