The Tradition Continues

There was a time in the 80's and 90's when the Giants and 49ers playoff rivalry was at it's finest. Some of the most ferocious hard hitting games in NFL history were between these two teams. Led by head coach Bill Parcells, the Giants were the ground and pound team, always with a good run game with runningbacks like Joe Morris and Ottis Anderson. The 49ers were led by hall of fame head coach Bill Walsh, and who could forget the dynamic duo, quarterback Joe Montana and receiver Jerry Rice.

Those were some serious football games. Who could forget the ferocious hits by Leonard Marshall, Jim Burt, Ronnie Lott and Lawrence Taylor. Often injuries plagued starting quarterbacks for both teams, Phil Simms and Joe Montana both saw back ups Jeff Hostetler and Steve Young come in for some heroics.

The game of the past that jumps out at me the most is the last time the Giants came to Candlestick Park for an NFC Championship game in January 1991. The Giants had lost their starting quarterback Phil Simms in a regular season game against the Bills after a severe ankle injury. The Giants were by far the best team in football at the time, but after they lost their starting quarterback, everyone in Giants nation started to worry. That is, everyone except backup quarterback Jeff Hostetler. The Giants would not lose a game under quarterback Jeff Hostetler, but to get to the glory of Super Bowl XXV the 49ers were standing in their way. In a game that was all about defense, and arguably one of the greatest championship games in NFL history, Matt Bahr kicked the game winning field goal at the end of regulation to win the game for the Giants 15-13.

Alas, 21 years later the Giants are back in Candlestick Park for a shot at going to the Super Bowl. Things certainly have come full circle since then. It is the 49ers who are now the ground and pound team with runningback Frank Gore, and the Giants are the team with the aerial assault under quarterback Eli Manning. Harbaugh has done great things in San Francisco to redeem the tradition the 49ers once had. But Tom Coughlin has more experience and knows what it takes to win the big game. In fact, our very own Tom Coughlin was there that faithful day in January 1991 as a receivers coach for the New York Giants. History in the NFL can be quite eery sometimes.

The Giants have fought to be in the position they're in now and so have the 49ers. Both teams are coming off wins that sports writers didn't expect to happen. The offensive fire powers in Green Bay and New Orleans have been extinguished, and the time has come for the team with the better defense to rise up and become number one in the NFC. The 49ers, have been doing it all season long. The Giants, have come together as a team in recent weeks, and as a result the defense is seeing what they're truley capable of.

I think both teams will come out slowly. I wouldn't say tentatively but both teams will want to get an understanding of how the other is coming out. Ball security will be a huge importance in this game. That should go without saying, but I would be shocked if the team with more turnovers still won the game.

In my opinion the two most important things in football as far as winning a championship, are the head coach and the quarterback. For the Giants it is Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning, and for the 49ers it is Jim Harbough and Alex Smith. I think experience will pay off on Sunday. The Giants have won countless big games on the road under Tom Coughlin and I think that trend will continue. My bold prediction for the final score of the NFC Championship game is 28-24 Giants. I really like what the 49ers have done this season, but they are officially the enemy.

I don't think of this game as a revenge game, but more of a redemption. The Giants margin of victory has gone up more and more the past few weeks, and it's because as the weeks go on, their belief in each other grows stronger. The 49ers got the best of us during the regular season, but that officially is completely meaningless.

We are one game away for a chance to go to Indy. This will be one hell of a football game. Go Giants, there's nowhere else we'd rather be.