Our quote of the day comes from victorious Giant head coach Tom Coughlin after his team’s thrilling 24-21 sudden death NFC Championship Game win over the Packers at Lambeau Field:

“The real key has been the heart of this team. “Their heart is in the right place.“

 

That epitomizes why this resilient group has been able to accomplish what they have already in establishing a new NFL record 10 consecutive road victories including becoming the first NFC team to win three straight road playoff games and make the Super Bowl.

For more on the historic victory, I highly recommend this very well written game recap by outstanding Daily News Giant beat writer Ralph Vacchiano.

There are some excellent quotes from Giant players which symbolize how they not only go to the wire before pulling out these games but also how they drive their own fans nuts in the process. It probably helps explain why I’m such a typical frantic New York fan.

Here’s one from veteran wideout Amani Toomer which sums it up quite well:

“It’s Giants football. We want to make sure our fans have some good, healthy blood pressure going into our games.”

Well, you don’t say Amani. This is kind of what it felt like following that 1990 team which upset the 49ers on five Matt Bahr field goals at Candlestick Park and then followed suit by pulling out Super Bowl XXV 20-19 over the Bills on that memorable January 27, 1991 evening in Tampa.

Everyone remembers why. I just won’t say it out of proper respect for my Buffalo contingent who have had to live with that heartbreaking conclusion. I won’t say anymore. Rob “Kraze” Davis and Brian “Sambone” Sanborn are two of my closest friends. I can only imagine what each is thinking at this moment with Super Bowl XLII approaching.

Just maybe these 2007 Giants can duplicate that sort of yeoman work in 12 fateful days. If you’re an avid Big Blue supporter, keep your fingers crossed.

 
Any time Serena Williams gets bounced out early in a slam, it’s big news around the tennis world. Especially here in the States. That the eight-time slam winner went down in straight sets to No.3 seeded Serbian Jelena Jankovic on her favorite court down under in the quarterfinals was a bit of a surprise. Especially when the defending Australian Open winner had played so well cruising through her first four matches without dropping a set.

None of that mattered though in her Tuesday quarter against a game Jankovic who was determined to avenge a Round of 16 defeat from a year prior in the same major.

The 22 year-old Jankovic hit the cleaner balls all match committing 19 fewer unforced errors than an erratic Serena who misfired on 36. Combined with an unSerena-like five doubles including one in the final game which allowed her opportunistic foe to comeback for the service break, it all added up to a straight sets 6-3, 6-4 victory for the Serb who awaits the winner between top seeded Justine Henin and fifth seeded Russian Maria Sharapova (later today 3:30 AM EST/12:30 AM PT, ESPN2).

“It was an unbelievable match, I am still shaking,” a very pleased Jankovic told the Associated Press later about reaching her first ever Aussie Open semifinal. “I am so happy.

With her opponent needing one more point on her usually reliable serve to level the second set at five apiece, an aggressive Jankovic continued to apply the pressure and end the match there. When her speed forced a couple of Williams’ misses from the baseline, suddenly the game was back to Deuce. It was then that Serena hit her fifth double of the match as groans came down from the capacity crowd at Rod Laver Arena.

Usually, the 26 year-old American who’s won the Australian Open three different times is so composed and determined when facing elimination points. But instead of coming up with the goods as she normally does on that court, Williams was outslugged by her focused opponent and then missed a couple of feet wide on a forehand to give Jankovic the two-set win along with a measure of revenge.

“I came here with no expectations — it’s amazing to beat the defending champion and in general a champion like Serena, it doesn’t happen every day.“

• While the ESPN team of Mary Carillo, Mary Joe Fernandez along with Patrick McEnroe and Darren Cahill acted so stunned that she lost, I must admit to not being all that surprised because Jankovic is a quality player who one of these times is going to breakthrough and win a major. Maybe this is the year it finally happens. She’ll be up against a difficult opponent in the semis whether it’s the world’s best player Henin or the resilient but powerful Sharapova.

The only startling aspect was that Williams didn’t put up much of a fight which was very uncharacteristic. You would’ve expected it to go the distance. But not on this 80+ degree day in Melbourne Park.

It was Jankovic’s day to shine. Maybe too it’s her tournament since she was on the brink in the first round fighting off three match points before coming back to advance. We’ll see.

One other point on Serena losing. When you don’t play every tournament, you’re not going to have as many ranking points to be ranked where you should. She did come in seeded seventh. Sometimes, when that happens, she’s going to have to play very tough competition in the early portion of draws. This time, it cameback to bite her.

