Eli Manning, New York Giants Beat 49ers 20-17 In Overtime To Return To Super Bowl

Eli Manning, New York Giants Beat 49ers 20-17 In Overtime To Return To Super Bowl.Eli Manning led a short, final and Tynes scored game-winning 31-yard overtime, sending the Giants to the Super Bowl with a 20-17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game Sunday.

In another tight competition in this decades-old series, both defenses stopped in New York capitalized on a key before another costly mistake in San Francisco.

Manning and the Giants (12-7) will face the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl on Feb. 5 in Indianapolis as 3 ½ point underdogs. The last time the teams met for the title of the 2008 NFL, the Giants ended the Patriots' bid for a perfect season.

Tynes had a hand, err, walk the Giants get to it again, kick the purpose of playground-winner in overtime in Green Bay.

Devin Thomas put the Giants in position by recovering the fumble second of the game after Jacquian Williams stripped the ball from fill-in return man Kyle Williams, who also dabbled early to set up a touchdown in New York.

"This is my second NFC championship game, my second game-winner," said Tynes. "It's amazing. I had dreams about this last night. He was 42, not 31, but I was so nervous before the game just now anticipates this kind of game. I am usually pretty cool, but there was something tonight, I knew I would have to make a kick. Hats off to Eli, offensive, defensive and great win. "

Manning was 32 of 58 for 316 yards and two touchdowns in his file of the road fifth win in the playoffs, the New York fifth in a row overall and fifth among the six.

A 12-point underdog in the game 2008 the title, the Giants defeated Brady and got a pass at the end of minute TD from Manning to Plaxico Burress to win their third Super Bowl.

Five months after declaring that it is in the same class as Tom Brady, Manning will have another chance to excel Brady on the biggest stage in the NFL. He dominated the Packers Aaron Rodgers and the defending champion last week, while former No. 1 picks Alex Smith and fellow climber from San Francisco the next day.

Victor Cruz set the tone with eight of his 10 receptions in the first half and finished with 142 yards

"It's just been a huge effort from all of us, man," said Cruz. "We understand that each of us can get hot at any time. As we are all on the same page and just play together, man, we have a good group of guys. "

Vernon Davis caught touchdown passes of 73 and 28 yards and the liquidation of three catches for 112 yards in NFC West champions (14-4), who went from June to October a year ago to a competitor and ended with a playoff drought of eight years.

He scored the winning goal from 14 yards last week that the 49ers stunned Drew Brees and the Saints 36-32 favored.

Thirty years after their dynasty began under the late Bill Walsh, another former Stanford coach - Jim Harbaugh - the 49ers got off with his "Who has done better than us No-body!" Song that has taken so well with players and the city.

"It will be a difficult question. It will take some time for more, "said Harbaugh.

The only other time these two franchises clashed in the conference championship game ended in memorable fashion. On January 20, 1991, Roger Craig fumbled with the 49ers 13-12 at the end of the first plan in the fourth quarter and the Giants won 15-13 in San Francisco denied a chance at a third straight Super Bowl title. New York then beat the Bills to capture its second Super Bowl.

These teams met in the playoffs six times between 1981 and '94 seasons with the winner going on to win the Super Bowl four times.

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Smith, Manning Not Alone In Finding Redemption

Smith, Manning Not Alone In Finding Redemption.SANTA CLARA - When his achievements were accumulating as much laundry, and his dreams seemed no farther than his closest receiver, Alex Smith developed a bad habit in the need to break.

In a word, it was "obvious."

"It was intellectual, very cerebral," said quarterback Steve Shenbaum San Francisco. "It was so clever that one of the things he said in his interviews was:" Obviously. "I said, 'Alex, you may not be obvious to all."

"Things that are obvious to Alex Smith may not be obvious at first sight."

