Brett Favre is the legend everybody wants to be around.
Eli Manning is the little brother everybody doesn’t want to be around.
Both quarterbacks have the same opportunity Sunday in the frozen glare of the NFC championship game at Lambeau Field as Favre’s resurgent Green Bay Packers host Manning’s resistant New York Giants. The winner gets the winner of the San Diego-New England game in the Super Bowl and two weeks of being a quarterback in the NFL’s biggest spotlight.
Let’s face it, many are rooting for Favre to return to the Super Bowl 10 years after losing to the Broncos in 1998 and a year after many thought he would retire. At 38, Favre would be one of 2008’s top sports stories if he makes it to Arizona.
If Manning doesn’t get in the way.
Yes, Eli Manning, not his big brother Peyton, who already has gone fishing, losing to San Diego last Sunday.
But Eli Manning stands. The whipping boy lives.
“I am just looking forward to Green Bay,” Manning said. “That is the only thing that matters.”
If Manning ruins what could be a grand NFL finale for Favre, the disbelief will cease — even though it is difficult to imagine Manning having full support of national pundits, fans and even the Giants themselves.
Since becoming the No. 1 pick in the 2004 draft, there were calls for Manning’s replacement in 2006, as well as several times this season. Former teammate Tiki Barber took several shots at Manning, concentrating on his lack of leadership, and New York coach Tom Coughlin has at times shown impatience with him. General manager Jerry Reese was critical of Manning during the season, and there was talk late in the regular season that if Manning couldn’t get the Giants to the playoffs, they would look for a new quarterback.
Now, Manning is 60 minutes from joining Phil Simms and Jeff Hostetler in Giants lore as Super Bowl quarterbacks.
The Giants likely wouldn’t be in this position if not for Manning. While the Giants’ defense gets a lot of credit for the team winning nine straight road games, including playoff wins at Tampa Bay and No. 1 seed Dallas, Manning deserves kudos.
“The way that he has played, the way that he has led, the way that he has performed, the poise, the taking care of the football, the critical ways in which he has led his team to points when we had to have points, the times when the game was literally on the line and he has had to make plays and he has,” Coughlin said. “How he has focused and how his teammates have responded to that focus, these are all very, very good things. As I have said before now, very timely.”
Manning engineered key drives in both postseason wins and has improved his accuracy at the right time. He has thrown four touchdown passes in the playoffs with no interceptions. He threw 23 touchdowns but was picked off 20 times in the regular season.
If Manning continues his resurgence, many people will be disappointed.
Favre aside, the Giants believe in their man.
“I think for some reason everything just settled down for him,” New York receiver Amani Toomer said of Manning. “I don’t think it’s that surprising for anybody on our team to see how well he has played.”
GIANTS AT PACKERS: 4:30 p.m., KDVR 31
Records
Green Bay (13-3, 1-0 playoffs); New York (10-6, 2-0)
Point spread
Green Bay by 7.
Last meeting
Green Bay won 35-13 at New York on Sept. 16.
Hash marks
The Packers outscored New York 21-0 in the fourth quarter in their September meeting. . . . Both title games pit opponents who met in Week 2. . . . Since December 2006, Green Bay is 18-3. . . . The Giants love the road. They are 9-1 away from home and have won nine straight road games.
Packers win if . . .
They run the ball well. If Ryan Grant has another big ground game, the Packers will roll. The weather will be bitter cold. If the Packers ram the ball at the Giants, they win.
Giants win if . . .
They control the game on defense like they did in their first two playoff wins at Tampa Bay and Dallas. If the Giants attack Green Bay, they will go to the Super Bowl.
Packers player on the spot
RB Ryan Grant. He ended up with a brilliant day against Seattle, but, boy, did it start scary. He cannot have another start to this game as he did last week. If Grant fumbles twice in the first quarter, expect New York to take bigger advantage than Seattle did.
Giants player on the spot
Quarterback Eli Manning. This kid will be on the hot seat until he wins a title. He has done enough in the first two New York playoff games, but everyone is watching him, holding their breath, waiting for the bomb to erupt. Unfortunately, for Eli, it will always be like that.
Bet you didn’t know
Many insiders believe Mike McCarthy has been a big reason for Brett Favre’s renaissance. Like Favre’s original Green Bay coach, Mike Holmgren, McCarthy is a quarterback man who is not afraid to get in Favre’s face when he messes up. Other Green Bay coaches Ray Rhodes and Mike Sherman wouldn’t get into it with Favre and thus he continued to make mistakes that he didn’t make earlier in his career and now later in his career.
Key matchup
New York receiver Plaxico Burress vs. Green Bay cornerback Charles Woodson. Burress is Manning’s favorite target and Woodson is enjoying career resurgence after leaving Oakland. Two great players. Whoever wins this battle will help their team win the game.
Injury report
Giants: OUT: CB Kevin Dockery (hip). QUESTIONABLE: WR Plaxico Burress (ankle), CB Sam Madison (abdomen), CB Aaron Ross (shoulder). PROBABLE: OT Kareem McKenzie (ankle).
Packers: QUESTIONABLE: CB Will Blackmon (foot). PROBABLE: LB Nick Barnett (hamstring), TE Bubba Franks (knee), WR Koren Robinson (knee), C Scott Wells (gluteus), CB Charles Woodson (knee).
Prediction
Green Bay 27, New York 13.
Bill Williamson: 303-954-1262 or bwilliamson@denverpost.com
