A Giant Mixes Cultures, and Scores Touchdowns.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- When Victor Cruz scored his first regular-season N.F.L. touchdown Sept. 25, he immediately broke into a salsa dance in the end zone. It was meant as a tribute to his grandmother, who used to make him glide around the house with her when he was a child, but it became a point of pride for many Hispanics. That night, when Carolina Coach Ron Rivera saw the dance on television, he said he smiled as two thoughts popped into his mind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]