Before Smith became the No. 1 pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, he traveled to Florida IMG Academies' Institute of Sport Performance for a new coat of enamel. He had earned an economics degree in two years at the University of Utah, led the Utes to 21 wins in 22 games and compiled a set of football statistics are, even now, a wonder to behold.

Shenbaum, a trained actor who had founded a communications company called The Game, was recruited to sharpen presentation skills Smith to make it more attractive and backup media, to apply the finishing touches on a transcendent talent.

Obviously, there was still work to do.

Almost seven years since the 49ers selected him to revive a franchise of Joe Montana and Steve Young Marshal five NFL championships, Alex Smith has finally returned to the fast lane of professional football after the derailment of a long and confusing. The star of the helix leads the Niners school in the championship game Sunday against the NFC New York Giants with his reputation restored, renewed confidence and status cemented by a great season and a bravura performance in the thriller of the playoffs on Saturday against New Orleans Saints.

Obviously, there's more to these eyes have met in recent seasons. More 49ers fans are recognized when booed. 49ers coaches more appreciated when they benched. More than a dizzying parade offensive coordinators had been able to obtain.

Enough, perhaps, to reach the Super Bowl.

"The man has been through hell as a quarterback," say Young, now an analyst for ESPN. "It's been through hell in the quarterback that they have a different coordinator, different language. He was trying to describe how learning French and learning Spanish and learning Japanese and learning foreign languages ​​all, new are accountable without support.

"And this year, suddenly, it becomes all the support and feel like, 'Well, I feel like I'm doing less. I feel it is easier." But, however, is now doing extraordinary things. "

Now in its seventh offensive coordinator in seven years, Alex Smith has found stability in the person of the 49ers new head coach Jim Harbaugh. Although adaptation to a new system and a training camp truncated by blocking the NFL, Smith finished his career with 61.3 percent of his passes during the regular season, managed a career-high 90.7 passer rating, and led the 49ers to 13 wins in 16 games.
In a word, claimed.

"I think if we win this game and go to the Super Bowl, said (told you) itself," said Smith. "I'm not thinking about that now. I really feel like winning games as a quarterback in this season speaks for itself. That's what you're talking about."

Although it has been ridiculed as a "game manager” irritated praise so weak that their coaches - Smith beat the Saints with his legs and his arm decisive touchdown in the final minutes. The ending was so sweet, so dramatic and so evocative of the exploits of Tim Tebow announced that Shenbaum Facebook friends he was "Blacksmith".

"I think 'Blacksmith' means to be humble, to have your priorities in order," said Shenbaum. "If he took things too seriously, would not have survived the last six years. It would have broken."

Mississippi State football coach Dan Mullen, once one of the coaches in Utah Smith, met with a recruit when he abruptly announced Saturday, "We have to stop talking" to see the end of the game .

"To see everything that overcomes adversity," Mullen said, "My wife called me crying. ... Here is someone who has worked for seven years and has dedicated the series and wanted to excel and prove he could do so if Believe it or not. "

Smith responded to Harbaugh as a former quarterback whose career had not always run smoothly. Eligible for free agency, Smith signed a one-year contract for its seventh season in San Francisco. He will finish it, most likely, as an accessory.

"I think he knew it was a matter of circumstance, a lot of things together," said Doug Smith of his son. "A year in the NFL a long time.

"It could just as easily happen there as anywhere else. It is always easy to look out there and say that the grass is greener. (But) the less you know about a situation, the better it looks."

Viewed from a distance, Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman wonders if Smith's career stalled after Norv Turner left the 49 to become head coach of the Chargers. Turner had been the coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys offensive Aikman during the formative years and in a year with the Niners Smith helped lift the score to interception ratio of 1-to-11-16-to-16.

"I thought I had all the physical skills to be a very good player," said Turner. "I thought it better than ever as the season progressed and what really impressed me was that he played his best in the fourth quarter.

"... I think everyone can appreciate Alex (now). He may have left. He could have said:" This will not happen here, and everyone is against him. He did the right thing in terms of fighting it. "

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