EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Giants had just finished their first on-field workout with rookies and veterans earlier this month when head coach Brian Daboll called the team in for a practice-ending huddle.
Awaiting them was Eli Manning. Invited by Daboll, Manning was about to address the team.
"You're coming to a great organization ...," he began.
The legendary quarterback, who won two Super Bowls and spent his entire career with the franchise, went on to speak to the whole team for about a minute and a half. He talked about what the Giants meant to him and what he believed it took to be successful. Manning then offered himself as a resource to all 90 players, including draft picks and undrafted rookies, giving them carte blanche to call him or sit with him in the cafeteria if they ever had a question.
Manning's visit was met with wide eyes and enthusiasm.
"That was great, brother!" new Giants starting quarterback Russell Wilson said after an immediate embrace.
"Privilege," fellow veteran quarterback Jameis Winston added.
This is all part of a premeditated approach by Daboll to solidify the culture, which last year exhibited cracks the size of the Grand Canyon during a 3-14 season. In a span of four days, a rookie class headlined by first-round picks Abdul Carter and Jaxson Dart had already been addressed by Michael Strahan and Manning, two of the biggest names in franchise history. This spring alone, the team has heard from Manning, Strahan, Lawrence Taylor, Victor Cruz, Justin Tuck and Howard Cross, to name a few.
The approach, while not groundbreaking, has a specific purpose for this Giants team. And Daboll has perhaps leaned on it more than in the past.
"Yeah, it's something I thought about at the end of the season [and] getting ready for this upcoming season. [It's] some of the things I wanted to do," Daboll said this past week during organized team activities. "One of those was to bring some guys in. Brought a number of them in. There will be another one [Cross] here today. [They] give a good message about what it means to be a Giant for them and some different things that hopefully mean something to our players.
"Obviously a lot of legends that have played the game for this organization and [have been] tremendous football players in the National Football League, and I have a good relationship with a lot of those guys throughout my time here and they're willing to come in and talk to those young guys. I think it's beneficial for them."
The Giants have always had former players and coaches around. It's not uncommon to see Manning, Shaun O'Hara, Cross, Amani Toomer, Carl Banks or Jonathan Casillas. They still work with the team. It's not out of the ordinary to see Bill Parcells, Phil Simms or Plaxico Burress stop by for practice.
The Giants even bring in legends on a regular basis at training camp for autograph sessions for fans and to be around the team. If they're asked to help, they generally do.
"You got guys like myself who are too old to do it anymore but come around because we want to see you guys and we want to be a part of what you're building for the future. We want to be a part of your greatness," Strahan said during his speech to the rookies. "So when you guys are great, we can go, 'Yeah, that's my boy! That's my team.'
"We take a lot of pride in being New York Giants as we hope you do."
Having Strahan visit and give advice isn't lost on the rookies. He's a Hall of Fame player at their disposal.
Following in his footsteps would seem prudent.
"Yeah, that's dope," Carter said. "Seeing somebody as legendary, somebody in the Giants organization coming back, giving back, giving us great advice, it's dope to see him here."
This is the benefit of having a long and storied history. The Giants have been around since 1925 and have four shiny Lombardi Trophies sitting in the trophy case inside the lobby of their facility. Many former Giants have made their home in the New York metropolitan area and still reap the benefits of their on-field success. They feel, in a way, it's their duty to pass it down to the next generation.
It also exhibits what can happen if they take care of business.
"I think it shows if you win in New York you'll always have a home here," former Giants defensive lineman Chris Canty said. "It's important for every athlete to feel like they have a home when they hang up their pads or cleats. For the Giants there is that turn phrase: Once a Giant, Always a Giant. It's a real thing when you win."
Manning said much of the same about Once a Giant, Always a Giant during his speech to the team. Cruz, an undrafted free agent who became a star wide receiver, stressed not wasting the rare opportunity that each player possesses and putting in the requisite work. Strahan harped on being consistent every day. Tuck emphasized creating an identity unique to this year's group. And Taylor spoke to the defense about being dominant and knowing everything that everyone is supposed to do on every play.
Each message had its own flavor. Its own direction. And surely not every word was absorbed and digested. But the thinking is that if each player takes away one thing, it will be worth it in the end. The 2025 Giants will be better off because of it.
"It's great. I think they basically say -- they've all won Super Bowls and have won a bunch of games -- so they're just giving us the blueprint to what success is and what success was for them and how they got to it, which is great 'cause we're trying to win a Super Bowl, obviously," said offseason acquisition Jevon Holland, who remembers hearing from Dolphins legend Larry Csonka in Miami. "So yeah, I mean it's just giving us the baseline of where we need to be and what our standards need to be, and it aligns perfectly with what Coach [Daboll] has been saying, what our coaching staff has been telling us."