Victor Cruz knew there would be a hiccup.
So when he had to miss his first practice of training camp on Wednesday with a strained calf muscle -- a brief interruption in his otherwise smooth return from a torn patellar tendon that also was expected to keep him from practicing on Thursday -- he was prepared. And a little relieved.
"I knew that the journey is long and hard," he said Thursday. "It wasn't going to be easy the rest of the way. I knew there would be something that would come up, whether it be out here on the field or with my body.