Jon GRUDEN

“Monday Night Football” analyst and Super Bowl winning coach Jon G ru den grinds his way through some Q& A with The Post’ s Steve Serby.

Q: The key Giants-Lions matchups you’ll be watching.

A: It’s like the Dueling Banjo song, it’s Eli Manning and Matt Stafford at the line of scrimmage. Those two guys are asked to do so much before the ball is snapped. Who can put their teams in optimum situations, I think that’s big, because both of these defense are very sophisticated and complex. And both of these quarterbacks have great experience. I’m anxious to see that.

I don’t know if (Odell) Beckham’s gonna play. I would look forward to seeing Beckham versus Darius Slay, I saw ‘em for 25 snaps last year before Slay got hurt. I thought last year the Giants won the game going after Asa Jackson, who was a backup nickel corner for Detroit. Asa Jackson’s not there, they got Quandre Diggs back. I think Diggs is a really good player, so I’m anxious to see Diggs against (Sterling) Shepard in the slot.

I want to see Ziggy Ansah against (Ereck) Flowers. I’d pay money to watch that. I think this is the Battle of Unknown Left Tackles — who is Ereck Flowers? And who is Greg Robinson? Who’s gonna play better?

Q: What are your impressions of Flowers?

A: Every time he gets beat you watch the same play 64 times. Now this guy does some decent things. I think people are blaming the offensive line almost to the point of ... it’s almost getting a little bit ridiculous. They’re missing open receivers, I’ve seen dropped passes, last year Eli had 17 balls batted down at the line of scrimmage ... they gotta run the ball better, the tight end needs to block. Look, when you’re struggling on offense, it’s a combination of a lot of things. I just think that Flowers is probably a little inconsistent, he has two or three glaring plays a game he’s gotta eliminate.

Q: Do you see signs of decline in Eli Manning?

A: I think Eli’s struggling, their whole team is struggling finding an identity: What are the Giants? Are they gonna be a two-back team? I saw ‘em playing a fullback last week. Are they gonna use two tight ends or one tight end? I don’t know.

Q: How does Eli look to you physically?

A: He doesn’t look hurt. I’ve seen him make some impressive throws. I saw him in pregame warm-ups right next to the field watching him throw. I see zip in his arm. They tell me he’s been well-rested in camp, he’s had a great offseason physically. It’s a bad route, it’s a dropped pass, it’s a missed block, it’s a false start, it’s congestion in the pocket. ... I just don’t feel like they have clicked on all cylinders by a long shot.

Q: So what would you tell Giants fans about Eli Manning?

A: He’s a hell of a player, he needs to get this offense going. But I’d stay with him. I wish I had Eli Manning, I might still be coaching. Q: Evan Engram? A: I looked at him like Brandon Marshall coming out of college. He’s a very good route runner, there’s no question about that, but I don’t think he’s gonna be an anchor tight end that’s gonna block your power play. They ran the one-back power play 13 times against Detroit last year. I don’t know that you want Engram in there blocking Ziggy Ansah on that play. So they have to be really careful what they ask him to do from a blocking standpoint.

Q: Brandon Marshall was targeted four times against the Cowboys.

A: He’s spending most of his time over there as the X receiver on the weak side. He’s on the line of scrimmage. I didn’t see him really going in motion or in the slot or running crossing routes, a lot of the ways that normally you see Marshall used. Now they don’t have Odell Beckham, they have a rookie tight end, they have an offensive line that has been up and down. They only had the ball 19 snaps in the first half. He missed the preseason.

Q: Is he better cast now as a No. 2 receiver?

A: I didn’t think last year with the Jets, I didn’t think he was the Pro Bowl Brandon Marshall that I remember. I’m not saying he was a bad player, but I think he’s certainly capable. I don’t know enough about where he is as a New York Giant. I don’t know where he is as a football player in terms of the bar that he’s set for himself. I don’t know where he is in terms of chemistry with Eli learning this offense because we really haven’t seen them do much yet.

Q: The head coach being the play-caller?

A: Why are you getting the job, No.1? Why did they hire you to be the head coach? They probably want your offense. Look, I came from a world where I worked with the 49ers, Bill Walsh called the plays. And I worked with Mike AP Holmgren, and Mike Holmgren called every play. And when I got to be a head coach, I called the plays. I like it because I can control the game in my mind in terms of the clock. I can manage it better ‘cause I know what play’s being called. I’m talking to the quarterback on the headset — I think it’s insane for a guy not to want to call plays, personally.

