He has an inner self-esteem and self-confidence
Raised by his grandparents, who were reserved and strict, Fewell became the student body president of his high school, the captain of his state championship football team and a standout in French class. Even then he possessed the deft touch with his peers that compelled him, 30 years later, to open the first practice of the Giants’ training camp with a boisterous game of hot potato.
“He has an inner self-esteem and self-confidence that he had no excuse to have,” said Dan Ratchford, the principal of South Point High School when Fewell was a student in what is now a bedroom community of Charlotte. “He was black. He was poor. He didn’t have the family structure. Everything America, especially educators, that we give excuses for. He doesn’t fit any of that. I’ve never seen him with his head down.”
As the Giants open a new season in a new stadium on Sunday against Carolina with Fewell as their new defensive coordinator, his deep reservoir of optimism may be tested as he attempts to rebuild a unit that collapsed in 2009. The Giants gave up the third most points in the league, and it cost the coordinator Bill Sheridan his job after just one year.
The hiring of Fewell, who finished last season as Buffalo’s interim head coach, was the Giants’ most significant off-season decision. His success or failure will most likely determine whether the Giants return to the playoffs three years after their defense propelled them to a stunning Super Bowl title.
