Manning not worried about preseason performance

Eli Manning has a history of slow preseason starts. Or maybe he doesn't. He doesn't really know.

"I can't tell you what my preseason record is over the last six years," the Giants quarterback said Monday. "I don't know if it's good or bad or what."

That's Manning's way of saying that he's not concerned with his performance so far this summer. It's been a bit of a wobbly few weeks for Manning, who was knocked out of the Jets game two weeks ago with the three-inch slice across his forehead, sat out against the Steelers after missing a week of practices, then came back with a pedestrian performance in one half against the Ravens, after which he described himself as feeling "a little rusty."

He's completed exactly 50 percent of his passes - 13-for-26 - for 140 yards and has one interception and zero touchdowns. In fact, the only touchdown that the Manning-led offense has scored in two games came on a 1-yard drive after Antrel Rolle's interception against the Jets. And it took them three plays to punch that one in.

Big deal? Not to Manning.

"We're where we need to be," he said Monday, adding that most of the corrections that need to be made are mental ones and work on integrating some of the second-teamers who have had to become temporary starters.

Perhaps the brightest part of Manning's game right now is that physically he said he feels fine. He had no issues with his helmet on his scar and the foot injury that disrupted him during last season is a non-factor.

But in terms of the way the Giants' offense is revving, Manning may have more confidence in where the Giants are right now than most onlookers. His passes Saturday against the Ravens were sometimes erratic, such as a deep ball he tried to throw to an open Steve Smith on a post pattern. Manning was being pressured in the pocket and couldn't get his legs under him to make the toss, but it was nowhere near Smith. He also showed a lack of touch on short passes to running back Brandon Jacobs on some checkdowns.

It wasn't only outsiders who noticed that.

"Obviously, he was rusty," coach Tom Coughlin said after the game. "He needs to play, so he'll get better."

Coughlin has been lamenting the idea that the offense has been unable to practice as a unit for most of the preseason, and he pointed to having Manning out for several practices while his wound healed as a disruption in the arc of improvement.

"We have to get them going," Coughlin said of the offense. "[Manning] has got to be in the middle of it."

By the way, in answer to the earlier question about preseason results: The Giants have had two losing preseasons in the five previous ones in which Manning was the starting quarterback. They were 1-3 in preseason games in 2007 (and 1-0 in Super Bowls that year) and 1-3 last year.

"There are always going to be things that you can improve on and do better," Manning said. "It's about finding those things, talking it over with the offense, getting better, and learning from it."