Perhaps trying to buy back a bit of dignity, the Jets have praised their co-tenants for doing what they haven’t done since man walked on the moon.

On Wednesday, Gang Green took out an ad on a special edition of the New York Daily News, congratulating the Giants organization on their stunning victory in Super Bowl XLVI.

It’s a nice gesture by the normally crass franchise, but a transparent one at that. Before the two teams squared off on Christmas Eve, Jets coach Rex Ryan proclaimed his squad to be better than Big Blue.

His tune quickly changed after the Giants went on to win the game — and eventually the whole enchilada — while Ryan’s Jets missed the playoffs, finishing the season in turmoil with a mediocre 8-8 mark.

They must’ve figured some good PR might help wipe off the egg that’s splattered all over their collective faces.

Photo credit: WFAN

Credits: Savulich/News

While there’s little doubt that Peyton Manning will one day be inducted into the Hall of Fame, the same can’t be said for his little brother — at least according to a man who himself boasts a Canton-caliber resume.

Appearing on Arizona Sports 620 in Phoenix Tuesday (via NFL.com), Kurt Warner, former Super Bowl-winning quarterback-turned-NFL Network analyst, thinks Eli Manning isn’t yet deserving of a place in the Hall, despite capturing his second Lombardi Trophy in four years.

“I fully disagree with that,” Warner said. “You know, because I know we put a lot of weight on championships, and rightfully so. But championships are won as a team, and I’m fully convinced of that. You never see one guy — a great player, great quarterback — carry a team through the playoffs and into a Super Bowl and win a Super Bowl that way. I’ve never seen it. You know, even in that game (Super Bowl XLVI), it’s 21-17. That’s the game. There wasn’t a quarterback just up and down the field carrying the team. Yeah, he made the plays down the stretch — no question about it. He’s had two great playoff runs — or his team has had two great playoff runs. But I also look at the rest of his career.”

“I mean, he has an 82 quarterback rating throughout his career,” Warner continues. “You know, he’s had five of his eight seasons where he has thrown 16 interceptions or more. His completion percentage on his career is 58 percent. To me, those aren’t Hall of Fame numbers, and by that, I mean every time you step on the field you’re a game changer, you’re a difference maker. And I don’t believe Eli Manning has been that guy until this year.”

Warner, who spent one season with Manning in New York, conceded that Eli will “probably” end up a Hall of Famer if he continues at his current pace, but feels the divide separating the Brothers Manning is a large one.

“I just can’t fathom that in regards to what they’ve accomplished in their whole careers, the type of quarterbacks they’ve been their entire careers,” Warner said. “I don’t even think it’s close between Peyton and Eli.”

Obviously, Plaxico Burress would disagree.

You’ve gotta give Kurt credit for going against the grain, though, considering most media types and talking heads are already fitting Eli for his golden jacket after downing the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI.

On the other hand, Manning is making quite the case for himself. He’s nearing the 30K mark in career passing yards, has thrown 185 touchdowns, and is basically still in his prime after a very inauspicious start to his career.

Another four or five years of high-level performance should have Eli hovering near 50,000 yards and 300 TD’s, shattering Warner’s career totals and likely blowing by him for first-ballot considerations.

Really good things, in fact.

As Super Bowl XLVI looms near, Burress acknowledged in a radio interview Friday that Eli will one day join his brother in the hallowed halls of Canton, provided he can upset the Patriots — again.

“If he goes out and wins this game,” Buress said of his former teammate, “I really believe he’s gonna be a Hall of Famer.”

Driving the point home further, he went on to praise several aspects of Manning’s game, which began peaking after the G-Men downed the Jets — Burress’ soon-to-be former squad — on Christmas Eve.

“He’s just been lights out for the last month-and-a-half,” Burress said of Manning. “His play has really just elevated to a level to where he’s throwing the ball with tremendous confidence, putting it in tight places and the guys are out there making plays for him.

“He commands the offense, puts them in great position to get up and down the football field. He goes out and wins this game [Sunday], he’s going to silence a lot of people.”

As for who he thinks will take home the hardware on Sunday, Burress made it clear he’s “running with Big Blue.”

“I think the Giants win.” he said. “I’m not going for the Patriots, that’s for sure. The Patriots broke my heart too many times when I was in Pittsburgh, all of those AFC championships. Me and Tom Brady have been going at it ever since the Michigan-Michigan State days, so he’s been a thorn in my side for the last 12 to 13 years.”

REUTERS/Jim Young

Aside from a jab thrown by Mario Manningham, there really hasn’t been too much trash talk exchanged between the Patriots and Giants in the days leading up to Super Sunday’s super rematch.

