On the day Eli Manning made his first start, Nov. 21, 2004, against the Falcons at Giants Stadium, Quincy Carter, in relief of injured Chad Pennington, threw a fourth-quarter TD pass to Justin McCareins to give the Jets a 10-7 victory in Cleveland.
And thus marked the next saga of the debilitating game of musical quarterbacks the Jets have been forced to play across the last decade: Carter … Vinny Testaverde … Brooks Bollinger … Pennington again … Kellen Clemens … Brett Favre … Mark Sanchez … Greg McElroy … Geno Smith … Michael Vick … Ryan Fitzpatrick.
One shy of a dirty dozen.
Over that time, Woody Johnson has paid four head coaches to chase a Super Bowl — Herm Edwards, Eric Mangini, Rex Ryan and now Todd Bowles.
John Mara and Steve Tisch have hired one head coach — Tom Coughlin.
And one quarterback.
Who has started 178 consecutive regular-season games and delivered two Super Bowl championships to this town.
And therein lies a tale of two franchises.
One lucky enough to have found its franchise quarterback, and one still searching for its next Broadway Joe.
From 2004-07, Pennington started 40 games for the Jets. Carter started three games in 2004. Testaverde started four games in 2005. Bollinger started nine games in 2005. Clemens made eight starts in 2007 and one in 2009. Favre started all 16 games in 2008. Sanchez started 62 games from 2009-12. McElroy started one game in 2012. Smith started 29 games in 2013-14. Vick started three games in 2014. Fitzpatrick has started all 11 games this season. In his 11th season, with his sixth team, he has been a godsend. And his next playoff game will be his first playoff game.
Giants fans worry about how their wounded offensive line will hold up against the Jets defensive line. They know they can’t count on a running game. Lawrence Taylor, Harry Carson and Michael Strahan don’t play anymore.
Mann advantage at quarterback.
You’ll take your chances with No. 10 defending his stadium against Ryan Fitzpatrick with so much at stake, won’t you?
“He’s our guy,” Coughlin said Monday, “and he’s done it so many times before.”
Asked about his coach’s belief in him, Manning told The Post: “Got to do it again, and we got to keep doing it. It’s going to be a tough game, they’re a tremendous defense, they got good players all over the field, and we got to be at our best.”
The franchise quarterback of the Giants wants his home crowd to be at its best. His message to Giants fans?
“Hey, come in early, come in loud, and let that be an advantage for us,” Manning told The Post. “Get us fired up early, and hopefully we go out there and give you a good show.”
The franchise quarterback is paid — $65 million guaranteed — to cure much of what ails his team.
And maybe, without Victor Cruz, he won’t be able to carry these maddening Giants back to the playoffs this time, either.
But what the franchise quarterback gives his franchise and his fan base is hope.
One well-placed missile launched in the direction of Odell Beckham Jr. can change the complexion of Giants-Jets, and of the season as well.
Coughlin’s latest desperate plea for a Commitment to Excellence was not intended for Manning’s ears. The franchise quarterback knows how to cope with the big game.
“It is important to a lot of people, not just the players, but the organization, fans, coaches, people’s jobs … a lot of things are on the line,” Manning said. “Make sure they understand that, but also having a sense of being relaxed and enjoying the moment, and you can still kind of smile and laugh and enjoy practice and don’t take it so serious that you’re going to be uptight. Make sure it’s important enough to stay loose, if that makes sense.”
In the 2007 Giants-Jets game, Manning was 13-for-25 with 186 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-24 victory. The Jets’ season ended 4-12. The Giants’ season ended in Arizona, with Manning the Super Bowl XLII MVP.
In the 2011 Giants-Jets game, Manning was a mere 9-for-27 with 225 yards, one touchdown and one interception in a 29-14 Giants’ victory sparked by that Cruz 99-yard catch-and-run. The Jets’ season ended 8-8. The Giants’ season ended in Indianapolis, with Manning the Super Bowl XLVI MVP.
“Eli is clutch,” Jason Pierre-Paul said.
Mann advantage.