Victor Cruz On WFAN: Beckham Needs To Control Emotions, Understand Giants 'Need Him To Win'

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Odell Beckham Jr. is putting Victor Cruz's leadership skills to the test.

When asked Tuesday what he can do to help ensure that the excitable Beckham doesn't hurt the Giants' chances to win, Cruz said he has to act like "a friend and brother" to him.

Cruz told WFAN's Mike Francesa he remembers wrestling with his emotions as a younger player.

"Telling him things that kept me sane and kept me in check when I had these feelings, when I had these different emotions about things throughout the course of the game," Cruz said. "And just kind of coach him up and tell him about how I handled it and the things that I did. We're going to need him to win football games, and we need him to be available, ready and ready to go at any given moment. And he has to understand what he means to this team and how his energy affects everyone."

Cruz said Beckham, who threw a tantrum on the sideline during Sunday's 29-27 loss to the Redskins, means well.

"We love the guy to death," Cruz said. "We want to see him do well. He's a positive influence in the lockerroom. He's friends with everyone. ... There's not one guy who doesn't want to see him win. We just have to remind him of that and make sure that is the above-all focus."

LISTEN: Eli Manning On WFAN: Beckham Was Calm For The Most Part Sunday

Francesa also asked Cruz if he believed referees are watching Beckham more closely than other wide receivers, resulting in more penalties against the Pro Bowl wideout.

"Obviously he's always going to garner the attention of the refs and always garner the attention of the opposing team's secondary, and they're going to try to rough him up and try and do different things to try to knock him off-balance, and it's just a matter of the refs making the right call," Cruz said. "I don't know if he's being targeted. I can't speak on that as far as the refs are concerned, but I do think there's always a heightened awareness to where he is from the refs as well as the defense."

To listen to the full interview with Cruz, click on the audio player above.