Giants' Eli Manning has surgery on left ankle

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is going to start the offseason training program with a surgically repaired left ankle.

The Giants announced that Manning had arthroscopic surgery Thursday to relieve some lingering discomfort in the ankle he sprained in the regular-season finale against Washington.

The two-time Super Bowl MVP has been rehabbing the ankle for more than three months, but it was still bothering him.

Dr. Robert Anderson, a foot and ankle specialist in Charlotte, N.C., performed a debridement, removing dead, damaged, or infected tissue to improve the healing potential of the remaining healthy tissue.

Manning expects to be able to run in six weeks.

Manning is coming off one of his worst seasons. The 33-year-old who will be entering his 11th season threw a career-high 27 interceptions playing behind a decimated offensive line that allowed him to be sacked 39 times. He completed 317 of 551 passes for 3,818 yards and 18 touchdowns. His quarterback rating of 69.4 was his lowest since a 55.4 in his rookie season in 2004.

''I'm looking forward to the start of the offseason program on the (April) 21st,'' said Manning, who has started 151 consecutive games. ''I will be in the weight room and in the meeting rooms so we can all learn the new offense. I got some good work in this week at Duke, and I think it's smart to get this procedure done now so the ankle isn't an ongoing issue. I'm eager to get to work with our new offensive coaches and system.''

The Giants will hold organized team activities May 28-30, June 2-3, June 5, June 9-10, June 12-13, and a mandatory minicamp June 17-19.

Coach Tom Coughlin hired Ben McAdoo as the new offensive coordinator after Kevin Gilbride retired after last season. There also is a new quarterback coach, Danny Langsdorf.

The Giants (7-9) scored 294 points, the lowest total of the Tom Coughlin era. They finished 28th in the NFL in total yards (307.5 a game), 29th in yards rushing per game (83.3) and 30th in yards per carry (3.5).

New York has missed the playoffs the past two seasons.