New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning has defended his performances this season, saying that he does not think he has been playing "lousy" football.
The Giants' disastrous season continued last weekend when they were beaten 36-21 by the Philadelphia Eagles to fall to 0-5.
Manning threw three fourth-quarter interceptions in the match to take his season tally to a league-leading 12, leading coach Tom Coughlin to criticise the two-time Super Bowl MVP's "demoralising" performance.
However, despite making a winless start to the NFL campaign, Manning believes that he is not playing too badly and insists that there is no rift between him and Coughlin.
"That's the thing. I don't think I'm playing lousy. I think I'm seeing the defences well. I think I'm throwing the ball accurately. So I feel like I'm in sync, my fundamentals are good, everything's kind of in place. It's just a matter of getting in some bad predicaments and not catching many breaks and just getting in some tough spots," Manning told radio station WFAN.
"Coach Coughlin and I have a great relationship. We talk a lot of weeks about what's going on, trying to get on the same page and get to where I'm playing at a high level and playing his style of football. And I kind of just told him the same thing. I said I'm not forcing the ball. I'm not making bad decisions.
"I've got to do my job better, and I'll keep working at it. But everybody's got to step it up a bit. So obviously I've got to play smart. I've got to protect the ball. That's the number one thing, and I know it."
The Giants will have another chance to pick up their first win of the season when they face the Chicago Bears on Thursday night.
