"Victor Cruz hadn't caught a pass from a quarterback in months, when his cell phone rang one day during the NFL lockout. He looked down and saw it was Eli Manning.

It was not a call he was expecting to get.

"I looked at it and I was like, 'Eli Manning?' Is this working?" Cruz recalled. "It was cool to see his name pop up on my phone."

That was back when Cruz was an unknown, unsure of his spot on the Giants' roster, and still hoping for his first reception in the league. This phone call wasn't just a thrill, though. It was one of the most important calls he ever received."