Pete_Prisco

SAN FRANCISCO -- If you think New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin is going to walk away from the game if he wins Super Bowl XLVI, think again.

Even though Coughlin is 65, and would become the oldest coach to win a Super Bowl, he told me Sunday night there is no way he is retiring.

"I feel good," Coughlin said "Retire to do what?"

Coughlin has one more year left on his Giants deal, so expect the Giants to give him a new contract after the season.

One thing about Coughlin, he still has the vigor for the job. There is no letup. You talk to his players, and he's the same guy he was 17 years ago when he became an NFL head coach.

Coughlin has eased up enough that he no longer seems as stressed about the job. He gets relief from the game through his family, including 10 grandchildren. In fact, he almost seems grandfatherly now compared to the coach who came into the league.

"I still love what I do," Coughlin said.

It shows. And why should he retire? Isn't he now considered one of the best in the league?

• The Tampa Bay Buccaneers should be thrilled that Oregon coach Chip Kelly pulled out of any chance of his becoming their coach. Kelly's gimmicky style can work in the college game, but it wouldn't have stood a chance in the NFL. His calling card is that wild offense he runs, but in the NFL there was no way it could work. I love Kelly as a college coach. Not in the NFL. The word is it was the Glazer family, the owners of the team, who pursued Kelly, not general manager Mark Dominik. The Bucs should take a look at Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride. He has a great track record with quarterbacks and would be a nice fit for Josh Freeman. Why he doesn't get an interview is a mystery to me. 

• It sickened me to hear that fans were putting out threats to 49ers receiver Kyle Williams after he fumbled two punts away in the team's loss to the Giants.  It's really a bad representation of 49ers fans. But it's usually a vocal minority. 

• Candlestick Park is a dump. The 49ers should be ashamed of that stadium, which is why they want a new one. The league should make it happen. I wouldn't pay to see a game in that facility. It's terrible. Many of the bulbs on the stadium lights never went on, making for a dark field. That should never happen during an event as big as the NFC Championship Game.

• The 49ers lack deep speed. That was evident in their loss to the Giants. Michael Crabtree doesn't run very well and they lack a big-play guy on the other side, although Williams has potential. They need to give Alex Smith more help.

• 49ers defensive tackle Ray McDonald doesn't get the due he deserves playing next to Justin Smith, but he showed his true ability against the Giants with two sacks and stellar play against the run. The 49ers made a wise move re-signing McDonald before the season.

• I know a lot of people will blame Billy Cundiff for the Ravens losing to the Patriots because of his missed field goal from 32 yards. But some of the blame has to go to coach John Harbaugh. On third-and-1 from the 14, the Ravens should have run the ball to get a first down, then spiked it and run two more plays. They needed a yard. But Joe Flacco threw an incomplete pass and they had to kick. They also had a timeout if they needed it. They took that home with them, even though they had to rush to get the kick off. Cundiff choked on his kick, but he wasn't alone.

• Credit to Joe Flacco. He outplayed Tom Brady. Maybe Ed Reed needs to light him up every week.

• If defense and running game wins championships, how come the Giants-Patriots Super Bowl features teams ranked 20th (Pats) and 32nd (Giants) in rushing and 24th (Giants) and 31st (Patriots) in total defense?

• New Rams coach Jeff Fisher isn't backing off his vision of being a run-heavy team. Hey, Jeff. It's 2012. You can't win that way. Look at the two teams left playing. The Giants were last in the NFL in yards per attempt and the Patriots were 24th.

• For all the crap the Falcons take for losing their first playoff game in three of the last four seasons, the teams they lost to all went to the Super Bowl. They lost to the Cardinals in 2008, the Packers in 2010 and the Giants this season. 

• Love the hire of Joe Philbin by the Dolphins. It's nice to see teams take chances on young coaches. After what he's been through, losing a child, it has to be bittersweet.

• I also think the Saints got a great hire in Steve Spagnuolo to run the defense. He will improve that side of the ball. You watch.

SAN FRANCISCO -- The New York Giants must like overtime in NFC Championship Games -- at least recently.

It was good to them again Sunday.

For the second time in the past five years, the Giants advanced to the Super Bowl with a dramatic overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers, winning 20-17. They won when Lawrence Tynes nailed a 31-yard field goal to win it when Kyle Williams lost a fumble on a punt in the overtime to set it up.The Giants advanced to the Super Bowl XLVI to play the New England Patriots -- a rematch of the Super Bowl XLII, which was won by the Giants.

Sunday's game was tied at 17 at the end of regulation before the Giants won it in the extra period.

Eli Manning is now going to his second Super Bowl, tying brother Peyton Manning with two each. Both have won one, so Eli Manning now has a chance to surpass his big brother in number of rings.

Patriots guard Logan Mankins vs. Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata -- This is a battle of two perennial Pro Bowl players who haven't quite had the seasons that many expected. Even so, they're still good football players. Ngata has been blocked more this season than any other of his recent years. Mankins is a physical player who is among the NFL's best when he's at the top of his game. He has to move Ngata if the Patriots are to have any chance to run.

Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul vs. 49ers tackle Joe Staley -- It all starts for the Giants up front with Pierre-Paul. He is a physical freak who can influence the game with his pass rush. Staley is a solid player in pass protection, but the 49ers helped him a lot in the first game. I look for them to do the same here.

Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs vs. Patriots tackles Nate Solder and Matt Light -- Suggs is the best pass rusher for the Ravens, but he didn't get a sack last week against the Texans. Solder and Light shut out Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil last week. Suggs plays both sides on defense, so both players will have their chances against him. They can't allow him to get going. He tends to get sacks in bunches. 

Ravens center Matt Birk vs. Patriots defensive tackles Kyle Love and Vince Wilfork -- Birk isn't as powerful as he once was, so I would expect the Patriots to keep a player on his nose for most of the game. If they can control the middle, it will make it tough for Ray Rice to get going. In the 2009 game, Birk got a great block on Wilfork to spring Rice for an 83-yard touchdown run on the first play of the game.

Giants receivers Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz vs. 49ers corners Carlos Rogers and Tarell Brown -- Nicks and Cruz are a handful for whoever they face. Nicks is big and fast, while Cruz is small and quick. Rogers has had an outstanding season, one that will get him a fat contract as a free agent. Brown has been solid. The 49ers used a lot of zone in the first meeting, so it will be interesting to see if they change it up.

49ers tight end Vernon Davis vs. Giants safeties Kenny Phillips and Antrel Rolle -- Davis had 180 receiving yards last week against the Saints, including the game-winning score in the final seconds. The 49ers love to move him around a lot in their formations, lining him up both wide and in-line. That makes him a tough player to defend. He did catch a touchdown pass in the first game between the teams in Week 10, but the Giants did a pretty good job on him most of that game. I would expect the two safeties to spend a lot of time on him. There's also a chance dime safety Deon Grant could play him some.

49ers outside linebacker/defensive end Aldon Smith vs. Giants left tackle David Diehl -- There are some out there who think Diehl is horrible. He isn't. But he will have his hands full with Smith in passing situations. The rookie outside rusher from Missouri has become a real force off the edge. Diehl has to be able to hold up against him if Eli Manning is to have time to make big throws down the field.

Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski vs. Ravens safety Ed Reed -- How do you stop Gronkowski? You don't. You just have to hope to contain him. I would imagine that Reed, one of the best safeties ever, would spend time on him. He can run with Gronkowski, but the tight end has a huge edge in terms of size. 

Patriots receiver Wes Welker vs. Ravens corners Lardarius Webb and Cary Williams -- Other than Gronkowski and fellow tight end Aaron Hernandez, Welker is the only other real receiving threat.  He does most of his damage in the middle of the field. It will be interesting to see if the Ravens play one of their starting corners on him. Webb has had a Pro Bowl-type of season and had two picks last week. Williams has been a pleasant surprise. Nickel corner Jimmy Smith will also be in the mix. He is a rookie.

49ers quarterback Alex Smith vs. himself -- This is the biggest game of his life. Smith played well last week against the Saints when given the chance to throw. Was it his coming-out game or an aberration? We'll know by Sunday night. He sure looks more comfortable in the pocket now than the Smith we saw the past couple of seasons.

BALTIMORE -- How do you slow down Tom Brady?

I asked that question to Baltimore Ravens corner Lardarius Webb.

"You have to try and confuse him," Webb said.

Good luck with that. Brady, like the other top quarterbacks, has a way of knowing where he's going with the football before the snap. He's great at those pre-snap reads.

The Patriots don't really stretch the field all that much, but Brady excels at getting the ball to the receiver or tight end with the best match-up. Tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez and receiver Wes Welker are all good at winning against man coverage.

"Tom is playing excellent up there, and what they did to the Broncos last night, I think they sent a message to whoever was coming up there," Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis said. " So, we’ve got our hands full and we’ve got to go up and get ready to play in the AFC championship.”

You can't expect the Ravens to stop Brady. They can only hope to slow him down.

• Look, I've stated my opinion about Tim Tebow's ability to play NFL quarterback the right way. I didn't need his performance against the Patriots Saturday night to convince me that he's far from being able to lead a team from the pocket. The Broncos gimmicked up the offense for him to help offset his inability to throw from the pocket. Until he learns how to do that, and throw into tight windows, there will always be doubts. He didn't lose that game to the Patriots. Hell, John Elway in his prime wouldn't have won that for the Broncos. But expect Tebow to be pushed in training camp by somebody. Or the Broncos will be in a lot of trouble moving forward. 

• The NFL considering full-time officials makes no sense to me. What they need to do is add an extra official on the field. The game is too fast now to just have seven officials on the field. One more would help compensate for the speed of the game advancing to where it is now. Plus, more passing means that the officials have to expand their focus to a wider perspective. So say no to full time officials, but yes to adding one more on the field.

