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Giants coach Tom Coughlin said last month that he’d be “careful” about assuming that wide receiver Victor Cruz will be on the field for the team when they face the Cowboys in their 2015 opener.

Cruz tore the patellar tendon in his knee last season and Coughlin said that the wideout has been making progress in his recovery, but an ounce of precaution makes sense before anyone starts scheduling any two-man touchdown celebrations in the fall. Cruz offered no such precaution about when he’ll be ready during a meeting with the media on Thursday and threw in some confidence about the kind of player he’ll be come September 13.

“There’s zero doubts in my mind I’ll be playing in that first game and will be playing at the level I’ve played,” Cruz said, via Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News.

Cruz still has some steps to take in his rehab, which has progressed to running in a straight line but hasn’t yet involved making any cuts. If he makes it through that step without issue, his chances for Week One will look even better. Any conclusions about the type of player he is post-injury will have to wait a little longer, though.