EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Victor Cruz is back a lot sooner than anyone expected.After missing all of last season and being limited to six games over the past two, the New York Giants receiver was a full-go as the team held its first practice at training camp Friday under new coach Ben McAdoo.With the Giants indoors because of overnight rain, the workout looked more like a slow-speed organized team activity.Cruz didnt seem to care. He participated in every drill. He caught passes. He worked at recovering fumbles, knocking off some of the rust. The nearby Paterson product didnt show any signs of being limited either by his knee or the calf injury that plagued him last year.I was just happy to be out there with the guys, said the 29-year-old Cruz.The next step will be doing it in practice and then games.Cruz is confident that he can. He also believes he can return to being a big-threat playmaker, like he was in 2011, 12 and 13 before the injuries set in.I think as these days progress and as these days go on, thats the plan. Thats the goal, to be myself, Cruz said. If I am not where I once was, there is no reason to be out here. I feel like I want to go back and be at that same pedigree, and thats what I worked hard all season for.McAdoo said Cruz will be monitored during training camp, and there will be adjustment to his workload if needed.He got some good individual work in and was sharp on his assignments. He looked good, McAdoo said, adding that Cruz will work with both the first- and second-team offensive units.Cruz acknowleged there has been some anxiety in recent days. He felt a lot of eyes looking in his direction on Thursday as the team went through conditioning drills after reporting. He woke up early Friday, just to get to the facility.Cruz guessed that he will need only one play to really know that he is back. Hell catch a ball in practice and make something happen.Right now me just being out here, running around and being in the same receiver line as everybody else, thats the first sign of being back, Cruz said.The second sign will be to show consistency, to make those sharp cuts and prove it out on the field. He has no intention of holding back over health concerns.Getting back on the same page with quarterback Eli Manning should not be a problem.Eli and I have been together long enough, Cruz said. We understand how to play the game and how he wants it done. Im pretty coachable, so we can go back and forth.Manning said Cruz know McAdoos offense.We just got to get him back to making plays, making catches, Manning said. Its different when youre catching balls from a JUGS machine, rather than in here you got one-on-one, you got to run a route, you got to make a tight catch. We just got to get him back to making football plays again.Cruz knows there are people who doubt that he will be able to make a comeback after being out so long.As much as people say they dont read those comments, I skim them a bit, Cruz said. I dont let it affect me as much, but I skim them just to gauge what people are saying.And you can bet, he intends to prove them wrong.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFLMarvin Harrison Youth Jersey . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team. Khari Willis Youth Jersey . "Four now," Carl Gunnarsson told the Leaf Report proudly following a 5-2 victory over New York on Tuesday night, the clubs fifth straight at home. http://www.officialindianapoliscoltspro.com/Pat-mcafee-colts-jersey/ . -- Tony Stewart is 20 pounds lighter and has a titanium rod in his surgically repaired right leg. Darius Leonard Youth Jersey . It is a cliché dragged out by fans and pundits regularly when discussions take place around which teams are better than others. Devin Funchess Jersey .com) - Yankee Stadium is the home of the Bronx Bombers, but on Sunday afternoon it will open its gates to host the latest addition of the Hudson River Rivalry.PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Flyers used strong goaltending and opportunistic scoring to get just their second win in six games.Michael Raffl and Sean Couturier scored 34 seconds apart in the first period on Philadelphias initial two shots, and the Flyers beat the Winnipeg Jets 5-2 on Thursday night.Mark Streit, Wayne Simmonds and Brandon Manning also scored for the Flyers, who had 12 players register points.Our goaltending was good and we scored timely goals, Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said.Blake Wheeler and Dustin Byfuglien had the goals for the Jets, who opened a season-high five-game, nine-day road trip with just their second loss in the last six.We missed out on a bunch of really good chances and left some offense on the table, but you have to give them some credit for that, Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice said. They deserved to win based on their compete level.Couturier got Philadelphia on the board 9:13 in when he capitalized on a Winnipeg turnover and beat Connor Hellebuyck high to the glove side from close range.Raffl doubled the lead just over a half-minute later with his third of the season after a stellar play by Matt Read. Read raced up the right wing and dived past Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey, poking the puck to a wide-open Raffl in the crease and Raffl finished with a shot over Hellebuycks blocker.Just an extra effort play, Hakstol said of the assist. Those are things you have to have. It was a great play. Does that give the bench a shot in the arm? Absolutely.Steve Mason made 30 saves to improve to 6-0-1 in his career against Winnipeg.Mason made some good saves at key times, Hakstol said.Hellebuyck stopped 17 shots.Mason was strong early in the third period when he came up with point-blank stops on Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers two minutes apart.Theyrre big saves and we needed it, Mason said.dddddddddddd That was a hard-working game, start to finish.The Philadelphia goalie rebounded from Tuesdays 3-2 shootout loss to Ottawa in which he let in the tying goal with 1:59 left in regulation and then refused to address the media afterward.Winnipeg outscored the Flyers 2-1 in the second period to pull to 3-2 entering the third.Byfuglien netted his first goal of the season, beating Mason from the short side just under seven minutes into the second. Philadelphia went back up 3-1 with 7:02 remaining on Streits one-timer from the point that ricocheted off Hellebuycks glove.Wheeler brought the Jets back within a goal by finishing a pretty tic-tac-toe passing display with Ehlers and Scheifele.Simmonds scored 5:46 into the third period to give Philadelphia a 4-2 lead. Andrew MacDonalds initial shot from the point deflected off Jets Marko Dano and to Simmonds right in front, and the Flyers winger spun around and shot past a surprised Hellebyuck.Rookie Patrick Laine didnt register a point after coming in leading all players with 12 goals and all rookies with 17 points.Manning scored into the empty net with 48.6 seconds to go.The Flyers won despite getting outshot 32-22. Philadelphia entered leading the NHL in shots and shots per game.You dont get points for outshooting teams, Hakstol said.Game notesFlyers D Shayne Gostisbehere was a healthy scratch. He was replaced by MacDonald. ... The Flyers improved to 1-3-1 against Canadian teams this season. ... Scheifele recorded his 22nd point. He entered tied for the league lead in points.UP NEXTJets: At Boston on Saturday night.Flyers: Host Tampa Bay on Saturday. ' ' '