Not every No. 53 has gone on to do great things for the New York Giants, but the lingering hope is that Jasper Brinkley will.

Currently, only one No. 53 in Giants history has been able to carve out a permanent mark, and that man goes by the name of Harry Carson.

A 2006 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, Carson led the Giants defense from 1976 through 1988, winning one Super Bowl title and earning six All-Pro nods while also being named to nine Pro Bowls.

Those are marks and feats current middle linebacker Jasper Brinkley not only appreciates, but hopes to aspire to.

“Just thinking about the great linebackers that have been here, every day I put my uniform on, I owe it to the guys that have paved the way before me,” Brinkley told Giants.com. “Every time I see Harry Carson around the building, I always go and speak to him because he is the original 53 and knowing that he wore that number, I owe him so much gratitude and respect, just because I’ve seen how he played the game and I want to be able to play the game the same way. And when people see 53 on the field, I want them to know that, hey, this is a guy that’s going to give it his all.”

As part of his pursuit to honor Carson, Brinkley understands the requirements that come with the quest. And while his starting job may not be entirely secure, Brinkley realizes his role mimics that of quarterback Eli Manning. Kind of.

“Being the middle linebacker, I’m just like the quarterback,” Brinkley added. “I’m like Eli [Manning] on the defensive side. You know, guys are going to look to me, and when situations get gray, they’re going to look to me and hear my voice, and know which direction we need to head. But at the same time, I have to be on my P’s and Q’s, as well.

“I can’t go out saying I want to be a leader and not lead by example. That’s major. You know a guy that wants to be a leader, he has to definitely lead by example, and practice what you preach. The other 10 guys are going to look at you and be like, ‘OK, is he standing by what he’s saying? Is he doing what he’s saying?’ And I take that pride on my shoulders, and I just want to be able to convey that to those guys and let them know, hey, this guy’s really what he says he is.”

Leading by example is a staple of the Harry Carson years, and after only a single season, it must be refreshing for Giants fans to see that Brinkley “gets it.”

Of course, “getting it” and earning it are two entirely different things, so Brinkley will still have to beat out Keenan Robinson, rookie B.J. Goodson and, potentially, Kelvin Sheppard for the job. But to his credit, he’s off to a good start.