POMONA, N.Y. -- Twenty NFL teams have made multiple playoff appearances during the last six seasons, and the Giants are not one of them.

While Tom Brady is 6-for-6 and Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers are 5-for-6, the list of quarterbacks with more playoff appearances than Eli Manning since 2012 includes Andy Dalton and Alex Smith (four apiece), and Matthew Stafford (two) and Joe Flacco (two apiece).

That feels like a missed opportunity to two ex-Giants who won Super Bowl rings alongside Manning.

"They've wasted the last few years of Eli's career, they've wasted his prime," former center Shaun O'Hara said. "It's been hard to sit and watch that happen. I'm glad to see that they found a way to correct it, but Eli can still play the game."

The Giants are 0-1 in the playoffs (a January 2017 loss to the Packers) since winning Super Bowl XLVI. The drought covers Manning's age 31-36 seasons.

O'Hara already was retired by then, but defensive end Justin Tuck still was a captain.

"I agree with him," Tuck said of O'Hara's opinion. "We all know what Eli can do when he is healthy and when he has comparable athletes around him. I don't think he had those. Anything other than that, you are just lying to yourself."

The Giants fired general manager Jerry Reese -- who was in charge for both the Super Bowl XLII and XLVI wins -- in December. He was replaced by fellow Ernie Acorsi disciple Dave Gettleman, who conducted the usually stable franchise's second coaching search since its last playoff win.

Gettleman and head coach Pat Shurmur are firmly in the pro-Manning camp, which is going to win them a lot of support among boisterous alumni, many of whom were in attendance Saturday night for the Landon Collins Celebrity Softball Game at Palisades Credit Union Park.

"I laugh when at people that say Eli can't play," said O'Hara, who is an analyst for NFL Network. "I know he can play. I know he can throw the rock, and I know that he's still got that fire. He just wants to get better. That's what you love about him."

The Giants have drafted quarterbacks in the middle rounds in each of the last two seasons in preparation for life after Manning, whose contract runs through the 2019 season.

Before they were fired, Reese and former head coach Ben McAdoo benched Manning in favor of veteran Geno Smith, with a plan to play Davis Webb later in the season. After they were fired, the Giants went back to Manning, whose streak of 210 consecutive starts already was snapped.

"I understand at some point in time, we are going to have to replace that guy. That's a tall task. I get the other perspective," Tuck said. "I just didn't necessarily like how it went about."

The Giants led the NFL in dropped passes last season when Odell Beckham, Brandon Marshall and Sterling Shepard combined to miss 28 games. The offensive line also was one of the NFL's worst.

End result: A 3-13 record.

"I could bring up 25 throws last year where guys had it hitting them in the knees or he was hit as he throws," O'Hara said. "Eli wears that record because you are a quarterback and that's what happens, but he can play. I look forward to him having a great year. I think he will. I don't know what that looks like in wins and losses, but the Giants are going to be a totally different team."

Manning might have his most talented offensive skill cast since 2006 and the Giants invested heavily in rebuilding the line.

"'I've happy to see what the Giants have done to try to help him out and go all-in," O'Hara said. "We've got a nice window here to go win some games. The one question that everybody has in the game of football: Can our quarterback win the game in the fourth quarter? Eli can do that."

Tuck is reminded of times in the past when Manning was told he was elite or he might be finished. Bleacher Report recently listed Manning as the most overhyped star in the NFL.

"I can only talk toward history," Tuck said. "History tells me that every time Eli has been doubted, every time he has been put in situations like this, not only has he responded but the team has responded around him. That's what I'm hoping for this season."

Ryan Dunleavy may be reached at rdunleavy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rydunleavy. Find our Giants coverage on Facebook.