There are too many Big Blue panic buttons, and no one wants to push them, not ever, but especially not now.
The season isn’t over for the Giants if they lose their home opener to the Rams tonight, if they fail to defend MetLife Stadium the way their proud champions of yesteryear defended Giants Stadium. But if they walk into the night 0-2, then there won’t be a Panic Room big enough to house them and fans who have every right at these prices to expect better.
Inside the Panic Room will be Big Blue buttons reserved for this Dirty Dozen who could find themselves wincing on the firing line:
1. Tom Coughlin: Who deserves better than having to coach so many novices. Who is being asked to summon every ounce of his experience and fight to weather this storm and keep a playoff ship afloat.
2. Jerry Reese: Who didn’t bat an eyelash while the Eagles went free agent shopping. Who hasn’t gotten much bang for his bucks from premium draft picks Clint Sintim, Travis Beckum and Ramses Barden.
3. Eli Manning: Who has to be the battlefield commander and overcome the defections of Steve Smith and Kevin Boss and a reshuffled offensive line while reminding everyone he is nobody’s 25-interception quarterback. Who as the face of the franchise needs to be the unflappable, unnerved captain of his offense.
“When you’re the face, that’s one responsibility that comes with it,” Michael Strahan said.
4. Perry Fewell: Who is being asked to be Steve Spagnuolo, circa 2007, with a rookie middle linebacker.
5. Kevin Gilbride: Who is being asked to help Manning by remembering that Brandon Jacobs can be Earth and Ahmad Bradshaw can be Wind and either of them can be Fire.
6. Domenik Hixon: Who needs to provide field position for Manning with some electric returns.
7. Brandon Stokley: Who needs to step right in and be Manning’s third-down chain-mover out of the slot.
8. Justin Tuck: Who needs to be Justin Tuck, but not try to be a hero if his neck isn’t cooperating and tell the medical staff if there is a problem. Who needs to be the soothing influence in the fog of gridiron war on his side of the ball that Strahan used to be.
“Everybody saw the pregame speeches,” Strahan said. “On the field, all the talk was more in a calming way so guys never felt like they were overwhelmed by situations in the game. I know they have the right guys to do it on both sides of the ball. It’s just a matter of those guys making it happen.”
9. Jason Pierre-Paul: Who needs to be the Monster of the Meadowlands and terrify Sam Bradford.
10. Mathias Kiwanuka: Who has to be the playmaking linebacker the Giants have been craving for too long while keeping an eye on dangerous Rams tight end Lance Kendricks.
11. David Baas: Who needs to show why he was Reese’s free-agent prize, a bigger, stronger (but not headier) Shaun O’Hara.
12. Will Beatty: Who needs to keep Manning upright all season and validate the move of David Diehl to left guard.
Such is life when your bitter archrival has loaded up for a Super Bowl run. Such is life when you haven’t won a playoff game since Super Bowl XLII. Such is life when you look as if you were locked out of offseason workouts and gifted a game to Rex Grossman’s Redskins. Such is life when the Rex in your own backyard keeps barking up a storm and dominating The Post back page and website and the airwaves.
Strahan pointed out how Kerry Collins’ Colts were waxed by the Texans in Week 1 and said: “Peyton Manning didn’t play defense. It’s kinda like, ‘What gives?’ What gives is the spirit.
“With the Giants, you can’t have that type of thinking.”
A loss tonight and the Giants would find themselves in that deep, dark, depressing, demoralizing 0-2 hole. They would be 0-2 in the conference. If they don’t win the NFC East crown, they would likely need to be 10-6 again to secure a wild-card berth in competition with the Saints, Falcons, Bears, Lions, Cowboys or Eagles. And 10-6 wasn’t even good enough last season.
The Panic Room is not a fun place to be. Beat the Rams and keep it empty. At least for another week.
steve.serby@nypost.com