Who says they Canty? NFC WILD CARD
Giants champ sees another title run behind Eli, defense
Chris Canty had just gotten off the phone with Dave Tollefson on Wednesday morning, reminiscing about the Giants most recent Super Bowl.
“What a great time, and it’s a great time again,” Canty told The Post.
There would not have been a Super Bowl XLVI title if not for the performances of quarterback Eli Manning — and for Canty, one particular play defines that postseason. The mere memory of it gives hopes that another championship is a possibility over the next month.
“I don’t know if I can put it into words, but I can put it into one play,” Canty, now a Giants postgame analyst for MSG Network, said of the difference between regular season and postseason Eli.
“On the final drive of Super Bowl XLVI, and that’s the pass he made to Mario Manningham and he puts it right in between the corner and the safety. I mean, the ball was literally out of bounds, but it was perfect. I look at that play and I say, ‘If they ran it 100 more times they wouldn’t make it again.’ But they made it in that moment. That is the personification of what Eli Manning in the postseason is all about.”
The Giants embark on a hopeful run on Sunday afternoon at Lambeau Field against the Packers, a place and a team they went through to win both of their most recent Super Bowls. The Giants’ hope is that Manning can find his postseason form while the defense can build on the one they established in the regular season. General manager Jerry Reese’s offseason spending binge that netted Janoris Jenkins, Olivier Vernon and Da- mon Harrison helped the defense evolve into arguably the league’s best unit.
“They absolutely have the ability [to make a Super Bowl run] with a defense of their caliber,” Canty said. “They have been able to apply some good pressure in the second half of the season and turn the ball over. It’s all coming together. “The defense is playing at such a level where it’s creating situations that it can close out games and make up for the mishaps and the ineptitude of the offense. It’s impressive to watch what that group has been able to do as it’s become the identity of this team.” It’s an identity that will be tested against Aaron Rodgers. The Green Bay quarterback has enjoyed a second-half revitalization that has put him in the MVP conversation. He backed up his guarantee that the Packers would “run the table,” winning their final six games and claiming the NFC North.
“You have to rush him with four,” Canty said of Rodgers. “He’s one of those players who can extend plays, especially when you blitz. And his receivers excel at the backyard-scramble drill, they understand where he wants them to be and how to adapt and make plays for them.
“His ability to throw the ball accurately and with velocity without his feet set is one of the things that makes him special. You don’t want to have too many one-on-one situations with those receivers right now. But the best way to stop him is have him not on the field, so that’s why it was so nice to see the Giants run the ball against the Redskins and control the ball.”