NFL

Eli: Albany camp good for Giants team unity

If the reigning Super Bowl Most Valuable Player has his way, nighttime will be the right time during the next three weeks, as Eli Manning is anticipating evenings for the Giants to hang out and grow even closer as they hunker down for training camp.

Before last summer, all Manning ever knew as far as NFL training camp was an off-site destination at the University at Albany, but last year’s lockout forced the Giants to stay home and train at their Timex Performance Center facility. Manning and the other 89 players on the roster this morning are scheduled to report to their dorms on the Albany campus, and it is clear the now-elite quarterback is happy to be packing up and heading north.

“I like going to Albany just from a team bonding experience, living in dorm rooms, you have roommates,’’ Manning told The Post. “This year’s always a little special — with the Olympics coming on, everybody will kind of get in the same room, you’ll get 10 guys, 12 guys, sometimes more in one room watching a certain event and rooting for the U.S. team. That’s always really special. Last year, we stayed in a hotel. You don’t really get that hanging out at night or during down time.’’

Manning has won Super Bowls in seasons after he trained in Albany (2007) and after the one summer he trained in New Jersey (2011).

“At our home facility you have all your film there, you have your normal meeting rooms, everything’s kind of close proximity,’’ he said. “There is a definite positive to each of them. I’m kind of looking forward to getting back. I think training camp in Albany, it’s kind of like, I went to summer camp when I was 10 years old and I still get to go to summer camp when I’m 31. I kind of like that aspect of that.’’

Players today will gather for meetings in the morning and go through a conditioning running test in the afternoon. Coach Tom Coughlin will present his theme for the summer as the Giants, after their stunning late-season run, look to pick up where they left off.

“I’m going to say this, we were a 9-7 football team last year in the regular season — there’s plenty of room for improvement, which excites us,’’ said defensive tackle Chris Canty, who likely will be limited early in camp coming off knee surgery. “We understand it’s going to be a tougher road, it’s going to be more challenging this year.

“People don’t care about what we did last season, it’s all about what have you done for me lately and 2012 is a completely new football team, it’s a completely new campaign. I think guys understand how teams are perceiving us, as Super Bowl champions, what kind of challenge that brings. Any true competitor is up to the challenge. We’re going to relish in it. We’re going to embrace it and we’re looking forward to strapping it up.’’

As far as issues and controversies, the Giants checked theirs at the door long before the start of camp. Because of an influx of talent, competition figures to be intense for roster spots but there are very few starting jobs up for grabs.

Chase Blackburn will attempt to hold off Mark Herzlich and possibly Keith Rivers at middle linebacker, and cornerback Terrell Thomas, if fully recovered coming off knee surgery, will have the upper hand over Prince Amukamara. The offense, without Brandon Jacobs, Mario Manningham, will look to incorporate rookies David Wilson and Rueben Randle.

“There’s not a whole lot of distractions,’’ Manning said. “Obviously we’ve got some young guys who got to fill some spots, some young guys who are going to be playing, especially on the offensive side. But that’s part of football.’’