The 49ers are known for their top ranked defense and an offense that minimizes mistakes.  The one unit that has stood out over the season is their top ranked Special Teams unit.

The 49ers led the league in kickoff return yards with a 27.2 yard average.  They were 5^th in punt returns with a 12.4 average yards per return.  Their kickoff coverage team was tied for 2^nd in the league with 47 touchbacks and held their opponents to 23.1 yards per return.  Finally, they showed why their punt coverage team is formidable, forcing Sproles to cough it up twice.  That makes many Giant fans nervous, based on a fumble and some near flubs by Blackmon in a few games this past month.

UltimateNYG's Glenn Warciski wrote back in March of 2010 about Bill Parcells’ theory on hidden yardage.   The theory equates for every “100 yards in hidden yardage -- through penalties, interceptions, punt and kickoff returns and field position following kickoffs -- is worth 7 points.”  Given the statistics above, three of the five are areas where the 49ers excel.

Billick of NFL.com believes Special Teams “is the often-overlooked third phase of the game, but special-teams play can be just as important as any offensive or defensive series. These plays determine the hidden yardage of a game that has a major impact on the strategy of the entire game.  In addition to the areas mentioned above “the 49ers have benefited from the booming punts of Andy Lee. Even if their offense is backed up deep in their own territory, they can rely on Lee to gain back that hidden yardage by hitting one of his 70-yarders that gives the defense much more room.”  Even when you’re “punting from your own end zone, any time you can get it out past the 50-yard line, it is considered a win, but with Lee, the 49ers can literally push the opposition back to their own 30-yard line consistently. Those are yards you don’t find on the box score, and they can be the deciding factor for a team that wins mainly by running the ball and playing good defense.”

Finally as it relates to Special Teams, we cannot ignore the blocked field goal.  A stumbling Tony Ugoh missed his block.  The 49ers take pride in their Special Teams. Quinn and Izzo need to have the Giants ready.  Overall, the Special Teams matchup is an area of concern going into Sunday.

Ian O’Connor, of ESPN-NY, interviewed Bill Parcells about the 1991 NFC Championship game the other day.  In that game Parcells “saw Ottis stiff-arm Ronnie Lott five yards downfield," and he said to himself 'you know, we are really trying to win this game.”  Parcells saw a lot of the 1991 Giants in the 2011 Giants versus Green Bay.  Parcells goes on to add, "It was like watching the first 'Rocky' movie," Parcells said of Giants 37, Packers 20, "where Apollo Creed gets knocked down early and his corner man says, 'You see that SOB over there, he doesn't know it's a show; he thinks it's a fight.”

We read about how Coughlin took the ‘kinder and gentler’ approach after their embarrassment versus the Redskins.  Instead “he reminded the Giants that at 7-7, they were fortunate still to be in control of their destiny. His message was simple, yet clear. Forget the past. Seize the moment.”  But did he take a page from Bill Parcells?  Parcells reminisced about the fact that “no one had ever gone to a Super Bowl with a backup quarterback. We were such an underdog, and everything was about them three-peating, and I wanted my players to know that I had confidence in them, which I did."  Back in ’91 they played the Super Bowl 1 week after the NFC Championship game and Parcells told his team “you can either pack for two days, or pack for 10. I'm packing for 10.” They were a confident team in 1991 beating the long odds versus the supposed 3-peat 49ers and then as underdogs against the high- powered offense of the Bills.  Will this confident 2011 Giants achieve the same?

My trip to Lambeau was a success. I must say Green Bay is a top-notch football town and nine out of ten Packers fans were gracious in defeat to the HUGE Giants contingency in attendance at the game. There could have been as many as 10-15 thousand there, and from what I saw and it must have been evident on TV. One definitely feels something special when you’re in that place.  Watching that Hail Mary come in right towards me from 25 rows up was something that was pretty unforgettable.

-The downfield coverage was great. I tried to tweet this during the game, but the coverage was flat out great. Downfield especially. While its frustrating that Rodgers was able to run so much in the game, that is a testament to THE BEST GAME OUR SECONDARY HAS PLAYED ALL YEAR. We frustrated Rodgers with that and disrupted their timing. As Dilfer said on ESPN Sunday night: the Packers passing game is SO dependent on timing, whether it be in the three step or the play action game. Plant that foot into the ground and get rid of it.

-The Giants disrupted that timing with their downfield coverage and by getting in his passing lanes. Rodgers was forced to take off or throw on the run. That means the timing is off. Although the Packers had six drops, two or three of those (haven’t seen the game on TV yet) looked to be on broken plays such as those. The bottom line is that the Giants got to Rodgers. And when we needed the pass rush it was there. I cannot see how this unit doesn't show up every week now.

