ELI KEEPS ON LOVIN’ BLUE

After all that’s happened, Archie says son wants to finish career with Giants

Eli Manning still loves the Giants even when it appeared last week they didn’t love him back. The love affair is so deep that Archie Manning, the father who knows his son best, told the Daily News on Tuesday that Eli still wants to finish his career with the Giants and believes he would be a good fit mentoring Sam Darnold or Josh Rosen — if the Giants pick a quarterback at the top of the 2018 draft — or current rookie Davis Webb.

“I know there’s no bridges burned,” Manning said. “I know that. I know that.”

So he’s still true blue and would like to stick around? “Always,” Archie said. “That never changed.” As much as John Mara and the deposed Ben McAdoo and Jerry Reese tried to screw it up and play with Eli’s emotions and make him deal with the indignity of being benched for Geno Smith, the bond has not been broken. Archie even said Eli made light of his consecutive starting streak ending at 210 games, two more than big brother Peyton for second place all-time among QBs, but still 87 behind Brett Favre. “This isn’t Joe DiMaggio,” Eli said to his dad. Archie Manning said earlier following a National Football Federation press conference — Peyton is being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame — that it makes no sense for Eli to make any decisions now.

“Everything will shake out,” he said. “It’s been a tough year for the Giants. Tough year. So many injuries and things didn’t go their way. Just try and finish in a positive strong way and everything will shake out.”

When the Giants traded for Manning during the 2004 draft, it was the hope of GM Ernie Accorsi that Kerry Collins, who had taken Big Blue to the Super Bowl in 2000, would serve as a bridge as the Giants developed Manning.

Accorsi’s philosophy has always been that rookie QBs should not play and he told that to Tom Coughlin.

Collins didn’t want any part of being a babysitter and helping Manning prepare to take his job and he forced his release. He signed with the Raiders. The Giants rebounded nicely and signed a one-year deal with Kurt Warner, a former Super Bowl MVP, who had lost his starting job with the Rams to Marc Bulger after a series of injuries.

Warner embraced the opportunity to rebuild his career and hoped for enough playing time to earn a contract and a starting job with another team in 2005. Coughlin benched him after backto-back losses turned a promising start into a 5-4 record. The Manning era began. Warner signed with the Cardinals and after a bumpy few years, took Arizona to its first Super Bowl in 2008.

So, I asked Archie if Eli would be receptive to the idea of playing the role of Warner with Darnold or Rosen playing the role of Eli.

“Eli doesn’t have some dead-set plan for next year,” he said. “You can’t. There’s too many unknown things out there, so why make a plan right now? Just do your job the next four weeks and everything will shake out.” No hard feelings? “Eli was maybe a little heartbroken but he wasn’t mad at anybody,” he said. Will he accept the mentor role? “I can’t speak for him,” he said. “I know Eli loves New York. I know he loves playing for the Giants. He knows he’s 37. He knows what his ability is, what he thinks it is. There is just no sense forming some dead solid plan for next year when he doesn’t know what’s going to be out there. He will handle it.”

Manning could open ’18 as the starter and keep the job if he was playing well and the Giants were winning. Otherwise, it would be time to play the young guy just like Coughlin did in 2004. Would Eli be good in the mentor role? “Yeah, absolutely,” Archie said. “He’s been good as a mentor this year, I think, everything I’ve been told.”

Mara fired Reese and McAdoo on Monday morning, ensuring McAdoo is not on the sidelines and subjected to fan backlash Sunday at home against Dallas after his clumsy benching of Manning. Mara finally admitted he was in the loop and informed of McAdoo’s Little League plan to start Manning in Oakland last week with Smith playing the second half and signed off on it although he was hoping McAdoo would be flexible and let game circumstances dictate when to make the switch.

Mara had veto power and didn’t use it, so he is just as culpable as McAdoo. I don’t think there is any doubt that the fan backlash led to Mara and Steve Tisch accelerating the timetable for firing McAdoo and Reese from after the season to this week. As dismal as this season has been, the last thing the Giants needed was fans burning tickets in the parking lot, hanging McAdoo is effigy, airplanes flying overhead with disparaging messages or former Giants showing up on the sidelines with No. 10 jerseys to support Manning.

“As a parent, I appreciate fans,” Archie said. “So the fact that the unfortunate thing that happened, and the fans reacted to in a positive way towards Eli, our family appreciates that. I think it says for the kind of way he handled himself, the things he’s done in the community and trying to give back.”

Manning will be reinstated as the starter for Sunday’s game by interim coach Steve Spagnuolo. It’s the right move. There’s no need to see any more of Smith. Manning will restore a sense of normalcy to a chaotic and explosive situation, which is desperately needed, but Spags needs to get Webb on the field for significant snaps in the last four games, so the new GM and coach have tape to evaluate before having to make a decision on Darnold or Rosen.

Archie Manning hears the Jacksonville rumors and a reunion with Coughlin, but pointed out that Blake Bortles played well last week — 309 yards, two TDs in the 3010 victory over the Colts which improved the Jags record to 8-4. There could be several opportunities for Manning to consider after the season.

“I guess you look at those things, but his passion here is strong, it would really have to be something,” he said. “Who knows?”

If the new regime wants Manning to return and he accepts his role, then this love affair can go on.