D.J. Ware rummaged through the overstuffed trunk of his Lexus sedan, trying to find his cleats in a stack of loose clothing and footwear. After coming up empty, he settled on a pair of sneakers that would do the job on Hoboken High School’s turf field.

Then, he made his way to the gate.

Somewhat fittingly, he was locked out.

“I don’t care,” the Giants’ running back said. “I’ll jump the fence if I have to.”

Inside was the first semblance of an organized team workout since the Giants' season finale in Washington on Jan. 2. With the NFL owners and players in the midst of a labor dispute ­— and coaches prevented from even speaking with members of their team during the lockout — players around the league are organizing their own workouts.

While some team leaders are publicizing their gatherings, Eli Manning was trying to keep his quiet. True to his character, the Giants’ franchise quarterback and Hoboken resident summoned eight of his targets (plus backup quarterback Sage Rosenfels) for a passing workout but told no one else.

It didn’t take long for word to get out.

At roughly 10 a.m., minutes after the workout began, a handful of residents lined the fence on the east side of the field, snapping pictures with their cell phones. A news camera quickly arrived, as did a photographer for a Hoboken website.

At the north gate, five Hoboken High students on an apparent break peered through the iron bars and started jumping the 8-foot concrete wall — until a school official chased them back to class.

“Can you believe this?” one of the Giants’ players said in exasperation. “We have to work out at a high school.”

Others actually welcomed the experience, including wide receiver Ramses Barden, who was there despite not being able to run fully because he’s still recovering from a broken ankle suffered last November. While other receivers — Hakeem Nicks, Michael Clayton, Victor Cruz, Duke Calhoun and practice-squad member Samuel Giguere — ran their routes at full speed, Barden took only a few soft steps before catching passes from Manning and Rosenfels. (Mario Manningham ran routes for Manning during a much smaller workout Friday.)

Meanwhile, Ware was showing his frustration over a few dropped passes as if it was the Super Bowl and Nicks was intent on working on his technique, especially since he lost a chunk of last offseason to a toe injury. This year, with a full workout regimen, he’s sporting a thicker, more solid frame that includes an extra 5 pounds of muscle.

“Gonna lower that shoulder a little bit this year,” Nicks said with a grin.

One guy that’s used to such contact is offensive lineman David Diehl, who joked he was there to “run some routes.” But really, he was just showing his support.

“I thought it was kind of fun to work out at a local high school and have the chance to interact with the athletic director and football coach,” tight end Kevin Boss said. “I know it was exciting for them to have us here.

“But the best part was just getting back on the field again with the guys regardless of what kind of field it was.”

Manning was the one who made it happen.

“We’re just here working out,” he said when approached by a reporter before adding with a smile: “I’m retired from interviews until the lockout is over. You win some, you lose some with the lockout.”

Hoboken High athletic director Mo DeGennaro believes Manning was trying to deflect credit.

"He said to me, 'I don't want to make it look like I'm the guy that's organizing this and I'm this giant savior. I'm not,'" DeGennaro said. "'I want to just get a couple of guys here, go through a workout and get out of here.

“‘I need to work out. I need to stay in football shape and you’re kind enough to let us use the field.’”

It was the least DeGennaro could do.

While at first he had to check with the school superintendent on liability issues, DeGennaro was quick to give back to Manning, who has donated flat-screen TVs to the high school through his foundation’s partnership with Samsung.

“The lockout caused them not to have a workout facility, and if we can help out we’ll gladly help out,” DeGennaro said. “He’s been so generous and so kind to the school and to the kids, it was a no-brainer when he called and asked.”

For more Giants coverage, follow Mike Garafolo on Twitter at twitter.com/MikeGarafolo

Mike Garafolo: mgarafolo@starledger.com