Those paying customers choosing to attend Friday night’s Giants-Dolphins preseason opener at MetLife Stadium expected to see Eli Manning running the offense for 15 plays or so, but that is not going to happen. Ben McAdoo made the unusual decision not to play Manning.

“I made the decision not to play Eli tonight,” McAdoo said in a statement released late Friday morning by the team. “We have a pretty good idea of what Eli can do.”

The Giants for more than a decade have had a “pretty good idea” what Manning can do, but that did not stop Tom Coughlin from getting his quarterback some work early in the preseason opener. McAdoo, the first-year head coach, has other ideas on how best to prepare Manning and the Giants.

Backup quarterback Ryan Nassib will start and play the majority of the game. The only other quarterback on the roster is Logan Thomas, a 25-year-old third-year pro from Virginia Tech.

“And as I said the other day when asked, Ryan is going to play a lot of football for us this preseason,” McAdoo said. “And that starts tonight. We will also get Logan some work.”

Joining Manning on the sideline will be several injured players: WR Victor Cruz (groin), LB Keenan Robinson (groin) and DE Kerry Wynn (groin). DT Jay Bronley (ankle) and LB J.T. Thomas are on PUP.