Cruz, Hernandez latino pride

The easiest thing to do would be to go on and on about how far we have come as a nation and how absolutely amazing and groundbreaking it truly is to have not one but TWO Latinos who could play major roles in Super Bowl XVI.

But it’s 2012. Why should we in America be surprised?
Forget the obvious storylines in the big game – New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning vs. New England Patriots counterpart Tom Brady and the rematch of Super Bowl XLII.

How about Victor Cruz vs. Aaron Hernandez? Boricua v. Boricua? Two of the NFL’s up-and-coming stars – yes, I think they’re going to be very good players in this league – on the big stage for the Lombardi Trophy.
Cruz and Hernandez are poised to play pivotal roles in the Super Bowl, and are already major players when it comes to promoting the game to the U.S. Latino and Latin American audience.

Cruz spoke Spanish on the podium at Media Day Tuesday in Indianapolis. He promised to break out his now well known salsa dance celebration if he scores a touchdown.

“I’m going to keep that going for as long as I’m playing in the NFL catching footballs,” he told the media horde. “That salsa’s with me.”
But it went beyond that. Cruz has the crossover thing going, mainly because he put up big numbers in his just his second NFL season. His story makes him easy to root for. Undrafted out of the University of Massachusetts in 2010, Cruz broke out in a big way in 2011 with 82 catches for 1,536 yards and nine touchdowns.

Sports writers aren’t just talking about the New Jersey native as a breakout performer who happens to be Latino, they’re discussing Cruz in terms of breaking down the game and how he compares as a slot receiver to New England’s Wes Welker.

Cruz showed he can break tackles and run the ball well after a catch. He’ll be a player to watch closely on Sunday.

Hernandez already had a prominent role with the Patriots before this season, and that role increased in 2011. The former fourth-round pick out of Florida is just 22 years old and improved from his rookie season of 2010 to 2011, as seen in the Patriots’ extensive use of their athletic and versatile tight end duo of Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski.

So prolific were the pair that they combined for an NFL single season record for catches by two tight ends on the same team, 169, and 2,237 yards.

Hernandez proved to be a solid rushing option, too. The 6-1, 245-pound Connecticut native carried five times for 61 yards in the Patriots’ playoff win over Denver.

The plot thickens. Gronkowski has America’s most talked-about ankle, and it’s injured and didn’t allow him to practice for the first three days of this week. So a hobbled Gronkowski, even if he plays Sunday, doesn’t figure to be as effective, leaving the window open for more production from Hernandez.

After acknowledging that “it feels good” to be representing the Latino community in the Super Bowl, and that it means lot, “knowing the Hispanic population is growing,” Hernandez had plenty of football questions to field on Media Day and Wednesday.

He was asked how much the two-tight end set has changed the Patriots’ offense.

“Well, this offense has always been good, so it’s not like we just completely changed it,” Hernandez said. “But knowing that you have two people who can be in there where you can run the ball a little bit and get into that spread offense that the Patriots are known for, it just expands the offense.”

No doubt Brady will be looking for Hernandez early and often on Super Bowl Sunday. Hernandez has proven to be a reliable receiver and someone Brady can count on as not just a receiver but a weapon.
Offense is what Cruz and Hernandez do, just like America and football.