Eli Manning Insists His Foot Is Fine

Adam Schefter had Giants fans reaching for their panic buttons Sunday when he reported that quarterback Eli Manning was dealing with a "stress reaction" in his right foot that could lead to a stress fracture, an injury that would sideline Manning for the rest of 2009.

But Manning attempted to ease any concerns about his health Monday.

"It has been the same probably for the last three or four weeks," Manning said, a statement that confirmed a Sunday afternoon report from The Star-Ledger's Mike Garafolo. "Nothing new, I feel like I can go out there in practice and do everything I need to do."

Manning could not confirm or deny that his current ailment could lead to a stress fracture, but stated that his right foot -- his plant foot during passing plays -- does not affect him on the field.

"In the games it doesn't bother me, I don't think about it. I am not overly concerned with it," Manning said. "Obviously, this is kind of new news to you all but something that has been around and I have been playing with it for four weeks. It's not something that is truly annoying me or bothering me and I don't feel like it is affecting my performance on the field."

Schefter reported that the stress reaction developed as Manning attempted to compensate for a case of plantar fasciitis he's been suffering from.

Manning and the Giants have stumbled since a 5-0 start to the season, dropping five of their last six to fall out of playoff position in the NFC. In four of those six games, Manning's QB rating has been at 65.6 or lower -- to put that in perspective, a 65.6 rating for the season would put a quarterback just below Cleveland's Brady Quinn in the NFL rankings.

The Giants lost 26-6 on Thanksgiving night at Denver -- Manning was 24 of 40 passing for 240 yards and an interception in that game.

He's not been alone, though, in struggling during the Giants' slide. Manning's been sacked 15 times in New York's 1-5 stretch, as the offensive line as had issues both run and pass blocking. And the defense is allowing almost 25 points per game, eighth-most in the NFL.

Still, Manning's the linchpin and any lingering foot injury would just about end the Giants' fading postseason hopes. But the good news for New York is that Manning doesn't anticipate the stress reaction being a major problem.

"It's one of those things that time and rest is probably the biggest thing," he said. "Having the weekend [after the Thanksgiving game] and the bye week ... helped some. Time to rest it is helpful. It is not something I think will linger or bother me."