It is strange how co-owner John Mara’s honest appraisal of the quarterback situation was met with such rancor. He wants rookie Daniel Jones to stay off the field all season because that would mean the Giants are winning and Eli Manning is playing well enough to keep his starting job.

This line of thinking should align Mara with the vast majority of the fan base that is sick and tired of all the losing that has befallen this franchise since the 2011 Super Bowl season. Six years out of seven with no playoffs. Five losing seasons in the last six years. A record of 8-24 the past two years. Is it any wonder Mara wants to end this madness with a winning season for the paying customers and views Manning as more capable than Jones to deliver this in 2019?

Can it happen? Logic and the odds say no. This is a young team in the second year of a rebuilding plan, secure with what the front office and coaching staff believe is the quarterback of the near future in Jones. If he gets to play meaningful snaps, it is because Manning is injured (that has not happened in his first 15 years) or the team is losing and out of serious playoff contention.

Offense

There is much to like with this unit, starting with Saquon Barkley, No. 1 in the hearts and minds of Giants fans and many Fantasy Football cheat sheets worldwide. Barkley had 352 touches (261 rushing attempts and 91 receptions) as a rookie and, if he plays all 16 games, could approach 400 this season. There are outstanding players with the ball in their hands throughout the league, but Barkley is just different. The overlying drama is this: Who hands Barkley the ball? It is Eli Manning for now, and the 38-year-old franchise icon must play well and win games to stave off rookie Daniel Jones, who has wowed those within the organization from the moment he arrived. There will be no hesitation to turn Jones loose, making the Manning margin for error that much slimmer.

The good news for Manning is this should be the best line he has worked behind in a decade, fortified on the right side by veteran pros Kevin Zeitler and Mike Remmers. Expect Will Hernandez at left guard to be much more of a masher in his second year. Still, there are no Pro Bowlers on the line.

The Odell Beckham-less receiving corps will rely on Sterling Shepard as the lead dog, at least in the first month as Golden Tate sits out his unfortunate four-game suspension. There is no wow factor with Cody Latimer, Bennie Fowler or Russell Shepard (perhaps there is some in speedy rookie Darius Slayton). That means tight end Evan Engram must harness his talent, stay healthy and on the field and be the difference-making target this team needs him to be.

Grade: B-plus

Defense

Here is the sticky situation: Name the players on this squad you can count on to provide consistent excellence based on their prior NFL production. Janoris Jenkins at one cornerback spot, inside linebacker Alec Ogletree (to a lesser degree) and perhaps newly signed safety Antoine Bethea, as long as his 35-year-old body continues to be indestructible. Otherwise, it is a bunch of potential and youth and projections that could form something meaningful or could be found wanting.

For this to work out, first-round picks DeAndre Baker at cornerback and Dexter Lawrence at defensive end must shed their rookie-ness very quickly. Second-year LB Lorenzo Carter, teeming with potential, must approach double-digit sacks, and B.J. Hill, another second-year player, must develop further after a promising 2018. Plus, Jabrill Peppers at strong safety must live up to his distinction of being the player the front office insisted on bringing back in the Beckham trade with the Browns.

The secondary and defensive line is frighteningly young, and there is no way to know if the inside linebackers are good enough to hold up in the running game. Until proven otherwise, this is a shaky situation all around.

Grade: C

Special teams

The new front office and coaching regime gambled and kept Aldrick Rosas after a so-so rookie year and were rewarded with a Pro Bowl season from the powerful kicker. Rosas hit 31 of his 32 field goal attempts and made his final 19. He is a 6-foot-3, 233-pound athlete, only 24 years old and has the perfect temperament to handle the role. Punter Riley Dixon had an ordinary first year with the team after two ordinary years with the Broncos.

The kickoff-return game took a hit with the season-ending knee injury to Corey Coleman. Latimer is not nearly as fast or shifty but he is dependable and rookie Corey Ballentine could be used here. Peppers, a safety, has always been exciting with the ball in his hands and should be an upgrade on punt returns.

Quietly, the coverage units in 2018 were more than solid, played a part in attaining positive field position and helped the Giants get ranked as the No. 3 special teams unit in the league by Football Outsiders. Michael Thomas was a big part of that success, as was longtime long-snapper Zak DeOssie.

