THERE will a time for young Eli. Soon. But not now.

Not yet.

With every throw, every gyration at the line of scrimmage, every laid-back shrug of the shoulders and casual “aw shucks” in response to the latest gushing bestowed on him, Eli Manning offers evidence why he will be an outstanding quarterback. It’s all there, awaiting a tweak here, a tug there.

Greatness can wait. Tom Coughlin can’t. This week, let him name Kurt Warner his starting quarterback and play him for three quarters in Friday night’s preseason tussle with the Jets. When it’s time to dig in for good Sept. 12 in the regular-season opener in Philadelphia, Warner should take the snap from center Shaun O’Hara. It’s what’s best for the Giants, best for Warner, and just as important, best for Manning.

Warner has not come close to the knockout blow some predicted in his very real competition with Manning, but owning the starting job at the outset of the season should not be based solely on judging these players at this very moment.

For the second time in less than a week, Manning in a live game looked more efficient, but his solid play in Thursday night’s 27-20 loss to the Panthers shouldn’t be made into more than it was. In five series Manning (9 of 15, 117 yards) produced two field goals. Warner got the Giants in the end zone on his first possession but also gave points away with a desperate fourth-down misfire that safety William Hampton returned 49 yards for a touchdown.

Here’s the scenario that shouldn’t play out for the Giants: Manning starts, the team around him collapses and the rookie gets bloodied physically and battered psychologically, forcing Coughlin to enforce the mercy rule and sit Manning down. Then what do the Giants have? A kid wondering what happened and the veteran Warner – who is essentially passing through on a one-year football visa – asked to pick up the pieces in an already-lost season.

Judging from Coughlin’s subdued tone in the aftermath of this first loss – he agreed with almost every critique leveled at his team – his assertion that “Nobody said this was gonna be easy” means that he knows he’s not exactly sitting on a juggernaut.

If the many problems that have sprouted are indeed portents of struggles to come, the position of quarterback is the least of the Giants’ concerns.

Their offensive line dominates no one, they are dismal in short-yardage. On defense, the experienced secondary looks amateurish, so much so that Coughlin said the defensive backs appeared “mesmerized” when playing the ball. There could be too many large deficits, too much catch-up mode.

Let the team stabilize and find its level before tossing Manning into the fire. This is about nurturing, allowing him to reach his immense potential as quickly as possible while avoiding a damaging setback.

Manning, provided he sits at the start, gives the Giants an ace-in-the-hole, a reason to stay interested. Even if Warner gets the ball first he won’t have it last, as getting Manning on the field is a matter of when, not if, unless Warner catches fire and the team around him sizzles. Does anyone anticipate that?

Coughlin yesterday insisted the timing of his decision will “give us plenty of time to prepare for the season.”

Time is moving quickly. Name Warner in the coming days and get him ready to go.

“There’s a lot of positions on the field that come down to the last week or two until they’re decided,” Warner said, “and this may be one of those and we have to play through that.”

Or else, Coughlin can name Warner now, realizing he’ll be calling for Manning later. (p. 62 Metro)