The Giants know exactly what you think of their offense: They know you think it stinks.
With the regular-season opener awaiting Monday night in Detroit and a preseason of offensive angst in the new system behind them, some Giants players had messages for the stressed-out fans who already are in a state of panic.
The first came from receiver Victor Cruz.
“I would say just relax,’’ Cruz told The Post on Thursday. “Week 1 is here. Eli [Manning] gets to play four quarters and we get to get into a groove and a flow of the game, and that should be positive for us. I think this season is going to be a good one for us.’’
The next one came from left tackle Will Beatty.
“You know last year was not Giants mentality,’’ Beatty told The Post. “We’re getting back to what we do. We’ve got everything in front of us. Our No. 1 goal is to finish the season in Arizona [at the Super Bowl] — on top with a win. This week starts it.’’
Then this from Manning, the most maligned Giant of them all: “It’s preseason. I don’t remember how our preseasons went in our championship years. After a couple games, I don’t think people will be talking about the preseason.’’
The Giants’ offense can’t really be as bad as it has looked this summer, when the starters were on the field for 17 possessions in five preseason games and produced just three touchdowns, can it?
Manning, who failed to complete a single pass against the Steelers in the second preseason game and did not pass for a single yard in the fifth and final tune-up against the Patriots, can’t be as bad as he was last year when he threw a career-high 27 interceptions, can he?
The Giants insist not.
But it’s not often when a two-time Super Bowl winner and MVP is in a position to have to prove himself all over again, which is exactly the predicament Manning finds himself in this year.
“I don’t think there’s any question’’ Manning is motivated to prove last season was a fluke, Giants coach Tom Coughlin said Thursday.
“To come back and have a good, solid year is his goal and all of our goals,’’ Coughlin said. “And he doesn’t have to verbalize it to me, either. I just look at his face.’’
What does he see when he looks into Manning’s eyes?
“Focus,” Coughlin said. “He’s focused, he’s focused. It’s serious business for him.’’
This is serious business for the Giants’ present and Manning’s future, considering he will enter the final year of his contract in 2015.
“From a personal standpoint, I definitely want to go out there and play well. I don’t like losing football games, I don’t like having bad games,’’ Manning said Thursday. “That’s tough on me and on the team.’’
In fairness to Manning and the struggling Giants offense, they have shown just a fraction of the large catalogue in first-year offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo’s system in preseason games. In theory, they will break out the plays that work beginning Monday in Detroit, right?
But if you want to know how little the masses outside the Giants locker room think of Manning and how he will play this season, check out the fantasy football websites. The ESPN site, for example, lists 27 quarterbacks in top-to-bottom rating order, and Manning is not even among the 27. Geno Smith is. So are the unproven likes of Shaun Hill, Josh McCown, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Ryan Tannehill.
Yes, it’s that bad.
“What I see is a very talented guy who certainly has unique abilities to move his team and score, which no matter what the stats might say, this guy is dangerous,’’ Lions coach Jim Caldwell said of Manning on Thursday.
That’s either classic smoke screen coach-speak coming from Caldwell or he’s seeing something Giants fans are not. We will begin to find out Monday night.
“I’m anxious to get playing, anxious to start the season, to get back to where you’re competing and things are real, to play a full game, get into those meaningful, clutch drives and hopefully, we can step up our performance when we need to,’’ Manning said.
“It’s going to be good to go out there and really cement ourselves into the game and get a full four quarters in,’’ Cruz said. “Even though we had that one dress rehearsal [against the Jets in the fourth preseason game], mentally we still knew we were coming out of the game. This time it counts. It’s real.’’