Grade: B-plus

Coaching

There is great conviction in the building that Pat Shurmur is the right man for this rebuilding job and the perfect teacher to guide Jones into his NFL career. The evidence, though, makes this a big season for Shurmur, who was 5-11 in his Giants debut and is 14-34 as a head coach (he went 9-23 with the Browns) and was 1-0 as an interim head coach with the Eagles in 2015. Shurmur displays an even-keel disposition and is more of a guider than he is a master motivator. Reputed to be an offensive guru, he needs to put points on the board, most likely lots of them, given the deficiencies on defense. Shurmur also needs to show a deft touch in handling the Manning-Jones transition.

Defensive coordinator James Bettcher also needs a strong showing in 2019. The aggressiveness he showed running the Cardinals defense did not show up in Year 1 with the Giants. He must prove he is not rigid in his methods or too locked into his schemes, as this is an extremely young squad with no proven pass-rush talent.

Grade: B

Two-minute drill

Most important offensive player: Saquon Barkley is the best player and also the most important. There is nothing he cannot do and there is nothing the Giants will not ask him to do. As a rookie, Barkley was sensational on the field and did not assert himself very much in the locker room. This season, he will lead in word and deed. Such is the responsibility of a true superstar.

Most important defensive player: There are all these kids and youngsters around Janoris Jenkins, who at 30 years old is the only proven, experienced cornerback on the roster. He insists you call him Jackrabbit and nowadays the coaching staff is calling him something else: Mentor. Jenkins has to play to a high level and also shepherd the flock of baby-faced corners.

Rookie to watch: The Giants traded up into the back end of the first round to land DeAndre Baker, a player they considered to be the best cornerback in the draft. A leap year happens more frequently than Baker gave up touchdowns at Georgia. Baker will start, and if he is not the real deal the entire defense is in trouble.

Star on the rise: Lorenzo Carter emerging as a bona fide defensive force and productive pass rusher is not a luxury for the Giants. It is essential. Carter put in a promising rookie year (four sacks) and has the sort of long body and quick first step that leads to sacks and pressure.

Biggest coaching decision: Hmm, let’s see. What potential move is hanging over the entire franchise and is sure to test Pat Shurmur’s resolve? Who is next in line behind long-snapper Zak DeOssie? Well, not quite. It is Shurmur who will decide how long Eli Manning gets to remain the starting quarterback and when to start the clock on the Daniel Jones era. Unless things go great for Manning and the team from the get-go, get ready for turbulence.

Don’t be surprised if … The very young and inexperienced defensive backfield gives up too many big plays early in the season. There is talent in the secondary, which is a good thing. But there will be rookies (DeAndre Baker, Julian Love, Corey Ballentine) and guys with no NFL pedigree (Sam Beal) and thin NFL résumés (Grant Haley) mixed in with two starting safeties (Antoine Bethea and Jabrill Peppers) new to the team. In time, the Giants might have something to depend on here, but there will be growing pains.

Sure to make fans grumble: Seeing opposing quarterbacks have plenty of time to scan for targets as the Giants pass-rushers fail to penetrate. … Watching Saquon Barkley try to find room running against eight-man boxes. … Seeing yet another tight end catch a 20-yard pass down the seam and specifically seeing Jason Witten welcome himself back to the NFL with a take-it-to-the-bank seven-catch, 78-yard, one-tochdown Week 1 performance. … Hearing radio play-by-play institution Bob Papa say, “Eli Manning’s third-down pass is complete, but short of the first down, and some boos cascade down from the fans at MetLife Stadium as the punt team comes onto the field.’’

Can’t miss ’em

Sept. 8 at Dallas: What’s that you say? You’ve had about enough of seeing the Giants start a season on the road against the Cowboys? Well, here we go again and it figures to be a trend-setter. Ezekiel Elliott ended his holdout and is expected to play.

Oct. 10 at New England: Cue the nostalgic look backs at Super Bowls 42 and 46 as a reminder of how Eli Manning fared against Bill Belichick and Tom Brady on the biggest stage of Manning’s enduring career. This figures to be Manning’s last game ever against the Patriots. Can he rekindle the magic? More importantly: Will he still be the starting quarterback in Week 6?

Nov. 10 at Jets: Yup, it’s on the schedule as a road game for the Giants, but they still get to use their own locker room as they play in front of Jets season-ticket holders. If you don’t think Giants ownership views this game as anything short of a local battle they must win, then you haven’t been paying attention.

Prediction: 8-8

If the Giants do not start out winning at least two of their first four games (preferably 3-1 in September) in a soft opening stretch, this could be another long, lonely winter. What happens if Eli Manning plays well and produces points but the defense cannot stop anyone? Daniel Jones is waiting in the wings.