There
are a number of the match-ups that come to mind from that era,
especially the two tight games they had over the 1990-'91 season and
playoffs. The game I remember the best though was a regular season
game in December 1986. The Giants were trying to make their first Super
Bowl, and were doing well in the regular season, but most of their
games had been close, often decided in the last minutes; for the most
part they weren't blowing people away. We knew they were good, but we
weren't sure how good. A question many asked was how would they do on
the road against an elite team like the Niners?
Spot
the 49ers 17 points in the first half, that's how they did. I was in
college at the time, a big critic of QB Phil Simms, as many were; he
simply wasn't as good as the elites of the league like Joe Montana, John
Elway and Dam Morino. He threw too many INTs and was injury prone.
The Giants would never go all the way with him, or so I thought. I was
watching the game at our dorm, in a friend's room. After that first
half showing I left in frustration, confirmed in my belief that Simms
had to go. Well, The Giants came out in the 3rd quarter and Simms drove
them down the field on three touchdown drives to take the lead 21-17, a
lead they never relinquished. It was then I became a Phil Simms man.
That game is also remembered for tight end Mark Bavaro carrying seven
Niners on his back for twenty yards before they were able to bring him
down. He became a symbol of how tough this team was.
A month later they met again in the divisional round of the playoffs, this time at Giants Stadium, with very different results. The Giants won alright, but in a blowout 49-3. Montana suffered a concussion when his head became overly familiarized with the hard Meadowlands playing surface (concrete covered with a thin layer of AstroTurf) courtesy of Giant's center Jim Burt. They beat the Skins the following week to take the NFC title, and overcame a first half deficit to rout the Broncos in the Super Bowl two weeks later. Their first championship in the Super Bowl era.
Being a Giants fan I've highlighted the big New York moments, but I haven't forgotten that the Niners were the team of the '80's, winning four Super Bowls as opposed the the Giants two. The G-Men were usually the underdog in those match-ups, which made beating them those times so satisfying.
What about tomorrow's game? Here in New York we're still a little tipsy from sending the heavily favored Packers home last Sunday. The perception is that we're going to win easily, even though the Niners are favored by less than a field goal. I hate it when people pick Big Blue. I'm not superstitious, or anything, but it's a jinx I tell you!
They played a close game, won by Frisco, earlier in the season. The Giants are healthier now, but both teams are still pretty evenly matched; both have strong defenses, on offense the Giants have the better passing game, the 49ers are better at the run (a reversal from the old days). The field will be muddy, and I've heard so many conflicting reports who that will favor my head hurts from it spinning around so much. One thing I heard was that the muddy track favors the receivers over the d-backs, since they know where they're running and the defenders can lose their footing trying to react quickly, which would seem to favor New York. On the other hand Troy Aikman said on the Mike Francesa Show yesterday that most QBs have a tough time throwing a wet football, which hurts Manning and the Giant's passing attack.
The bottom line: if Manning can establish the pass game I don't see San Francisco stopping the Giants, not the way he, or the defense has been playing.
Pick: Giants 24-49ers 17
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