Giants feel primed for San Francisco feat

SAN FRANCISCO â€" The Giants didn’t set out on this journey hoping to find redemption. They’re not flying across the country looking for revenge

This game, to the Giants, is not about evening the score with the San Francisco 49ers. In fact, it has nothing to do with the 49ers at all.

“They’re just in the way of where we want to be,” said linebacker Michael Boley. “Obviously, that’s the Super Bowl.”

Incredibly, the Giants, who were once hanging on the edge of what Justin Tuck called a “historical” collapse, are now just one win away from a chance to make a different kind of history. They will play the 49ers Sunday night in the NFC Championship Game at rainy, wind-swept Candlestick Park.

The winner will represent the NFC in Indianapolis on Feb. 5 in Super Bowl XLVI.

Try to remember how improbable that seemed in the heat of the summer, when the lockout ended in late July and the Giants looked as if they were standing still. When Giants GM Jerry Reese made his vow that Big Blue would make the playoffs “and make a run,” the laughter was everywhere. He insisted the team was building â€" not rebuilding â€" and nobody believed that was true.

Then came the injuries that ravaged the Giants, the failures of the defense, the start of the “historical” second-half collapse when they ruined a 6-2 start with five losses in their next six games. They were on the brink of elimination, facing an uncertain future, and nobody considered them a contender at all.

Yet, here they are, in their second conference championship game in the Tom Coughlin/Eli Manning era. The Giants (11-7) have won four straight games, are fresh off an upset of the 15-1 Green Bay Packers (now 15-2) at frigid Lambeau Field. They have channeled the “Road Warriors” who won that miracle Super Bowl four years ago.

And, while this may not have been their primary goal, they’ve done exactly what that famous 2007 team kept doing: The Giants really have proven everybody wrong.

“That says a lot,” said breakout receiver Victor Cruz. “We had to battle through a lot of injuries early on this year and a lot of question marks. Just to overcome that and for guys to shine and step up and play well has been tremendous for our confidence. We’ve been building off that ever since.”

“The ride didn’t go the way you wanted it to go, but we did what we set out to do this season,” said safety Antrel Rolle. “That was to win our division and have a chance to play in the postseason. We granted ourselves that wish.”

They’ve had other wishes granted lately, too, which has been part of the fun of this unexpected ride. They were desperately hoping for another shot at the Packers after they nearly spoiled Green Bay’s attempt at an unbeaten season on Dec. 4, before losing 38-35 on a last-second field goal. They got that wish last Sunday and they took advantage, hammering the Packers, 37-20, in an NFC divisional playoff game.

That earned them a second wish: A rematch with a 49ers team that beat them, 27-20, in San Francisco on Nov. 13 by the narrowest of margins â€" the fingertip of defensive end Justin Smith, who batted what likely would’ve been a game-tying touchdown pass by Manning out of the air.

When that game was over, Giants running back Brandon Jacobs predicted “We will see them again.” And when the 49ers (14-3) stunned the New Orleans Saints last Saturday, as soon as the Giants held up their end in Green Bay, the rematch was assured.

The first 49ers game was a brutal, physical matchup, which is one reason why Giants defensive tackle Chris Canty said he’s expecting a “bloodbath” in what could be terrible weather conditions. The 49ers, behind Frank Gore â€" who injured his ankle against the Giants in November before leaving the game with only six carries for zero yards â€" have the NFL’s eighth-ranked rushing attack (127.8 yards per game). They also have the No. 4-ranked defense and the best rushing defense, which has given up an average of just 77.2 yards on the ground.

Running and defense weren’t the Giants’ strengths for much of the season, but they might be now. The Giants’ defense has been brilliant for the last month, especially their revived pass rush that has totaled 17 sacks in the last four games. Meanwhile, the Giants have averaged 112.7 yards per game on the ground since the start of December, including 267 yards in two playoff games.

So yes, a “bloodbath” is exactly what the Giants expect.

“I heard that,” said linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka. “That’s this kind of football. You get two teams like this who want to run the ball and want to stick to their game plans as much as possible, which is line up man to man and see who is a tougher guy at the end of the day. These are the kinds of games I live for.”

It’s what they used to call “Giants football” before they spent the first 3-1/2 months with their fortunes riding on Manning. They were still that team on Nov. 13, when Manning’s attempt at more last-second heroics was tipped away. The Giants can still see that deflection and Cruz running free toward the end zone. They still think about that golden opportunity they let slip away. Would revenge be sweet for the Giants?Absolutely it would, even if it’s not the most important thing they seek.

“It’s very motivating,” Cruz said. “We understand that game came down to the wire and we were one play away from potentially winning that ballgame. It’s a little sweet to go out there and play a team that we’ve already played and know that we’ve fought tooth and nail with them.”

Put another way, it’s about unfinished business. And if there has been one consistent theme to this surprising season, it’s been that the Giants want none of that.

“Never quit. We have to finish what we started,” Boley said. “We started the season on a good note. It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. That’s been one of the things that Tom (Coughlin) has said to us from Day 1, as soon as we stepped in here for training camp. Finish. Make sure we finish everything we do.”

Now they have a chance to do exactly that. They can back up all the guarantees from Reese and Rolle and Cruz and so many others by going back one more time to make right what once went wrong.

They’ve already taken a quantum leap from the struggling, injury-plagued team that was falling apart in Week 15 when it bottomed out at 7-7. The Giants have no doubt they will prove to the 49ers and the world that they have become a much different â€" and much improved â€" team.

“I think we are a team that is ascending,” Tuck said. “Obviously the last couple of weeks we have played pretty well in just about every phase of the game. Momentum for us right now is sky high. It’s something that we hopefully can continue to ride into the Super Bowl.”

“We’re not going to be denied at this point,” Rolle added. “We understand what we have as a team. It’s not all about talent. It’s about chemistry. We’re jelling at this point. Coaches and players are on the same page at the same time.

“We have one goal in mind, which is to win the championship.”

And that would be the greatest redemption of all.

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