Carrying on Giants ‘legacy’ would be ‘cool’ feat for Howard Cross III

INDIANAPOLIS — So many of the questions directed his way at the NFL Scouting Combine prompted an almost bewildered — and amused and delighted — response from Howard Cross III.

Which NFL team did he root for growing up in Paramus, N.J.?

“The Giants, obviously,” Cross said. “I mean, like, all my friends, you know, it’s Jersey, man. It’s, like, the whole thing.”

What was like picking a football team living with your father, Howard Cross, who played 13 seasons for the Giants?

“Yeah, I can’t be in a Giants household and start rooting for the Eagles,” the younger Cross said. “If I said the words, ‘J-E-T-S,’ I would have gotten kicked out. But it’s also Jersey. Jersey is a small area. It’s either the blue or the green, so I was in a blue area, solidly Giants stuff everywhere you go. I was indoctrinated with the Giants.”

What is it like in Paramus?