-Did anyone else have a flashback to Pierce’s huge screen stop in the last playoff run when Williams nearly took down Starks on that screen play?  Just missed it. To me--he’s someone who is getting better every week.

-I know nothing needs to be said about No. 10, but things are starting to get interesting with him when we compare him to his contemporaries—he’s played as well as anybody in the league for a good chunk of weeks now.  I didn’t even blink twice at his performance yesterday. He has been that good on third down too, reinvigorating many drives that seemed set for a three and out. I know this is looking ahead (my apologies as some of you worry about the jinx) but he's 120 minutes from being a serious hall of fame candidate. Man oh man. 

I was hoping for this from McCarthy after the game.

Early quick thoughts for next week:

-SF is a tougher matchup for us right now than Green Bay was, make no mistake about it.  The Giants need to continue to be hitting on our passing game, in spite of the conditions. The Niners will give us a much tougher look when we have the ball and we have to be THAT much more crisp next Sunday. Can’t make like the Saints and give up on the run. Keep at it even if it isn’t producing. Can’t win without it.

-I know we hear a lot about it with the Niners but the specialists will be big. They are obviously the class of the league in that area and we need to match that—across the board—kicking, punting, coverage, returning game. Could come down to the special teams (in potentially bad conditions).

-HOWEVER. I just don’t think they are better than the Giants right now. I just can’t see them bringing anything but their A game to San Francisco. And when it comes down to it our best is better than theirs. Quick question- throw the regular season out the window, now tell me who the best team left in the playoffs is. For me the answer is easy.

In Coughlin We Trust. In Eli We Trust. ALL IN.

The NY Giants are going to California!  The Road Warriors soundly defeated the Packers and overcame some of the worst and disgusting officiating in recent memory.  Tremendous win!  How many people would have forecast that Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees would be gone from the playoffs?!  It's the Giants vs SF for a ticket to Indianapolis.

Normally one of the things that we preach when you go on the road is the need for TDs, not FGs.  But in the first drive, the Giants got a FG and it was G-R-E-A-T!  We tweeted at the time:

"The first third down conversion to MM was really important. Normally I want and need 7 but I can handle 3 because #nyg took GB's emotion"   

Green Bay came into the game with a lot of emotion.  The Giants took Green Bay's best punch, drove the ball and put up 3.  That first 3rd down conversion when Eli hit Mario Manningham on 3rd and 8 for 19 yards was GINORMOUS. That is a play that will go unnoticed by many, but it should not go unnoticed by any of us.  It settled down the team.  This wasn't going to be ATL, where the offense would go through a first quarter drought.  The message was that this Giant team was going to play for four quarters.  Eli was money, Mario was money, the coaches were money, the Giants were money.

We've been critical of the coaches, putting the blame of underachievement squarely on their shoulders.  Let's all please remember that this "great" team was 7-7 only a few weeks ago.  Right now, the coaches have to get all the credit.  One of the biggest detractors of all, Osi Umenyiora, is giving them all the love:

"Hey, we take on the personality of our coach. He's a tough guy and we're going to play tough."  

Every Giants fan can taste the bitter irony of how Osi is reclaiming his and the Giants glory at the same time.  In the nick of time.

The turnovers were incredible.  The Giants simply beat the Packers at their own game.  Usually it's the Pack defense that generates the turnovers and the offense that protects the ball, but the Gmen got 3 fumble recoveries.  It would have been four, except a Greg Jennings fumble was not ruled for the Giants.

Giving credit to individuals on the "Good" is nearly impossible because so many people were incredible in this win.  We'll try to single out some moments and some people, but please add some more in the comments.

GOOD

1) TOM COUGHLIN, PERRY FEWELL and KEVIN GILBRIDE.  That sound you are hearing is me puckering up. 

Coughlin had the Giants ready.   He and his staff were ready for everything McCarthy threw at them.

Fewell had a great defensive game plan that would not let Aaron Rodgers beat them.  As maddening as the (five) QB scrambles for 3rd down conversions were, Rodgers' postgame interview explained that "the high volume of man coverage dictated that" he run when no one was assigned to him.  It was actually part of a design where the Giants were going to make sure that the air attack did not go over the top.  The result was a few 15-20 yard pass receptions, but no wholesale gashings like what we saw during the regular season contest.  Those sacks and scrambles meant the coverage of the GB wide receivers was excellent, and that meant a win.  Man coverage.  Perry, you keep using it and we'll keep doling out the kudos.  Essentially the Giants did not spy Rodgers, preferring to have an extra man bracketing the man assignments.  The feet of Rodgers bent the Giants defense but the arm of Rodgers was stopped from breaking it.

