He has called the plays that make the whole offense sing, the plays that have guided the Giants to two Super Bowl victories in a four-year span, the plays that Eli Manning starts and often someone like Hakeem Nicks or Victor Cruz or Ahmad Bradshaw finishes, the plays that helped put rings on the fingers of Tom Coughlin and shiny silver hardware in the trophy cases.
And he thinks he’s darn good at it, too.
“I think I’m the best there is,’’ Kevin Gilbride told The Post.
The best? The very best play-caller in the entire NFL? A league in which offensive coordinators are often boy-wonders who get hot and then, before cooling off, get promoted into the big chair?
“I just feel that way, in terms of knowing, getting into a flow of the game and keeping defenses off balance,’’ Gilbride said. “Obviously, if you don’t feel that way you’re probably not being fair to your team. You’re not doing your part of the job for your players.’’
Gilbride has done his part for the Giants ever since Coughlin came aboard in 2004, ever since the draft-day trade for Manning, ever since a franchise historically known for punishing defense and often “we’ll get by’’ offense turned into a scoring machine. The Giants, holding a two-game lead in the NFC East, can go a long way toward securing another division title and foregoing any late-season angst if they continue what they did in last week’s 38-10 pummeling of the Packers when they face the Redskins at FedEx Field tomorrow night.
This year’s offense has not hummed along as in years past. The Giants are 10th in the league in yards per game and their 305 points is the seventh-highest total in the NFL. The passing game last week broke out of a prolonged slump — three straight games without a touchdown pass from Manning seemed like an eternity — as the offense got things cranked up, which is the way life has been around these parts for as long as Gilbride has been calling the shots.
“Obviously, we’ve had a lot of success on offense, but it seems whenever we’ve struggled or haven’t been as good, we’ve been able to bounce back,’’ Manning said. “We’ve been able to get creative and change things and look at things to make sure we’re going in the right direction. I think that’s his ability to adapt, to change, to figure out a way to get us back playing at a high level.’’
That high level — the Giants have been a top-10 offense for four straight years — almost always means the guy in charge of the offense leaves to run the entire show somewhere else. Gilbride has been in the same place for nine years and the offensive coordinator since replacing John Hufnagel for the final game of the 2006 season. It’s an impressive run, yet Gilbride admits “it’s almost unheard of’’ that an assistant could have such success without moving up.
“He certainly deserves another chance [at a heach-coaching position],’’ guard Chris Snee said. “He’s over 60 now and I’m sure he realizes that time is running out.’’
Gilbride, 61, arrived with Coughlin, first as his quarterbacks coach, a position for which he probably was overqualified, considering he previously had been a head coach (a 6-16 record in San Diego) and an offensive coordinator for four different NFL teams — Oilers, Jaguars (under Coughlin), Steelers and Bills.
Firings around the league have become an annual end-of-season ritual, with multiple head-coaching openings every winter. Gilbride four years ago was a finalist with the Raiders. He was considered for the Buccaneers’ job that former Rutgers coach Greg Schiano landed. The trend is for younger coordinators with far less on their resume than Gilbride has on his.
“Obviously, I would have loved to get another head [coaching] shot and think that we’ve done well enough that I would have thought and hope that it still warrants it,’’ Gilbride said. “I got one black mark [with the Chargers] on my whole career that I would love to have a chance to expunge by being a head coach again.’’
Earlier in his time with the Giants, frustrated fans referred to him as “Killdrive.’’ A common criticism is that he is too pass-happy and doesn’t run the ball enough. As Manning has developed into a franchise player and the receivers have blossomed into big-play threats, it was inevitable the Giants would evolve into a pass-first team.
Gilbride, in his early years in Houston with the Oilers, operated a run-and-shoot spread attack, and some cannot wipe that memory out of their minds. In truth, the Giants believe Gilbride gives them an advantage based on his ability during a game to adjust and attack.
“He has a great feel for what the defense is doing, has a great feel for what we do well, things Eli and the receivers do well,” said Snee, who on Friday just so happened to be sporting a Southern Connecticut T-shirt with No. 12 on the back, Gilbride’s school and old uniform number. “He takes into consideration the difficulties of pass blocking. He keeps guys in for chips and all that stuff. He’s great in in-game situations, which I’m sure is not easy. I can’t imagine being the one calling plays when everything’s on the line. He does it very well.”
Gilbride’s offense is no quick study. It puts great demands on the quarterback and receivers to make instant sight adjustments.
“A lot is asked of the quarterback,” backup quarterback David Carr said. “Every play the entire playbook’s open to you. It can be a lot and it can be overwhelming.”
During games, Carr is on the headset and hears the communication between Gilbride and Manning. All teams want to be a quick-strike offense, but Gilbride often probes early in a game, using the first series or two to get a read on how the defense is reacting to certain plays and formations. Having Manning as the brains of the operation certainly doesn’t hurt.
“[Gilbride] does as good a job as anybody I’ve been around of not just sticking to, ‘We’re gonna run this because we practiced it all week,” Carr said. “He does a great job of dissecting defenses early on, first, second drive. You see as the game goes on we start to heat up and it’s not by accident.”
Coughlin doesn’t like to single any of his assistants out, but said the continuity he has created on his staff is a huge advantage.
“I like that aspect of the way they teach,’’ he said. “We have good teachers, without pointing out Kevin, Kevin’s an excellent teacher.’’
During the season, Gilbride says, he never stops to think about where he might be headed next, but in the offseason, when the firings and hirings are coming fast and furious, he takes notice of who is going where and that his phone is not ringing.
“You just hope someone will view what you do and say, ‘You know what? What they’ve done there is pretty special,’ ” Gilbride said. “In a town usually viewed as a defensive town and defensive team, to have the success we’ve had with the turnover we’ve had with players is something I think our coaching staff is very proud of.”
Is he simply too old? After all, his son, Kevin, is the Giants receiver coach and at 32 is closer to the age of most NFL head-coaching candidates.
“You see me, do I act like an old man?” Gilbride asked, smiling. “Might some think that? I hope not. I certainly know it’s an advantage. Hopefully somebody in this league will look at it that way, too.”
paul.schwartz@nypost.com