Q: Giants defense?

A: I really like this young linebacker Goodson. I think they miss Keenan Robinson in the passing downs, I think they miss his coverage ability. I think they miss Hankins so far, I think Johnathan Hankins was a lot better player than you think. He was a better inside pass rusher than maybe people gave him credit for. I love (Olivier) Vernon, I love JPP (Jonathan Pierre-Paul), I like their scheme, they’re talented at corner and have perhaps the best safety going. I think the (Darian) Thompson kid, the jury’s still out, let’s see how he plays as a New York Giant. Q: Goodson? A: You know what I loved about him? He walks in the room, man, the room lights up. He’s got some real, just good leadership, communication skills, passion to play. I think it’s really important to him. He’ll hit you sideways, I mean he’ll knock you down. He’s a good blitzer.

Q: JPP and Olivier Vernon?

A: I think this is the best duo of pass rushers in the NFL. I love Olivier Vernon, and I wish he knew how much I appreciate him, by just watching him. A lot of guys get the money and they break their hand and they’re not going out there ... he busts his butt! He can rock a tight end. Good luck running the ball at him. You can ask Tyler Eifert, this is one strong human being. And he can rush the passer, can play the run. That effort, that ability to play through that injury, I think it said A LOT about him. He can play inside, he can play left or right, that’s why JPP and Vernon are special, you don’t know where they’re gonna be.

Q: Paul Perkins?

A: The number one thing he can do, he can pick up a blitz, I saw him pick up several tough pickups last year. Secondly, he can adapt to Eli at the last second when he changes the run to a pass and he has to execute a pickup or get into a route. But he can run the ball, he can catch it, he can pick up blitzes. ... The only thing you don’t see from Perkins are 20-yard runs, breakaway runs, explosive plays. And that’s what I think they’re lacking right now in their running game.

Q: Week 1 impressions?

A: The thing that showed up to me was just maybe how much lack of continuity there is on these teams. And I think offenses are behind right now, way behind, from a blocking standpoint, timing standpoint, execution standpoint. If you counted the reps of Bill Parcells’ two-a-day practice sessions and compared it with what we have to do in the (collective bargaining agreement) today? You gotta really be kidding yourselfy if you expect the same kind ofo timing and execution.

Q: Do you expect Colin Kaepernick to get a job this year?

A: I would think so. I looked at the 49ers last year, they’re 2-14, and he didn’t play well. Blaine Gabbert beat him out to start the season. It hhas nothing to do with standing for the national anthem. I really think this is as much to do with performance as anything. Too many sacks, too many negative plays, no wins. And the quarterback’s job is to win games, score points and protect the football. ... We cut Jeff George. ... We cut Randall Cunningham. ... The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got rid of Steve Young. There’s a lot of mental toughness that I think he just needs to fight through right now and just be ready when he gets his next shot.

Q: NFC East?

A: The Giants to me, I think, are favorites to win the division, just because they have a lot of continuity and skill on offense, and they have a hell of a defense.

Q: The Jets tanking to get Sam Darnold.

A: (Laugh) That’s hilarious, like they know Sam Darnold’s gonna be The Next. ... How the hell do you know Sam Darnold’s gonna win the Heisman Trophy, be the No. 1 quarterback? It sounds good. You can’t do that. You can’t put that on Sam Darnold and you can’t put that on the Jets. There’s no way in history they’re tanking it.

Q: Would you ever consider coaching again?

A: I don’t have a guaranteed life contract where I am. Analysts get fired too, right? I’m not putting all my eggs in one basket. I am trying my ass off to stay on top of what’s going on, at every level of football. The one thing that I love what I’m able to do now is give back to the game. I’m trying to give money back, generate interest, generate awareness to keep football strong so young people have a chance to play it. And not just football, but all the youth sports (with Dick’s Sporting Goods). To answer your question in a roundabout way, I never say never to anything. I just try to get the most out of every day and be prepared for anything.

Q: What was it like holding the Lombardi Trophy (2003 with Bucs)?

A: I’m a backup quarterback at the University of Dayton. I was a oneyear starter in high school, I think I got the job in high school because our quarterback left and went to another school. ... All I ever wanted to do was coach, ’cause I knew I wasn’t gonna be a player. ... I was choked up. I was very emotional about saying that I was part of a Super Bowl championship team. That was awesome.