Oddly enough, all three of Serena’s wins in Australia came in odd years (2003, 2005 & 2007). So maybe there was a lot of weird karma going against her. Anyone think she’ll make it a fourth Aussie Open title in 2009?!?!?!?!?!

Don’t bet against it.

In the first men’s quarterfinal, No.2 seeded Spaniard Rafael Nadal is leading Finn Jarkko Nieminen by two sets and a break. The fiery 21 year-old three-time French Open rating champion is trying to reach his first semi down under.

The opening set was very competitive with Nieminen holding two set points on Rafa’s serve but the feisty Spaniard dug out of the hole with some big first serves and huge forehands to hold for five all. Trailing 30-0 in the 11th game, he won a challenge which reversed a Nieminen shot giving him the point which McEnroe correctly noted:

“Could be big.“

It was because from there, a determined Nadal took the next three points breaking on a well struck forehand return winner off a Nieminen first serve. That came only a point after an entertaining 24-stroke extended rally in which a hustling Nadal dug out a volley by the Finn and then wound up winning the point on a lob volley which was out of his opponent’s reach.

Not surprisingly, the hard fought first set which Nadal closed with no trouble took the sting out of Nieminen. Rafa currently leads 7-5, 6-3, 3-0 needing only three more games to wrap up a spot in the Final Four.

Unless Nieminen produces a miracle (highly unlikely), Rafa would await the winner between Russian Mikhail Youzhny and Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Tsonga has played extremely well in ousting fellow Frenchman Richard Gasquet and Andy Murray- both top 10 players. No small task there.

However, we’ll take the speedy Russian veteran to wear down Tsonga in four sets. Youzhny can run for days and it’s a good bet that the wear and tear could get to his younger inexperienced foe.

The other two men’s quarters will feature two-time defending champ Roger Federer taking on American James Blake and third seeded Serb Novak Djokovic who was a straight set winner over Australia’s own Lleyton Hewitt- taking on Spaniard David Ferrer in a U.S. Open rematch of a semifinal last September.

American Venus Williams will take on fourth seeded Serbian Ana Ivanovic tomorrow and ninth seeded Slovak Daniela Hantuchova will battle Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska for a spot in the semis.

Venus vs Ivanovic is kind of like Serena-Jankovic. An American Williams against a younger Serb. It’s a pick’em. If the good Venus shows up, she’ll prevail. If not, then take Ivanovic.

As for the 24 year-old looker Hantuchova, this is her first slam quarter since 2003. It’s a huge opportunity for her to make a semifinal for the first time in her career. She’s certainly gifted enough from the baseline and can line up winners. We’ll see if she can take advantage of a younger opponent who’s already had an unreal tournament knocking out Russians Svetlana Kuznetsova and Nadia Petrova in the last two rounds. 

There’s obviously nothing to lose for the 18 year-old rising star whose best slam result was the Round of 16 at the 2006 Wimbledon and last year here at the U.S. Open.

Plenty more on the line for Hantuchova.

Update: Nadal completes a straight set triumph over Nieminen cruising to a 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 win to make his first ever Aussie Open semifinal.

More coverage much later today.

So you’re a New Yorker (New Yawww-kkkk—aaah) and you love watching good ‘ole fashioned b’ball. And no. To the outsiders who think it starts in the NBA or even college basketball baaaaaaabbbyyy, with apologies to ESPN’s Dick Vitale and CBS’/Knick excitable broadcaster Gus Johnson, that’s not where the saga begins for these players you come to appreciate.

It starts for these kids with hoop dreams of getting out of the inner ghetto. Ballin’ on the outdoor courts and practicing more than AI.

Basketball has been referred to as the city game here in NYC. We love our good ball. Though lately, there really isn’t a whole lot to cheer for as I’ve digressed in past entries in this space.

If you’re pondering where you can find a good game worth checking out, it’s at the high school level. Catholic city powers such as Rice and St. Raymond’s churn out future college stars who may or might not be good enough to make the NBA. There’s also public school power Lincoln which produced Coney Island’s Finest AKA Stephon Marbury.

His cousin Jamel Thomas could play a little too when they teamed up for a PSAL title in 1994-95. Thomas went onto a solid four-year career with Providence but never got his shot in David Stern’s league. It wasn’t because the older brother of ex-Railsplitter star Sebastien Telfair didn’t improve his game but cause he was a ‘tweener due to his 6-6 215 pound frame.

While at Providence, he developed into a solid forward who increased his scoring and rebounding averages every year finishing with 22.0 PPG and 7.3 RPG in his senior year grabbing All-Big East honors. Thomas worked on his outside shot which wasn’t really in his repertoire back in the ‘Splitter days. He could even step out and knock down the trifecta.

Problem was he couldn’t do it consistently and was undersized which probably was the biggest reason for not being able to stick in the NBA. He got into only 12 games with Boston, Golden State and the Nets before heading overseas. At last check, he starred for Beskitas Cola Turka in the Turkish League averaging close to 15-per-game in 2006-07.

I was able to track down a classic NCAA Tournament Elite 8 game between Providence and eventual 1997 champion Arizona in which Thomas nailed a trey from the left wing to force OT. Had another former NYC product God Shammgod (Shamgod Wells) not forced a jumper off a steal instead of taking the rock hard to the rim, maybe the Friars upset the Wildcats instead of falling in two overtimes to eventual NBA star guard Mike Bibby.

For more on Shammgod who came out of Providence too early playing just a couple of years, I discovered a good forum with discussion on the talented point guard with the killer crossover.

Don’t believe me? See for yourself.

Coming Next: More untold tales including some of NYC’s best that we caught

 

It’s been nearly 24 hours since the Giants pulled off another road upset with kicker Lawrence Tynes delivering the clutch 47-yard kick to put them into their fourth Super Bowl.

It still hasn’t completely sunk in. When you consider how exciting and unpredictable that NFC championship game was against the Packers at frigid Lambeau, it just makes it all the more special that our Big Blue prevailed. Having reeled off an amazing 10 straight on the road with Tampa, Dallas and Green Bay all falling by the wayside, Tom Coughlin’s gritty bunch truly are the NFL’s version of the Road Warriors.

Not surprisingly, they’re huge underdogs to Bill Belichick’s Patriots with the current line having the perfect Pats favored by 13.5 points. At this point, who cares?!?!?!?!?! That’s all fine and good. Let everyone pick them. Nobody expects our team to win anyway.

It probably will be consistent with how this whole special postseason run has been. With know-it alls such as Fox’s Jimmy Johnson, Howie Long and ‘wagoner Terry Bradshaw going against the Giants.

It’s kind of like I concluded late last night. Maybe this together T-E-A-M has it in them to pull off one more GIANT upset and take it all.

Of course, it’s going to take a heck of a collective effort to derail regular season league MVP Tom Brady and that offensive juggernaut which has gotten just two catches from Randy Moss so far in their two victories raising their perfect NFL mark to 18-0 after a less than impressive 21-12 performance over the derailed Chargers.

Scary aspect. Even when Brady was pedestrian throwing three picks, the Pats still won comfortably running the final 9:16 out thanks to some awesome blocking up front for Laurence Maroney and money third down specialist Kevin Faulk.

So, what were the Giants’ reaction to their remarkable run continuing thanks to Corey Webster setting up Tynes’ heroics or shall we might as well call it the Jewish symbol for Day of Atonement?!?!?!?!?! Had to!

Eli Manning: 

“We haven’t been given a shot, but we’re here and I think we’re deserving of it. Right now I’m excited as I can be. … We knew we could compete with anybody.

“It’s just a matter of getting hot at the right time. It feels good because this is what you work for. We stuck with it, we believed in ourselves and we got to the Super Bowl.“

“We’re thinking, ‘Hey, we’ve been in these situations before.’ We’ve gone through so many moments when things were against us and nobody gave us a chance and we had to rely on each other and find a way to overcome adversity. And you know what? That’s when we play our best. Just give us a chance, and we’ll find a way to make something happen.“

Lawrence Tynes:

“I screwed it up twice. Thank God we got another opportunity.”

Plaxico Burress:

“We just came out here and played our hearts out.“

Antonio Pierce:

“We know there’s going to be a lot of hype about the Patriots, that everybody expects them to go out there and do their 19-0 thing and ride off into the sunset. That’s how it’s got to be – we would expect nothing but that. Trust me, we’re going to go out there and battle.“

Amani Toomer:

“It was a brutal day. If you have any quit in you – if there was any quit in this team, in anybody – this would have made you quit.“

Tom Coughlin:

“I looked up (at the sky) a couple of times and I accused Him,” Coughlin said later, “but I bit my tongue.”

Michael Strahan:

“We know what we’re up against. It’ll be great.“

Shaun O’Hara:

“You know what? We wouldn’t want it any other way. At least now we know nobody will pick us.”

I think you can see just how together these guys are. When things were going wrong, they never gave up. That second half against the Redskins in Week Three and those gutty road wins over the Bears and Bills with the latter getting them in the postseason for the third consecutive season.

A lot of their games had peaks and valleys like we saw last night. It almost epitomizes what New Yorkers are like. We can be so high one moment and then so low in the next instant. It’s always been that way with our sports teams. What I admire most about these Giants is their resiliency when things get tough. There’s a never say die attitude. When the chips are down, they dig deep and find a way to get it done. Just ask the Cowboys and Packers.

 

I can’t remember ever being prouder of a team. They have true character. It will be severely tested 13 days from now but just maybe that will be enough to shock the world.

I don’t really know where to begin because it’s just so freakkkkkkkking exciiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiting right now! To have a team that’s going to the Super Bowl is utterly amazing.

That it was such a wildy entertaining and amazing NFC Title Game which Tom Coughlin’s New York Giants prevailed in thanks to a money Lawrence Tynes’ 47-yard kick in sudden death over the Green Bay Packers made that much more special.

If you missed any of my crazy liveblog of this game, please do yourself a favor and check it out. It was a ton of fun as nerve wracking as it was.

Congratulations go out to Coughlin, his entire staff and the players who never stopped believing that they could win all three road games making it an NFL record 10 straight road victories to reach the Super Bowl and setup another rematch of the final regular season game they lost to Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and the rest of the New England Patriots who despite not playing their best were plenty good enough to win a 21-12 AFC Title Game over the San Diego Chargers.

They’ll put their perfect 18-0 record on the line against the same Giant team who they edged 38-35 to run the table during the regular season at Giants Stadium.

Let’s start first with the Pats since they did play first and win even if Brady had an ugly game tossing three interceptions against a stingy Charger D which did its best to keep their team in the game.

The bottom line is that San Diego couldn’t come up with the big offensive plays to get into the end zone. They had plenty of chances driving inside the NE 10 three times but the playcalling was severely lacking and they wound up settling for four Nate Kaeding field goals. You just can’t expect to come out on top against that team in that magnitude of a game.

Sooner or later, the Pats were going to make the Bolts pay because when the chips are down, Belichick and Brady find ways to come away with six. Even with the regular season record-setting MVP struggling, they adjusted and gave San Diego’s undersized D a dose of physical back Laurence Maroney. Over 100 of his game high 122 rushing yards came in the second half including a large chunk on a final Patriot drive which chewed up the final 9:13 as they ran the clock out thanks to a superior offensive line.

The Chargers hung around cause their D was able to force Brady into mistakes including a pick by NFL league leader Antonio Cromartie inside his own end zone.

Even though the secondary reduced Randy Moss (1 catch, 18 yds) to a spectator and drew Brady into three uncharacteristic turnovers including his first Int inside the red zone since that playoff loss to Denver, the New England QB still used his secondary receivers such as the always overlooked Kevin Faulk and Wes Welker to make enough plays to come out victorious.

Welker caught a six-yard TD from Brady early in the final quarter which helped widen the Pats’ lead and Faulk did exactly what I said he would do in yesterday’s preview:

Jabar Gaffney is decent and there’s always special third down back Kevin Faulk. Whenever the Pats need a big first down, Brady usually will put the ball in Faulk’s hands. He has an uncanny ability to make guys miss and knows what to do to get to the marker.

This is precisely the problem when going up against the Patriots’ offense. We haven’t even gotten to back Laurence Maroney. He’s not really anything great but had a big game last week with 162 total yards including 122 on the ground with a TD.

It was the two backs who destroyed the Chargers late with Faulk the leading Pat receiver with eight receptions for 82 yards including the biggest play of that final drive- a great diving catch off a well designed screen right at the marker.

With hobbled San Diego QB Phillip Rivers’ main two weapons LaDainian Tomlinson (6 total yds) and Antonio Gates (2 catches, 17 yds) limited due to their injuries, it was too much for Norv Turner’s club to overcome.

Even with Rivers showing guts on basically one leg finding primary targets Chris Chambers and Vincent Jackson for a combined 13 catches and 183 receiving yards, it just wasn’t enough because they never came away with six.

The Pats’ aging slow D predictably gave them the middle of the field. They bent but as usual in these big games with the rare exception last year against the Colts didn’t break. Even Junior Seau came up with a huge play stopping Michael Turner from getting to the left edge for a sure score.

Speaking of Turner, he had 65 rushing yards on 17 carries and just wasn’t enough of a factor on the ground to keep the Pats’ honest at the line of scrimmage.

Why didn’t they use Darren Sproles more? He had 34 rushing yards on three attempts including one big one where he broke tackles. He was far more dangerous. Just ask the Colts.

You also have to wonder why the heck Turner didn’t go for fourth down at the NE 36 down by nine points with under 10 minutes left. Was he crazy?!?!?!?!?! You just can’t punt there and give the ball back to Brady in that spot because that’s when he’ll usually burn ya. Not surprisingly, Faulk makes that money catch and Maroney just wears down the Charger line and they never got the ball back.

Just bang up coaching there!

And so the Patriots even playing their C game (that’s generous) are in Super Bowl XLII where they’ll meet the Giants.

Now to the crazy wacky conclusion which was another gritty effort from a determined bunch of Giants who just didn’t care how many so-called experts doubted them.

They are the true meaning of Road Warriors. And I don’t mean that great NWA tag team Hawk and Animal. This was a gut check in every sense of the word. If last week was nerve wracking enough with it coming down to that final frantic play with R.W. McQuarters playing the role of hero (or The Closer as he said on MSG big screen during another dreadful Ranger showing yesterday afternoon), then this dramatic conclusion nearly gave you a heart attack.

There were so many peaks and valleys for both sides. From the great start by Eli Manning, an amazing Plaxico Burress and the Giant D which setup a couple of Tynes field goals to the quick hit by Favre to Donald Driver and the Packers running off 10 straight to end the half. Even Manning’s last second drive before the half where if Burress had maintained control of a perfect pass, he probably leads his team to another late score and three-point lead at halftime instead of coming away empty.

But hey, Plax is human. He caught almost everything else on veteran Green Bay corner Al Harris. One week removed from only a five-yard catch in that 21-17 nailbiter over Dallas, Plax went for 11 receptions for 154 yards. Say it again slowwwwllllyyyy.

E——le—–ven fooooooooooor 1———-5————–4!!!!!!!!!

You want to talk about the definition of a money performance. This was IT! Manning to Plax worked all night at ice cold Lambeau Field. Btw…what happened to all that talk about the cold weather conditions working for the home team?!?!?!?!?! Just saying.

I said it before. It was going to be cold for both sides. Had no affect whatsoever.

There were some very undisciplined penalties taken by both defenses in the third quarter which kept drives alive that resulted in touchdowns. First, it was the Packers who took not one but two dreadful penalties on third down which kept the opening Giant second half drive alive. If the first penalty (illegal hands to the face by Harris on Plax) wasn’t bad enough, then the late hit on Eli for roughing the passer (15-yard variety) and an automatic first down was just brutal.

That along with what else but an Eli 18-yard first down completion to Plax helped setup Brandon Jacobs from a yard out after two Packer offsides penalties (were they kidding) giving Big Blue a 13-10 lead with under eight minutes left in the third quarter.

Note: Jacobs got a little lucky because the previous play he fumbled and Boss dove on top to recover which was still good enough for the first down setting up the score. This was a wacky game.

But instead of gaining momentum from it, the Giants permitted a Tramon Williams’ 45-yard kickoff return all the way to their 39. Following a first down pickup by former practice squad player Ryan Grant, Big Blue’s D stiffened and appeared to have the Packers stopped on third down. However, a ridiculous Sam Madison unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for throwing Driver down after a catch gave the Packers a first down. Not surprisingly on the very next play, Favre hit a wide open Donald Lee for a 12-yard go-ahead score.

It took Favre and the Packers less than three minutes to surge back ahead. But this wasn’t your normal third quarter or playoff football game. The Giants again showed their heart by coming right back. Following a 33-yard Domenick Hixon kickoff return, they went to work. After an Eli eight-yard hookup with Burress, offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride inserted rookie Ahmad Bradshaw, who picked up consecutive first downs into Packer territory. 

Manning then hit Toomer for 23 and eight which setup Bradshaw from four yards out once again putting the Giants in front 20-17 with still 17+ left in regulation.

By now, if you thought you’d seen everything, then the fourth quarter and what else lied ahead wasn’t for you. It also wasn’t for the feint of heart.

This time, it was Favre and the Packers rallying in front of their diehard legions of fans. Despite an awful second half, the 38 year-old veteran gunslinger hit Koren Robinson for 16. Then Grant, who struggled mightily against the Giant line broke free for 13. Then when the Giants looked like they’d stop them, Favre ripped off one of those lasers to Driver for 20 converting a third-and-10 to the Giant 31.

That’s when one of the crazier plays happened. With Favre flushed out under pressure from Osi Umenyiora, he was picked off by McQuarters (int for third straight week). But as the Giant closer of their shocking upset of top seed Dallas was making a move, he lost control of the football giving it back to the Packers.

After a strong Grant seven-yard run on second down to the Giant 12, the D withstood the challenge nailing the back for a seven-yard loss- forcing the Packers to settle for a 37 year-old field goal from rookie Mason Crosby which knotted the score at 20 apiece with 11:46 remaining in regulation.

Big Blue again responded with Eli completing a 14-yard bullet to a diving Plax who magically got both toes down near the sideline for a first down. Bradshaw got the next 14 yards including a three-yard gain after a mistimed Green Bay pass interference penalty on fourth down. But the Giants’ drive stalled at the GB 25 and Tynes missed wide left from 43 handing the Packers the ball with 6:49 left.

By now, the Giant D was in control forcing Favre into poor throws. For whatever reason, he lost his aggressiveness. The Packers definitely went conservative. How else do you explain a seven-yard dump off which had zero chance of picking up the marker on third-and-long?

Handed solid field position again, the Giants couldn’t capitalize as Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila came free to sack Eli for the Packers’ second sack of the night forcing a Jeff Feagles punt.

With under three minutes left, Feagles pinned the Pack inside their 20. Following a Favre misfire, another silly five-yard penalty (false start) pushed them back even further. Not surprisingly, the Giants held forcing a three-and-out getting the ball back for the offense one more time.

But not before McQuarters nearly made a fatal mistake. In his attempt to return the short punt the distance, he made one too many moves and fumbled for the second time in the quarter. Thanks in large part to a sprawling rookie Michael Johnson, a hustling Hixon dove on top to give them the ball inside GB territory.

That’s when it got even more interesting. There was 2:15 on the clock and one timeout left. Even after a 10-yard holding penalty which negated a Bradshaw go-ahead score (what speed this kid has-special), Manning hit David Tyree for four and then rookie wideout Steve Smith made a great diving 14-yard reception to setup a third-and-inches. On it, a determined Bradshaw who was hit behind the line of scrimmage maneuvered around the tackle and got eight all the way to the GB 31.

When Eli found Smith again for another 11 with under 60 ticks left in regulation, the Giants were in business. As time mysteriously wound down with Bradshaw getting a couple of more, you wondered if maybe Coughlin and Gilbride were chancing it. They easily could’ve run a couple of more plays but instead after an Eli misfire for Smith put the game on the right leg of Tynes.

After making his first two of the day back in the first half which seemed so long ago, he had missed his last kick. This one would be from 36 with four seconds to go. After Green Bay predictably burned their final timeout to freeze him, that one thing that couldn’t go wrong did when there was a high snap which forced a Tynes’ line drive miss to the left of the post. It wasn’t even close.

So, for only the second time in NFC championship history, the game would be decided in sudden death. Just like how unpredictable the last 30 minutes of regulation were, the same would hold true in OT.

I’ll be honest and say that I thought the Giants blew their chance to win this. How many opportunities could you give the legendary Favre on his own home field? When he got the ball first, you figured he’d find either Driver or Greg Jennings for a game-winning score. It never came thankfully. Instead, on second-and-eight, he threw an awful pick right to Corey Webster who returned it to the GB 34.

When they ran Bradshaw twice in a row for five yards, you got that pit in your stomach which said, ‘Shouldn’t they try to pickup as many yards as possible?’ The kicker had just missed two kicks with it already on the line.

But when Manning’s pass sailed just wide of Smith’s outstretched arms, Tynes and the Giant special teams didn’t hesitate one bit coming on the field. This was IT again!

A very difficult 47-yard kick for all the marbles. Could he make it? The Giants’ prayer was answered when Tynes nailed it right down the middle!!!!!

What a gutsy kick and some very brave decision making by Coughlin and his staff to stick with the veteran kicker and let him redeem himself.

This was really some kind of win. You have to give everyone a ton of credit. They never doubted themselves. For whatever reason, they enjoyed playing the underdog role on the road.

Now, they’ll be even bigger underdogs in Super Bowl XLII against history and the Patriots. Who the heck cares?!?!?!?!?! Maybe these guys with the character and the heart (the anti-Tiki “Me-ki” Barber team) are good enough to shock the world a couple of weeks from now.

Why not? They have proven they have what it takes under heavy scrutiny. From the QB to the coach to the banged up secondary, these guys just don’t know the word “quit.”

A few stats from this one:

The Giants outrushed the Packers 134-28. That wasn’t supposed to happen. Grant was a big part of that Packer offense which was why Favre was able to execute so well and not commit the sort of glaring mistakes we saw yesterday.

That aggressive blitzing front line for brilliant first-year defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo wouldn’t allow Grant (29 rushing yds) to get untracked turning the Packers into the same one-dimensional offense Dallas became when Marion Barber was overused in last week’s first half.

That was a huge factor. Something a disappointed Favre eluded to during a tough postgame conference.

Manning finished 21-of-40 for 254 yards taking a couple of coverage sacks. Most importantly again, the fourth-year signal caller who many questioned including myself didn’t force the issue. He hasn’t turned it over once in these three straight road playoff wins. A huge reason why this team is in the position they are. One gigantic win away from their third Lombardi Trophy. And wouldn’t that be sweet?!?!?!?!?!

Meanwhile, Favre really struggled after a good first half finishing 19-of-35 for 236 yards with two TDs and two picks.

Jacobs had 21 carries for 67 yards and a score while the speedier Bradshaw finished with 63 on five less attempts. Not too shabby for the two-headed monster which definitely helped wear out that Green Bay front.

Think it wasn’t a factor? Time of possession: NYG- 40:01  GB-22:34

I don’t care what defense you are. If you’re on the field for that long, you’re going to get tired. The strategy paid dividends. Give Gilbride credit. He did go conservative toward the end but you certainly can’t argue with the end result. The guy has done a good job calling a balanced game making it extremely manageable for Eli.

Driver paced the Packers with five catches for 141 including his 90-yard TD. Outside of him though, that really was it. Lee had three big catches for 35 and a score. Robinson had four catches for only 16 and the other deep threat Jennings only finished with one catch for 14. Credit must go to that Giant secondary for the job they did limiting the Packers’ penchant for big plays. Outside of that one quick hit to Driver, they did the job.

We all know how huge Plax was. Without him, the Giants don’t win this game. But Toomer also had four big catches for 42 yards after a couple of bad drops in the first half. And Smith made two huge receptions in crunch time which nearly setup the winning FG. Rookie TE Kevin Boss chipped in with one first down reception as well.

Considering that they don’t have Jeremy Shockey, you really have to admire the gameplan and how they spread things out. That should continue to be the strategy against the Pats.

Congrats to Big Blue on this win. Well deserved!

Our pic of the day features Slovakian Daniele Hantuchova, who easily won her third round match over Spaniard Virginia Ruano Pascual 6-2, 6-2 to move into a Round of 16 match-up against Russian Maria Kirilenko- who upset sixth seeded Russian Anna Chakvetadze a day prior 6-7 (6). 6-1, 6-2. 

The 24 year-old ninth seed’s draw looks promising. If she gets through Kirilenko, she could play streaky Russian Nadia Petrova for a chance at her first ever slam semifinal.

Hantuchova’s always had the ability to go far in a slam but never a great draw. We’ll see if she can take advantage.

Here, she looks very elegant visiting a Versace store in Melbourne.

 

Rather than just break everything down again, I’m going to link up a Giants-Packers NFC Title Preview I wrote over at Giants Bits.

One of the themes covered in it was the continued lack of respect the Giants are getting. When people at ESPN Sports Nation are voting a higher percentage for Brett Favre and the Packers to prevail (whopping 81 percent) than Tom Brady and the Patriots over the Chargers (76 percent), it speaks to how little due Tom Coughlin’s gritty resilient bunch are receiving.

I could care less who picks against them at this point. All I know is this team is playing as well as it has all season and have plenty of inspiration (Week Two) to get the job done in icy cold conditions at Lambeau Field.

Isn’t everyone else a little sick of hearing about the cold weather? Like linebacker Antonio Pierce pointed out during the week, it’s going to be the same conditions for both teams.

The game will come down to who executes better. Obviously, the Giants want to continue to establish Brandon Jacobs and mix in speedy rookie Ahmad Bradshaw as much as possible. Eli Manning must continue to make smart precise decisions with the ball. If it’s not there, don’t force it because this Packer secondary isn’t Dallas and has the ability to make plays.

The front four led by Osi Umenyiora, veteran Michael Strahan and recently re-signed Justin Tuck must get pressure on Favre. Force the 38 year-old veteran gunslinger into mistakes. You know he’s not afraid to fit balls in to his receivers. With the dangerous tandem of Donald Driver and Greg Jennings, it’s vital to throw off his rhythm.

The Giant secondary must do a solid job tackling after the catch. They’ll get Sam Madison back. It will be interesting to see how they utilize the veteran corner with both Corey Webster and rookie Aaron Ross playing well.