That’s changed.

Both clubs, who normally let their play do the talking, began to sound like … well, their mutual rivals over in New York, pseudo-guaranteeing a Super Bowl victory.

It started with Tom Brady, who left the 25,000 fans at Gillette’s pep-rally with this message:

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“We’re going to give it our best, and hopefully we have a lot more people at our party next weekend,” Tom Brady said at a send off rally on Sunday.

Dripping with a boldness only Rex Ryan could utter, that statement came after he privately promised owner Robert Kraft a “better” performance in the Big Game.

Not to be outdone, however, a member of the G-Men fired back with his own prediction.

Prepare to bust out the floats.

“Get ready for a great game on Super Bowl Sunday,” Chris Canty said on WNBC-TV when asked to give Giants fans a message on camera. “And get ready for a parade on Tuesday.”

Canty’s not the only Giant feeling confident, either. His fellow defensive linemen do, too.

“I think we’re going to win the game,” Mathias Kiwanuka told reporters. “You don’t come out here and say we’re going to go out there and give it our best. I believe every guy in that locker room thinks we’re going to win the game. If they didn’t believe that, they shouldn’t be in the locker room.”

This year is no different, and the opening salvo has been fired, courtesy of Big Blue wideout Mario Manningham.

On Friday, Manningham made it clear to the Boston Herald that he’s looking forward to facing Julian Edelman.

“I hope he’s out there when we play them,” Manningham told the Herald. “I don’t want to sound like that, but you know what I mean. To our advantage, I hope he’s out there.”

Fair enough, that statement was benign and, actually, pretty reasonable.

Divulging further, however, Manningham couldn’t help but to take a pot shot at Edelman, saying he’d be wise to give up his double duty — receiver and cornerback.

“It’s a different stage,” Manningham said. “This ain’t regular season. That ain’t your real position, so we’re going to try to expose you. It’s all or nothing now. That ain’t your position, this is the Super Bowl and we want you to play that position.”

Edelman, in his third season, has been pressed into the old Troy Brown role for New England, moonlighting as a nickel back in the injury-riddled secondary.

The do-it-all 25-year-old really hasn’t done a terrible job in his new task, holding his own against the Ravens’ Anquan Boldin in last Sunday’s AFC Championship win.

Nevertheless, you better believe Eli Manning, just as he did in Super Bowl XLII , will test New England’s secondary. He’ll have plenty of weapons at his disposal, headlined, of course, by emerging superstar Victor Cruz — a nightmare matchup for Edelman and his defensive back mates.

According to ESPNNewYork.com, former ten-time Pro Bowl linebacker Lawrence Taylor said that he’d be “shocked” if the Giants happened to lose to the Cowboys on Sunday night.

“If the Giants lose this game I would be shocked,” Lawrence Taylor told ESPNNewYork Friday. “I don’t think it’s even a question that the Giants are a better team than Dallas.

Taylor stated that New York “by far” has the better athletes, coaching, and mental toughness — something the NFL’s all-time leading rusher criticized Dallas for on Thursday.

“I guarantee you that Dallas ain’t taking s— away from the Giants. If the Giants lose this game, they’ll lose it themselves. Dallas won’t take it away from them,” Taylor said.

No stranger to the public limelight, LT was sentenced in March to six years probation for sexual misconduct and patronizing a prostitute, stemming from a 2010 arrest.

Despite the rocky moments he’s faced in the last year, Taylor went on to acknowledge just how much importance the upcoming contests holds, offering up a prediction of what would happen if he were still in uniform.

“If I was playing against Tony Romo,” Taylor said, “he’d end up back on the golf course somewhere.”

When Jets coach Rex Ryan kicked off the war of words on Tuesday, saying how his team is the big brother of the Big Apple, it was only a matter of time before Big Blue responded.

That time has now come.

Although they didn’t issue a retort directly to Ryan, two of the Giants’ offensive playmakers instead opted to target Gang Green’s shutdown corner.

Ralph Vacchiano, who covers the team for the NY Daily News, spoke with receivers Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz and asked for their take on Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis.

They didn’t exactly sing his praises.

Asked whether or not Revis is the league’s best at the position, Nicks paused before answering, “He’s a decent corner.”

Cruz added that, “Teams aren’t really scared of him anymore. He’s had to earn his money this year.”

While they’re absolutely allowed to voice their opinions, it goes against the “talk is cheap” mantra that coach Tom Coughlin likes to stand behind.

Clearly, both teams realize there’s a whole lot more than just playoff implications on the line — there’s city-wide bragging rights at stake, too.

