A dejected Pat Shurmur stood at a podium one day after the Giants’ 20-13 loss to Washington at MetLife Stadium last October.

During the press conference, the Giants coach left open the possibility that quarterback Eli Manning would be benched in favor of rookie Kyle Lauletta when his 1-7 team returned from the bye week in San Francisco.

“We’ll see,” Shurmur said that day, “I think ... Eli is our quarterback ... At this point, alright, Eli is our quarterback, and we’re looking at all areas to improve. That’s where it’s at.”

Manning, of course, led the Giants to a victory over the 49ers, Lauletta was arrested for reckless driving just one day after Shurmur’s tepid endorsement of Manning, and the veteran went on to start every game the rest of the way after all.

Fast forward to Wednesday when the full Giants roster reported to training camp, and there is even more pressure on Manning to deliver as he enters his 16th season, especially as No. 6 overall pick Daniel Jones looms large.

“I think it’s important that the whole team plays well to start,” Shurmur said Wednesday.

The obvious subtext to Shurmur’s comments, with Jones quickly exceeding the head coach’s expectations, is that if Manning starts slow, there’s no way he makes it to 1-7 as the starting quarterback.

It wasn’t lost on Manning just how important it will be for him — and the Giants as a whole — to get off to a fast start. A few too many losses, and Manning might find himself holding the clipboard for his successor from Duke.

The Giants start off the season on the road against a talented Dallas Cowboys team, but follow that up with a very winnable game against the Buffalo Bills, a road trip to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and two straight home games against the Washington Redskins and Minnesota Vikings. After that comes a Thursday night tilt in New England against the Patriots.

Manning and the Giants can talk all they want about starting fast, but unless the Giants win at least two of their first four games, the 38-year-old’s hold on the starting job could come to an end in Foxborough, with arguably the easiest game on the schedule looming 10 days later at home against the Arizona Cardinals.

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A clash with the lowly Cardinals might just be the schedule’s softest landing spot for Jones to make his debut.

Beyond Manning’s short-term future, a fast start is imperative to the Giants reversing the struggles that led to just eight wins over the past two seasons.

“I think there is a little bit of a chip on our shoulder,” Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard said. “This is not how Giants football has been played in the past, and we want to get it back on the right track, so you kind of have to have a chip on your shoulder with that. With the way the last season went, it didn’t go the way we wanted it to go.”

This season needs to go differently, or Manning’s exit from the only organization he’s ever known might come sooner than later.

Matt Lombardo may be reached at MLombardo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattLombardoNFL