Why this Giants team has a ‘different feel’

Longtime play-by-play man and host of MSG Network’s “Giants Training Camp Live” Bob Papa talks with The Post’s Justin Terranova about Daniel Jones, Eli Manning and a reason to hope.

Q: What has been your first impressions of Daniel Jones?
A: The way that he’s handled the whole thing has been very mature. He reminds me a lot of Eli. The kid has been ripped, he was booed at Yankee Stadium without ever playing a snap. It was the most idiotic thing I ever heard in my life. But it was almost like he knew what he was walking into and he’s prepared for it. He’s soft-spoken. He’s got the right temperament for this.

Q: Pat Shurmur left the door open a crack for a quarterback competition. Is there anything Jones can do to threaten Manning?
A: Look, he is just not going to beat Eli out. This is Year 2 for Eli in this offense and he is one of the smartest quarterbacks in the NFL. [Shurmur] covered all his bases by saying he has to get Jones prepared to play. Who is to say Eli Manning doesn’t get injured in the preseason?

Q: What is the biggest reason for optimism this season?
A: The biggest factor is they added [Kevin] Zeitler at right guard, they added to the offensive line and they don’t have the cast of characters they had last year in front of Eli. If this line rebuild meets the expectation level — not being great, just functioning — I think Eli Manning can function at a very high level.

Q: In your long tenure with the Giants, do you remember a two-year period like the one the team just had?
A: There were some bad years in the ’90s — ’98-’99 was no walk in the park. I started as part of the radio broadcast team in ’88, so I got the Super Bowl XXV run and the early years of Dan Reeves. But I went through the Dave Browns, the Kent Grahams, the Danny Kannells, Tommy Maddoxes. I’ve seen things get offline a little bit with the coaching turnover and all that. You’re just not used to it. I think Shurmur and [Dave] Gettleman have done a good job of bringing it back in. Now they have to win, though. They have to show significant improvement and get this team back to winning.

Q: What is their stamp on this team?
A: It has a different feel. That last year with [Ben] McAdoo was a mess with some veterans and some other guys. They want to build a team and team culture that can be successful. Immediately people will jump to the easy hot take of “Odell [Beckham] was the problem.” I really don’t think that was the case. There were a bunch of other people in that locker room that needed to get moved out and they are trying to build a team personality they feel comfortable with.

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