New York Giants News and Notes: Blue Cheese Tastes Good Edition

Good morning fellow Giants fans. It's a happy Monday once again following one of the greatest wins in Giants history. Again. Yes, the Giants stunned the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, the same way they stunned them four years ago on that field. This time, they dominated and capitalized on the Packers' sloppy play, forcing turnovers along the way, and allowing their franchise quarterback the opportunity to make the plays to ice it. All of that despite some questionable calls by referee Bill Leavy, an all too common refrain against the Giants lately. Still, it's Big Blue that is facing the 49ers next Sunday, and indeed it's going to a happy Monday for the Giants' organization and for us as fans. Let's see what is being said on Monday morning......

There are so many great stories and recaps; and so much commentary at SB Nation New York, and it's a good place to start on this Monday morning for your Giants coverage.

Eli Manning leading New York Giants on another epic playoff run - Don Banks - SI.com
Here's maybe the most astounding thing about the New York Giants knocking off the top-seeded Green Bay Packers 37-20 in Sunday's stunning conclusion to NFL Divisional Round weekend: Twice now in the span of five seasons the Giants have done the unthinkable, beating both the 18-0 juggernaut that was the 2007 Patriots and the 15-1 machine-like Packers of 2011. No other team but Tom Coughlin's gritty, gutty Giants can claim two such monumental and unprecedented upsets in NFL history.

Politi: Giants dominate Green Bay Packers, showing flashes of 2007 magic | NJ.com
But this was a victory that required no jangling of the rosaries or sacrifices to the football gods, no late-game magic or last-second field goals. The Giants dominated a Packers team with a 15-1 record that, for most of the regular season, had looked like one of the best in NFL history.

Led by the elite Eli Manning, NY Giants victory over Green Bay Packers shows Super Bowl stars aligning for Big Blue - NY Daily News
Whatever happens in San Francisco next Sunday, whether the Giants keep Tom Coughlin’s dream and their belief in themselves alive and make it back to another Super Bowl, this victory, this new one over the Packers Sunday night at old Lambeau Field, is as great as the Giants have ever had at this time of year. They did it to the 15-1 Packers in Green Bay the way they did it to the 18-0 Patriots in that Super Bowl four years ago. So now they have laid out two of the best seasons in football history, knocked them out cold.

Yeah baby!

Giants' Secondary Is Unsung Star - NYTimes.com
Corey Webster and Aaron Ross were suberb on the outside, Antrel Rolle tightened down the slot and safeties Deon Grant and Kenny Phillips astutely identified route combinations over the top. Even perpetually bullied rookie Prince Amukamara prevented any passes from coming his way on a handful of second-half cameos.

Amen to that. How many times did it look like Aaron Rodgers didn't like what he saw down field?

Eli Manning proves he's elite, outduels Aaron Rogers in divisional playoff - Damon Hack - SI.com
On Sunday night at Lambeau, the stakes were different -- the dawning of a Packers dynasty was potentially weeks away -- but the result was the same. The constant in both games? Eli Manning. In a tussle that ultimately became a blowout, Manning outdueled Aaron Rodgers and led the Giants to a 37-20 over the Packers and a date in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday in San Francisco. Can another Giants' Super Bowl trip be far behind?

Giants show Packers who real bully is in NFL playoffs - NYPOST.com
That team was terrific, and it reached the ultimate plateau, and that is something this team in front of us still has to do. But even those 2007-08 Giants, as touched as they were by pixie dust, as skilled as they were in negotiating late-game minefields, only rarely approached what we have seen from these Giants the past four weeks.

Somewhat mind-blowing, but true. This has been an unfathomable run so far.

NY Giants, in particular, stalwart defense, looking like a real Super Bowl team after victory over Green Bay Packers - NY Daily News
If the Giants’ defense continues to play the way it played Sunday against the best team in football, they’re going to win Super Bowl XLVI. Tom Brady was supposed to tear apart the Giants four years ago in the Super Bowl, just like Aaron Rodgers was supposed to tear them apart Sunday. The Giants shut down Brady. They shut down Rodgers.