Gilbride attacked often.  My favorite playcall of the night was when the Giants got the ball at the ~4 yard line after another fumble recovery and run by Blackburn.  1st and goal.  PLAY ACTION to MARIO MANNINGHAM FOR A TD to go up 30-13 and make it a three score game.  Suffocation.  There was less small ball than I would have liked, but Eli found a rhythm early and that is the goal.

2) Eli Manning.  Cool as a cucumber.  Never rattled.  That poise in the playoffs and in Q4 is something he has always had.  Now that he is also playing the best footballl of his career, the combination is lethal.  He was knocked around and kept coming.  Gilbride puts the ball in Eli's hands and Eli delivers.

3) Michael Boley.  Two sacks.  Team lead in tackles.  He's the best LBer on this squad and he is quietly doing important work in coverage too.  Add Jacquain Williams here and you have two LBers who are vital to 'managing' the TE in bracketed coverage.

4) Osi Umenyiora.  2 sacks vs GB.  1 sack vs ATL.  2 sacks vs DAL.  5 sacks total in 3 games.  At least he is currently more of a pain in the a** to opposing QBs than he is to Reese and Mara.  Let's also remember that Ross got beat on a slant & go ... if Osi doesn't strip the ball, it is a wide open 7 probability for GB.

5) Nicks.  You've gotta pick your poison vs the Giants wideouts.  Cruz gets doubled.  Nicks now is getting the numbers.  His 66 yard humongous catch + run for a TD is part of a pattern where Cruz and Nicks are burning defenders for a long one, game after game.  On another reception in Q2, he comes back to the ball instead of waiting for the ball to come to him- the little things that make a good WR a great one.

6) The Hail Mary.  You have to give plenty of kudos to Bradshaw AND MANNING for getting out of bounds after ad-libbing and picking up 23 yds.  At that point I felt that 3 was the proper call, but for whatever reason Gilbride and Coughlin chose to throw it up.  It came down to Nicks, who turned a 13-10 halftime edge into 20-10.  Incredible.

7) Derrick Martin and Victor Cruz.  These two players recovered onside kickoffs.  But the Martin recovery was on a fake and the replay showed that Martin was ready the entire time.  Great respect for not leaving.  The PHL disaster last year schooled Quinn on schooling his players not to leave, so he too must receive acknowledgment for a job well done.

8) Antrel Rolle.  The man was ubiquitous.  He was busy with WR coverage, and still managed to come out ok despite that mismatch.

9) The entire secondary.  When guys like Phillips, Webster, Ross, Amukamara and Grant are not getting exposed on camera, it means they are shutting down receivers off camera.  There were a few warts, but Aaron Rodgers is always going to make any team look bad some of the game.  This group lost some battles but won the war. 

BAD

1) Tynes.  Poor kickoffs to the 5 and 15 yard line.  One kickoff is out of bounds and spotted at the 40.  Was the missed FG kicked too low? We'll let that one get blamed on a blown block.

2) The short yardage run game.  Give the Giants 3rd and 10, no problem.  Give the Giants 3rd and 1 and it is a disaster.  There is no surge, and there certainly won't be one vs Justin Smith next week.  At this point on 3rd and short, just go play action and pray the LBers and Strong Safety are stupid enough to bite.

3) Ballard is playing hurt.  It is sad to watch how hobbled TE Jake Ballard is.  His 1 catch for 17 yards was a huge grab, made all the more remarkable by the condition he is playing in.  It looked at times like he could barely walk.  If he can return to any health, it will be great for Eli.   

UGLY

1) Bill Leavy and the referees.  Regulars to this blog know that we do not like to discuss the officiating.  It is generally a random element of luck that evens out over the long run.  And we hold to the Bill Walsh theory that it is simply part of the 20% of the game you cannot control.  But we draw the line when the officiating is so egregious and one-sided that it becomes almost criminal.  It was borderline criminal out there. 