The Giants perhaps feel like the stepchild after watching their counterparts reach two consecutive conference championship games, while they missed out on the postseason, mostly in letdown fashion.

With three days to go until what some are dubbing the “New York Super Bowl,” there is sure to be much more jibber jabber emanating from each lockerroom.

One thing’s for sure: The meeting between MetLife Stadium co-tenants won’t be full of holiday cheer.

During a conference call with reporters Monday, Ryan insisted that he nor his team are taking a back seat to the Giants, whom the Jets square off with Saturday, the Newark Star-Ledger reports.

“Quite honestly, I never came here to be little brother to anybody,” Ryan said. “So, it’s on.”

Ryan, who dubbed his squad the “big brother” of New York football in his book, bluntly stated that Gang Green has one-upped Big Blue in recent memory, and is ready to prove it on the field.

“Certainly, we were the better team the first two years,” Ryan said. “We made the playoffs and went to the championship game. To say a team’s better than you that never made the playoffs, just is ridiculous. Clearly, we were the better team my first two years. And we get to prove it on Saturday who the best team is this year.”

Although he peppered Giants’ defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul and coach Tom Coughlin, Ryan, true to his personality, finally just said it outright.

“I recognize that they’re an excellent football team, but I think we’re better,” Ryan said.

Words that their co-tenants may not take too kindly to.

This is a huge tilt for both teams, as each need a win to remain in their respective wild card races. There are some serious implications at stake — both in the NFL and the tri-state area.

A New York Super Bowl, if you will.

The Giants (7-7) are reeling after a bad loss to the Redskins, as are the Jets (8-6) following their implosion in Philly. Rex does not need to give the G-Men any more bulletin board material; after two years of being the stepchild in NYC, they already have enough to work with.

As he’s done in the past, Ryan could be trying to deflect criticism away from the team and onto himself. It’s understandable after a 26-point loss, a particularly miserable one at that. But if he fails to back up the talk, all that he’ll remember from the year is falling way short of his lofty expectations.

Well, that and starring in an Adam Sandler movie, of course.

Brandon Marshall

Two weeks after claiming he would get into a fight during a Monday Night Football contest against the Jets, the mercurial Dolphins’ receiver is going on record that his team will emerge from MetLife Stadium — this time in triumphant fashion.

According to ESPNNewYork.com, Marshall took to Twitter Thursday night and virtually guaranteed to the media that the winless Dolphins will knock off the Giants this Sunday.

“To: Media When we win Sunday please don’t say the Giants didn’t take us serious.” Marshall tweeted from his verified Twitter account.

Taking notice, several Giants dismissed Marshall’s bold tweet as nothing more than an opinion or motivational tactic for the 0-6 ‘Fins.

“He’s entitled to his own opinion. He can guarantee whatever he wants to guarantee. Is it going to happen? That remains to be seen,” said Osi Umenyiora

“That’s what he’s supposed to say,” safety Deon Grant said. “If he doesn’t think they’re going to win, he doesn’t need to be playing football.”

It may be a large proclamation to make — considering the organization’s current state of affairs — but Marshall may just be trying to ignite some sort of fire under his teammates, who’ve publicly bickered with each other in recent days following a stupefying loss to the Broncos in Week 7.

Unfortunately, he’s also giving the Giants bulletin-board material to use as they certainly don’t want to be the one’s who hand the Dolphins their first victory — in front of their home crowd, no less.

In regards to the Jets, Marshall, who suffers from multiple personality disorder, said after the game that he was simply joking, but an 18-point loss is hardly a laughing matter. We’ll see if his latest controversial words ring true against Gang Green’s co-tenants, though the end result is almost certain to repeat itself.

When the Giants rolled into town on Saturday, Steve Weatherford took to Twitter and aired some unflattering thoughts about Philadelphia — and its surroundings.

“Just arrived in Philly. What a dump, Let’s get a W and get the heck outta here,” he tweeted.

The two teams will do battle in a marquee tilt on Sunday afternoon. The G-Men will be seeking redemption as Philly has beaten them in six straight meetings.

Weatherford, in particular, has his work cut out for him. His job will be to kick away from receiver DeSean Jackson, an electrifying punt returner who might’ve single-handily kept New York out of the playoffs last season with a walk-off return touchdown, capping an improbable comeback victory for the Eagles.

Even if he completes the task, Weatherford is sure to receive a smattering of boos when the Philly faithful gets wind of these comments. He’s fortunate this game is taking place early in the season, as there will be no battery-filled snowballs heading his way.