Veteran Eli Must Lead Way For Blue

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ — Roger Lewis is no longer awestruck by Eli Manning.

- Ken Palmer

The intimidation lasted only a few minutes into their first meeting this spring.

“Me and Sterling Shepard were sitting in the cafeteria having lunch back in the spring during the rookie minicamp,” Lewis said. “And this guy comes to our table, puts his tray down and says, ‘Hey, how you guys doing? I’m Eli.’ I looked up, [and] it was Eli Manning, and he knew who we were, where both of us were from and that I was from Bowling Green.

“We just started talking football, and he’s been approachable ever since. I look up to Eli, but he’s never made me feel like I should be in awe of anything about him or making plays for him. That says a lot about what kind of player and leader he is.”

There is plenty of optimism surrounding the Giants as Ben McAdoo and Co. takes aim at reversing their fortunes from the end of the Tom Coughlin era. The connection between Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. has been strong all summer, and the emergence of Shepard and the possible return of Victor Cruz give the Giants hope that their presence is the start of great things to come.

For a team that has not reached the playoffs since winning Super Bowl XLVI, the Giants have expressed confidence from top to bottom that they’re ready to change that.

General Manager Jerry Reese was not shy about his expectations for Manning and the part the two time Super Bowl MVP quarterback will have to play in turning around their fortunes.

“We expect big things out of him,” Reese said in his news conference at the start of camp. “He is still a really good football player in this league and we are [riding] on his back.”