I could not see the replay angle that validated Coughlin's challenge for a Jennings fumble.  But once they showed it, it was CLEAR that the refs totally blew the call.  Aikman and Buck were unequivocal in their dissent against the officials.  Unfortunately the poor officiating was seemingly non-stop.  There was a horrible spot of a Ware run that was off by a full yard, causing 4th down.  Why? Because he fell sideways, meaning his knee never had the opportunity to touch the ground.  Then of course there was the Osi phantom 15 yard personal foul, where Rich Eisen of the NFL Network was absolutely ILL.  They call that, and yet Eli is taking helmet hits, Clay Matthews body slams him to the ground long after the ball is gone... no calls there.  The holding call on Snee... Like I have said numerous times, it is not worth yelling about the officiating because it evens out, but last night it was simply one-way and negligent.   

SUMMARY

The Giants beat up a Packers team that had Aaron Rodgers and a last place defense.  But the Packers defense also gambled and won with many turnovers during the regular season.  They could not be dismissed as being a vulnerable unit because they led the league (tied with the Niners) with 38 takeaways.  The Giants had to protect the ball on offense and stop Rodgers from carving them up.  They did.  The Packers had 7 (different press accounts had anywhere from 6 to 8) dropped passes, but let's give the Giants the credit for making Rodgers throw harder passes and making the receivers make harder catches.  Fewell's simplified defense with "a high volume of man coverage" is turning the Giants into a formidable opponent; Eli Manning is the only one left to do the carving. 

Three Parts to this post.  Part One is a Wall Street Journal article which says the Giants Secondary May Deserve More Credit for the team's recent surge.  Part Two is Phil Simms on WFAN's NFL Now, who discusses the Giants, Ravens, Texans and Niners.  Part Three is our color on the first two parts plus some last minute thoughts leading into Green Bay.  A reminder to follow us on Twitter during the game.  Hopefully we'll get a few Tweets from Rich Conforti, who'll be at the game.

Part One

Please click on the above link.  If you cannot get the link, google the exact words and you'll get access.  Essentially what Michael Salfino did was examine the pass rush in these last three games vs the Jets/Boys/Falcons and then compare that to the rest of the season.  He added sacks, hurries and knockdowns, then divided that by the total number of passes to get a "disruption rate."  The Giants had a disruption rate of 19.3% during the three game run, while they have had a rate of 20.6% during the whole season.  That number is close enough to essentially be identical.  The pressure, Osi, Tuck and all, has been the same.  What has been different is tighter coverage.  This NY Giants blog showed in the recap of the ATL win that 82% of the time the Giants were in man coverage and they gave up less to the WRs in those 82% of the times than the 18% of time they were in that passive zone.

Part Two

NYG-GB.  Simms had to review the Packers-Giants game earlier this year because the following week he was covering the Packers game versus Oakland. He spent a few moments qualifying his leadoff remark, explaining that it is not related to the fact that he was a former Giant or that he lives in the NY area, but merely based on an objective observation:

"I think the Giants are more talented than the Packers overall."

When the Packers have the ball:

In terms of analyzing the outcome of the game, you can't overlook homefield and Aaron Rodgers.  Simms studied the first game.  The Giants are a different team.  Rodgers is the best thrower in the NFL on the run.  Teams can cover the Green Bay offense.  Relatively simple, relies on the great thrower.  Make him stay in the pocket and you take away 8-10 plays per game.

When the Giants have the ball: 

GB needs to take away Victor Cruz.  Make them go to the side.  Take your chances vs Hakeem Nicks.   Packers were close to making big plays and the Giants answered them.  Giants were close to and could have made more mistakes.  They didn't, but it was close.  Packers defense is not very good, don't pressure the passer, Clay Matthews is the only one, Woodson is not overrated.  Blitzes, calculated risks to steal the ball.  The corners have been awful, have given up a lot of big plays. Inside the run defense is not doing it up front. When the Giants needed to drive the ball down the field to tie the game near the end, they had relatively little resistance.  Outside a few questionable calls by the Giants, it was easy to handle the Packers defense.

Simms did not make a prediction here, but earlier this week on Showtime he took the Packers.  Interesting that all three Showtime panelists took the underdog 49ers.  All took the Packers.

BAL-HOU.  Flacco is a "pretty damn good NFL QB" who unnecessarily takes too much heat and is a "whipping boy for the press."  His WRs are flawed, as Boldin is good but not fast, and the rookie Smith is fast but inexperienced and not good.  Francesa believes that TJ Yates, who is a 3rd string QB, is not ready for this test.  Simms feels that Houston's defense can force a turnover to keep it close.

SF.  Mike Francesa says that Jim Harbaugh has done "one the best coaching jobs I have ever seen."  And Phil Simms immediately concurred.  Simms went on to explain that because Alex Smith was a #1 pick, that that worked to his advantage in that he has been afforded numerous opportunities to develop that would not normally be afforded to any other QB.  With time and hard work, Smith has gotten better.  If he was not afforded so many opportunities, he would not be where he is right now, an NFL QB.  He would be out of the league.

