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Times Staff Writer

During the very week Peyton Manning was immortalized on a cereal box, the New York Giants pulled his younger brother off the shelf.

Rookie quarterback Eli Manning will make his debut as an NFL starter today, and Atlanta’s defense intends to follow every snap with a crackle and pop.

Maybe that’s why Peyton didn’t say congratulations to Eli when the Giants announced that the rookie would be replacing Kurt Warner, but instead called to offer two little words: Good luck.

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“It’s a great opportunity, but it’s also a tremendous challenge,” said Peyton, the Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback, leading most-valuable-player candidate and newest Wheaties cover boy. “They’re a 5-4 team in the middle of the playoff hunt, and their next five games are against five of the top defenses in the NFL. It’s going to take a lot of hard work.”

Eli Manning, 23, takes the helm of a team that has lost three of its last four games, yet is still tied for a wild-card spot heading into its most difficult stretch of the season. After their game against Atlanta, the Giants play host to Philadelphia, then have road games at Washington and Baltimore before returning home to play Pittsburgh.

After a 17-14 loss at Arizona last Sunday, Giant Coach Tom Coughlin benched Warner, not because of his performance but because, he said, Manning “is the future of the New York Giants. It just starts now.”

Far from a backup who simply held a clipboard on the sideline, Manning nearly won the starting job in training camp and has been heavily involved in the weekly preparation. The Giants signed him to a deal that will pay him a minimum of $20 million, after all, so they’re determined to get a good return on that investment.

The Giants are hoping Manning is more elusive and has a quicker release than Warner, who was sacked 24 times in the last four games. The Falcons had seven sacks against Tampa Bay last Sunday.

At the very least, Manning is politically agile. He has been very respectful of Warner, a two-time MVP.

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“I don’t know what I can add,” the rookie said. “Obviously, when you are getting sacked six times and [players] are making mistakes, it’s hard for any quarterback to be successful.”

For a primer on how to play quarterback in the NFL, Manning need only hit the speed dial on his cellphone. His older brother is in the midst of a historic run for the Colts.

With 31 touchdown passes through nine games, Peyton Manning is not only on pace to break Dan Marino’s single-season record of 48 but already has thrown two more touchdown passes than he did all of last season, when he and Tennessee’s Steve McNair shared MVP honors.

Six years ago, Peyton made his NFL debut in Indianapolis’ season opener against Miami. He too was the No. 1 overall pick, and he threw for 302 yards in a losing effort. He threw a touchdown pass and three interceptions.

“It’s totally different for Eli,” Peyton said in a telephone interview. “I was the opening-day starter on a team that really, from the get-go, nobody had many expectations for, a team coming off a 3-13 year, and really a team that was pretty much used to losing.... The tough part for Eli is, nobody is going to remember that he’s a rookie going in to play his first game.”

As the Giants begin their difficult stretch, the Colts are hitting something of a soft spot in their schedule. None of their next four opponents -- Chicago, Detroit, Tennessee and Houston -- has a winning record.

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Although Peyton said he was uncomfortable talking about what records he might be on pace to break -- he has no interest in jinxing himself -- he was looking forward to a visit from Marino this week. They have known each other for years and became closer friends over the summer when Manning spent a few days at Marino’s home in South Florida and played in his charity golf tournament.

“He was sort of my second-favorite quarterback after my dad [Archie] retired,” Manning said. “I got to play against him four times -- my first start was against Marino -- so I’ve gotten to know him over the years.”

Just as Marino was a role model for Peyton, Peyton’s hoping he can be one for Eli. That won’t necessarily lead to his little brother’s landing a spot on a Wheaties box. But, if Eli weathers the next several weeks, at least he won’t be Cap’n Crunched.

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Look Out for No. 1

First career starts for quarterbacks drafted first overall since 1998:

*--* Player Draft Opp. Comp Att. Yds TD Int Rating W-L Yr. P. 1998 Miami 21 37 302 1 3 58.6 L Manning T. Couch 1999 at Tennessee 12 24 134 1 0 80.9 L M. Vick 2001 vs. Dallas 4 12 32 1 0 70.1 W D. Carr 2002 vs. Dallas 10 22 145 2 1 78.8 W C. 2004 at New York 18 27 248 2 1 105.2 L Palmer Jets

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First career starts for select quarterbacks drafted first overall since 1967:

*--* Player Draft Opp. Comp Att. Yds TD Int Rating W-L Yr. T. 1970 vs. Houston 4 16 70 0 1 19.3 L Bradshaw J. Elway 1983 at 1 8 14 0 1 0.0 W Pittsburgh V. 1987 at New 22 47 369 2 2 70.3 L Testaverd Orleans e T. Aikman 1989 at New 17 35 180 0 2 40.2 L Orleans D. Bledsoe 1993 at Buffalo 14 30 148 2 1 69.9 L

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Three other quarterbacks drafted first overall since 1967 were Jim Plunkett, Steve Bartkowski and Jeff George.

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Source: STATS Inc.

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