The difference between Dave Gettleman and Mike Maccagnan is one of comfort level.
There is definitely something different between drafting the successor to a long-term franchise quarterback and finding one to end a 42-year search.
Guess where all the pressure lies.
Right on Maccagnan's head, that's where.
That's not to say Gettleman wouldn't love to have the next Eli Manning on his roster. It would be a heck of a way to kick off the first Giants draft he's ever directed. And it would certainly embellish his image as a top-flight talent evaluator after re-stocking the Carolina Panthers the past five years.
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But if the Giants' new general manager indeed goes with one of the four top quarterbacks at No. 2 come the evening of April 26, he'll hear little from the rank-and-file fan base. There will be no anguished outcry over whether he chooses Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, Josh Allen or Baker Mayfield.
Hope for a bright future will rule the day.
It's a situation Maccagnan can only dream about. Assuming Maccagnan doesn't shock the world and go in another direction at No. 3, the Jets' GM needs to get it right, not only from a performance level but from a perception level after drafting two dud QBs in his first three years in the captain's chair.
Bet that a hearty outcry from some dissatisfied Jets fans will rise from the cheap seats at AT&T Stadium in Dallas. Bet, too, that Maccagnan's job won't be safe until said choice starts to look like the savior/quarterback the Jets have awaited since Joe Namath laced up his white cleats.
It comes down to a difference between an organization and fan base that spent the last 14 years content that their quarterback would have at least a chance to make something good happen. Manning, for all his current problems, gave them that kind of hope. He did more than that, actually. For proof, just swing by the lobby of the Giants' East Rutherford training center for a look at the two glimmering Lombardi Trophies he won.
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Until the ill-fated Ben McAdoo brought Manning's consecutive starting streak to an end at 210 games last season -- to start Geno Smith of all people -- fans never had a real reason to clamor for the next guy. Oh, there were the typical calls for his scalp when things went downhill. But really, the long-term outlook was always pro-Eli.
It still is, at least for the next year or two. And if Gettleman picks wrong amid this flawed quartet, well, the world won't come to an end. The Giants will have their memories. The fans can always point to Manning and say, "Well, we had our guy. Better luck next time."
Gettleman will keep his job for a while, at least.
And if all else fails, they can always give Davis Webb a spin.
The Jets are still waiting for their guy. Maccagnan's trade-up to No. 3 set the stage for a quarterback pick. Whether the regressed Darnold, the overly inquisitive Rosen, the inaccurate Allen or the undersized Mayfield winds up in Jets green, the hunger built through a wander through the quarterback desert since Namath left in 1976 will hit Maccagnan like a sandstorm.
The checkered history alone will stir controversy. And woe be unto Maccagnan if his choice turns into nothing more than a high-round copy of his first two quarterback gambits in Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg.
Get this one wrong and Maccagnan is gone. And it won't take ownership long to hit the eject button.
It's the difference between replacing a franchise quarterback and finding what time has made feel like the first one.
The latter is a much harder job.
On every level.
Follow Ernie on Twitter at @ErniePalladino