There’s also the prospect of facing former practice squad player Ryan Grant. Now the Packer starting back, he sliced and diced the Seahawks for 201 yards and three scores after losing two fumbles early in Green Bay’s blowout win last week. He’s a big strong runner who’s hard to tackle in the open field and makes good use of his blocks. The Giant line can’t allow him to dictate the game.

The offense will need more from top deep threat Plaxico Burress. He had just one catch in last week’s 21-17 NFC Divisional upset of the top seeded Cowboys. The first time in NFL history that’s happened since the league went to a six team format in 1990.

The Giants have been making history lately. The nine straight road wins. The huge upset of the bitter rival Cowboys last week. Why not make a little more?

They’ll need veteran wideout Amani Toomer (11 catches, three TDs in postseason) to continue making big plays as he has in wins over Tampa Bay and Dallas. They’ll also need more contributions from rookies Steve Smith (4 catches) and Kevin Boss (1 rec, 19 yds). Both have proven to be reliable in big spots. Keep spreading the ball around.

The line must win the battles up front against Aaron Kampman and Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila. If they can give Eli enough time and open up holes for the two-headed ground attack, then the Giants should have a decent chance of pulling another upset.

We’ll see how it shakes out later tonight.

 

As for the AFC title game, it’s hard not to like the Patriots in this one over the Chargers who could be without starting QB Philip Rivers. LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates are also banged up. Figure both will suit up and give it a go. It’s a chance for them to exact some revenge for last year and the stakes are pretty high.

Billy Volek played well in relief of Rivers last week leading his team down field before scoring the winner with a QB keeper. He’s a solid passing QB who if you give time can pick you apart. So it’s not exactly like Volek’s incapable. He had some huge games when he played for the Titans a few years ago.

If Tomlinson isn’t effective against the Pats, the Chargers will again call on Michael Turner to get the carries. Last week, the backup did an admirable job rushing for 71 yards on 17 carries.

The Bolts will spread the ball out with veteran Chris Chambers, Vincent Jackson and Gates if he can go. Keep a close eye on back Darren Sproles, who caught a quick screen and broke it for a 56-yard score last week.

The Pats are led by regular season league MVP Tom Brady and Randy Moss. Don’t expect Moss to have another quiet showing like last week. Figure Brady and the Pats to get the deep target involved even though he’s going up against All-Pro Antonio Cromartie.

This should be a fun match-up to watch. The great receiver against the great shutdown corner who has a dangerous ability to make plays and take it the other way for six. He should’ve had a TD last week if not for a hideous call by the stripes which nullified an unreal Int return before the half.

Brady is great at spreading the ball around. If Moss is covered tight, he’ll take what the defense gives him and use leading receiver Wes Welker underneath as well as overlooked tight end Ben Watson.

There’s also other options such as Donte Stallworth, who had a huge catch in their win over the Jags last week which put that one away. Jabar Gaffney is decent and there’s always special third down back Kevin Faulk. Whenever the Pats need a big first down, Brady usually will put the ball in Faulk’s hands. He has an uncanny ability to make guys miss and knows what to do to get to the marker.

This is precisely the problem when going up against the Patriots’ offense. We haven’t even gotten to back Laurence Mauroney. He’s not really anything great but had a big game last week with 162 total yards including 122 on the ground with a TD.

Can San Diego’s D stop them enough to stay in this one? That means limiting the Pats’ big play offense to a couple of field goals instead of touchdowns. A tall order on any given Sunday let alone AFC title weekend at Gilette Stadium.

The Charger D is not the biggest but are very fast. Shawne Merriman is a beast. Quentin Jammer is a solid corner and safety Clinton Hart can make plays if Brady forces the issue. We’ve already documented Cromartie who paced the NFL with 10 picks.

It will be up to the San Diego frontline to limit Mauroney on the ground and get to Brady. Problem is blitzing the New England QB doesn’t faze him one bit. He can still burn ya due and take advantage of man-to-man coverage.

It just seems like too much to ask Norv Turner’s club. Unless Tomlinson comes back healthy and has a huge day which is possible against the slow aging New England D which includes Teddy Bruschi and Junior Seau, it’s going to be very difficult for his team to stop the undefeated Pats.

Brady would also have to make huge mistakes which lead to Charger points. Peyton Manning did it a week ago.

The Pats are a better team though. I’ll go on the safe side and take the Pats by 10.

Chargers 21   Patriots 31

 

Enjoy both games.