he was a legitimate MVP candidate. And this: He hasn't thrown a touchdown pass in three straight games. The last time that happened was back in his second, third and fourth NFL starts. Those were Eli's bad old days. Coughlin used the words "terrible'' and "foolish'' to describe Manning's first interception against the Bengals, when he was getting yanked by the jersey and should have simply taken the sack. "I know he's always trying to make a play and he has done things under those circumstances in the past that have worked out, but the percentages were not with him there,'' Coughlin said. There's a theory Manning has a "tired arm'' or "dead arm,'' but all parties involved were so quick to dismiss that it almost seemed like a cover-up. "I don't react,'' he said about the insinuation that he's arm-weary. "No one's watched me practice. I thought I had good velocity, threw the ball well.'' Coughlin said he saw signs against the Bengals that his quarterback is on the way back. "I thought he threw the ball better," Coughlin said. "Many times he zinged it in there. I think there were signs that he's improving, he's getting back on track." Manning said he won't throw the ball again until Monday. He also said these struggles do not bring about any self-doubt. "You trust your skills, you trust your past experiences, you know football is a crazy game and it's tough,'' Manning said. "It's hard, and sometimes as a player