Part Three

Salfino's statistics validate that the secondary's coverages are making the difference.  It is beneficial to our understanding, because this blog has contended all year that coaching schemes were holding the defense back.  NOW THROW IN WHAT SIMMS SAID ABOUT THE 9-7 GIANTS HAVING MORE TALENT THAN THE 15-1 PACKERS.  And also throw in how one coach in SF can turn around a lost franchise in ONE year.  What does it add up to? What does it tell you?  It tells me that the NFL is a coach's league, it is not a player's league.  45 players need to be choreographed in an intricate ballet.  The Giants coaches have made necessary adjustments in the nick of time. 

Final thoughts on the game: 15 mph winds are expected.  This is not a plus for Eli.  But I will be happy when the Giants are in a lot of man coverage, because the 15 mph winds will make passing more difficult for Rodgers too.  His passes will have some error that only a wind gust can explain.  This is precisely why man coverage will make his job tougher too.  As was noted earlier this week, Rodgers is going to have plenty of success today.  Let's just make his life a little harder than normal so that Eli and his offense can compete.  The Giants will need some breaks in this game to win.  As the 49ers showed us, make your own breaks.  I am not predicting a Giants win.  What I will predict is that the Giants have a credible shot.  GO GIANTS!  This Super Bowl XLVI Championship is up for grabs, and the Giants have as much of a credible shot as anyone else.  The Giants can play with the Packers, The Niners, the Ravens, the Patriots.  A title is there for the taking.  GO GET IT.

Good riddance to the New Orleans Saints.  Don't let the door hit your a** on the way out. 

If the NY Giants can pull off a great upset today and beat the Packers, it really should not matter who the Giants would face the following week.  You play whoever is in your path.  With that said, there was not a single Giants fan who wanted to see the team have to go through that bleeping dome to get to Super Bowl XLVI. 

The SF 49ers will be a formidible opponent for either the Packers or the Giants.  But let's get real here.  The 49ers needed a whole lotta miracles to pull off the upset.  AND FIVE TURNOVERS.  So permit me to state that the better team did not win.  The better team that day won because they had a little extra and made some of their own luck.  If that game is played 10 times, the Saints should and would win more than half the time.  But between some uncharacteristic sloppiness by Brees and the fact that they were not playing in that track meet dome, they lost.  Bad for the Saints, good for the Giants if the Giants can win today.  It all means absolutely nothing if the Giants lose.  Let's make it mean something and we'll have all week to talk 49ers.

Separately, if you missed the game yesterday between the Saints and Niners, you have to watch it.  And if you have not DVR'd it, find a way to watch it, perhaps through a purchase of the NFL Game Rewind.  It was that good.  It was arguably one of the best football games I have ever watched, an instant classic.  We tweeted this game, and it was a great one.  We'll be tweeting today also; Rich Conforti will be at Lambeau Field, so we'll be connected and he'll be able to report what he is seeing as well.

There is a play toward the end that I do not want to spoil.  But here is the scenario:  you are down by 1 or 2 points and there are ~2 minutes left.  You are going to go into the end zone for a TD.  Should you stop yourself at the 1 yard line.  It is obvious that you should, because this way you can kill off the rest of the clock and get your FG.  Being up by 1 with essentially no time left is a much greater certainty of victory than handing the ball to Drew Brees with 2 minutes left and a 5-7 point deficit (depending on the 2 pt conversion).  PLAYERS DO NOT THINK THIS WAY.  They just score the 7 and hand the ball to the opposing offense.  I remember an onside Kickoff vs the Giants on the last day of the 2000 regular season when Jacksonville (then coached by Coughlin) trailed by 7 with ~minutes left.  Jason Sehorn fields the onside attempt cleanly and runs like a bullet straight in for a TD.  But kneeling at the 1 yd line would have been better, as the clock was the bigger enemy than the points.  The Giants held on but it was possible for Jacksonville to theoretically come back otherwise.  In the situation yesterday, it was not wise to give the ball back to Drew Brees.  The first down and the Akers lock FG were far more lethal than a TD.  I do not want to hear about the chances for Akers missing what would effectively be a PAT.  Is that as large as Brees scoring a TD with ~2:10 left?  Cmon!  PLAYERS DO NOT THINK THIS WAY.  (Remember, this is limited to a situation where you are down by 1 or 2 pts with very little time left on the clock.  If you are down by 3 or more, just score the TD.)