Giants' Hakeem Nicks makes David Tyree-esque catch
The most famous catch in New York Giants history was David Tyree's up against the helmet catch in the Super Bowl. Hakeem Nicks may now be giving him a run for his money. Nicks' up against his helmet catch on Eli Manning's Hail Mary to end the first half is going to be re-played for a week if the Giants hold onto their 20-10 first half lead.

Referees drop the ball on Greg Jennings fumble recovered by NY Giants, while broadcast booth shows replay rules - NY Daily News
When stuff like this happens before a huge national TV audience, the credibility of the league, and the integrity of the game, becomes an issue. Especially when broadcasters are forced to spend so much time discussing blown calls. Which last night only enhanced the voices’ credibility.

Many of you were flashing scores like Giants 37, Refs 14, Packers 6. I do not like to complain about such things, but the call on that phantom down-by-contact ruling AFTER Bill Leavy went under the hood is ludicrous and luckily did not cost us the game.

Giants coach Tom Coughlin loses replay challenge and it looks as if referee Bill Leavy got call wrong - NYPOST.com
When referee Bill Leavy came out from under the hood, he announced the ruling on the field was upheld. Replays seemed to clearly indicate the ball came loose before Jennings was down. Mike Pereira, the former head of NFL officials who now works for Fox, tweeted, "It looks to me that the ball comes out before he is down.’’

But it wasn't just that call. Leavy helped extend the Packers' last touchdown drive by calling Osi Umenyiora for roughing the passer when he not only hit Rodgers clean, but mirrored what Clay Matthews and company had been doing to Eli Manning most of the game. They also may have messed up what should have been a first down by DJ Ware by giving the Giants a bad spot. It really does make you scratch your head, but ultimately those sour grapes turned into sweet wine.

Green Bay Packers suffer a 'great letdown' to Giants at Lambeau Field | NJ.com
Aaron Rodgers hadn’t played since Christmas night. And it showed. The rest of the Green Bay Packers hadn’t competed in two weeks, and it looked like two years. Dropped passes. Fumbles. Shaky quarterbacking. And questionable coaching decisions.

NY Giants beat Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, will head to San Francisco to play 49ers in NFC Championship for shot at Super Bowl - NY Daily News
The Giants were hounded and haunted by two losses this season, two games they let slip away against two of the best teams in the NFC. Sunday night, they got their revenge against the Green Bay Packers. Next up: Settling the score against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game in six days.

Giants' Chris Canty says his knee is OK but he didn't fake injury | NJ.com
Chris Canty is fine. Good enough to laugh about his injured knee in the postgame locker room and relieved enough to take a swipe at the Packers fans who booed him when he went down with what they believed was a fake injury.

John Mara, Giants owner, is proud of win against Packers in NFL playoffs - NYPOST.com
Asked if he thinks this is a special team, Mara said "We’ll see. We got two more games to find out. We’re on a great streak right now and it’s a tribute to the coach and his staff and to the quarterback and our defense. I think the light went on a few weeks ago and hopefully it stays on now. I’m just proud of the whole group of ’em."

B.J. Raji of Packers says Giants can beat 49ers in NFC Championship - NYPOST.com
Asked if the surging Giants can beat the 49ers in San Francisco on Sunday and go on to win the Super Bowl next month in Indianapolis, Raji nodded vigorously. "I think so," he said. "Anytime you can come in here against what I thought was the best team in the league and completely dominate almost the entire game, you’ve got a chance.

Eli's stats include 'pancake' block, Hail Mary - NFL - Yahoo! Sports

"He said he got a pancake on that one," guard Chris Snee said. "Which, nobody fell so ... "

History is written by the blockers; Or something like that.

"He was pointing," Snee continued. "[I] said, ‘Please, don't do that again.' ... "

Oh, he's going to do it again.

I thought you guys would appreciate a laugh to close this notebook out. And that is really funny. Enjoy the day, everyone. We can bask in it for another 24 hours before turning our attention to the 49ers in the NFC Championship game. I like the way that sounds, don't you?