• Lewis wasn't too happy that a Baltimore writer questioned the way he and Reed played the final few games of the season. He took exception to the criticism of their tackling. Truth be known, neither one tackled that well down the stretch. It's hard to believe after 16 years, Lewis still gets worked up over the critics.

• I love the hire of Dirk Koetter by the Atlanta Falcons as offensive coordinator. Koetter and Matt Ryan will work well together. And for those worried about Koetter being too conservative, he was forced to be that way under Jack Del Rio. He often had game plans adjusted by the head coach. That won't happen in Atlanta. This is Koetter's chance to show how good a coach he can be. I bet he excels.

• I like the idea of the Miami Dolphins hiring Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. He is a damn good coach whose time has come to be the top man. Zimmer is fiery coach, but his players love him.

• Fear the Texans next year. That is a talented football team. Who knows how good they could have been if Matt Schaub didn't go down? That defense can be special. They do have to decide what to do with Mario Williams? Do they tag him? That would cost $22 million. That's way too high, considering they played without him for most of the season and finished second in total defense. Rookie Brooks Reed and Connor Barwin are both good players at outside linebacker. If Williams hits the market, he will be by far the highest-paid free agent out there.

• Just a thought, but if Jeff Fisher is worth $8 million a year what is Tom Coughlin worth?

• The Saints might lose defensive coordinator Gregg Williams to the Rams. He would join good buddy Jeff Fisher, the team's new coach. Here's what I wonder: Do the Saints really care? Williams loves to blitz, and he was undone by it against the 49ers Saturday. His defenses have struggled to defend the pass in New Orleans. 

• Did Alex Smith show what he could do when given the chance to throw against the Saints? Has he been held down his entire career? It's a legitimate question. Smith looked great in the fourth quarter and his last-minute drive was something you'd expect from Joe Montana. He was accurate, throwing into tight windows. Smith has always been a stand-up guy. It's nice to see him having some success. He's a class kid.

• Admit it. When you watched 49ers tight end Vernon Davis lighting up the Saints for 180 yards and the game-winning touchdown, you asked why he doesn't do that more? I think the 49ers need to get him involved in the offense more.

• Memo to those out there touting the Giants as a defensive team: They were eighth in scoring offense and 25th in scoring defense. They are an offensive team that has a pass rush. Period.

• Of the four teams left in the playoffs, the team that finished highest in rushing yardage was the 49ers. They were eighth. You don't run it to win anymore. You just don’t. 

BALTIMORE -- They won't apologize -- even if you want them to do so or even if they should. 

The Baltimore Ravens are one step away from the Super Bowl, so there's no need for apologizing for their less-than-spectacular performance Sunday against the Houston Texans.

It wasn't pretty. In fact, it was downright ugly. But they used two turnovers to jump to a 17-3 first-quarter lead and then held on for a 20-13 victory to advance to the AFC Championship Game next Sunday against the Patriots.

Before a final, clock-eating drive, the Ravens had eight first downs, quarterback Joe Flacco was sacked five times and the Ravens seemed to be on the verge of an upset.

As usual, the defense bailed them out. They stopped the Texans early in the fourth quarter, and then the offense actually came to life when it needed to do so driving to a field goal. And then the defense did it again with a pick by Ed Reed to seal it with 1:51 left. If they play the same way against the Patriots, they will get beat. 

Ugly is fine for now. It won't be against New England. 

Texans left tackle Duane Brown vs. Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs -- Brown has been one of the better left tackles in the league. He has really improved in pass protection. Suggs is a force off the corner. He tends to get sacks in bunches, so Brown can't allow him to get going. If he does, it could be trouble for T.J. Yates.

Ravens nose tackle Terrence Cody vs. Texans center Chris Myers -- If the Texans are gong to run the football, they have to move Cody off the line. That means Myers. He is good at taking the nose where he starts to go. But if Cody is playing him head up, it could be trouble for Myers to move him. He isn't that strong.

Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul vs. Packers left tackle Chad Clifton -- The last time the Giants played the Packers, Pierre-Paul had a big day against Marshall Newhouse, who was playing for the injured Clifton. With Clifton back, the Packers have to feel better about the pass protection. He is good at it. But he isn't a great run blocker.

Packers corner Tramon Williams vs. Giants receiver Hakeem Nicks -- Williams usually takes the team's top receiver if the Packers play a lot of man. They used him some on Nicks in the last meeting, and Nicks beat him for a long play. Even though Victor Cruz had a better season, Nicks is still the Giants top receiving threat.

Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow vs. Patriots coach Bill Belichick -- Belichick has had two weeks to prepare for Tebow and the Broncos' gimmick offense. That will give him a big edge on Tebow. What does Belichick throw at him that will be different from the last meeting? I bet it's a lot. How well Tebow handles that will go a long way in determining if Denver can move the football.

Saints tight end Jimmy Graham vs. 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis and others -- Graham is a huge part of the Saints offense. His ability to stretch the field as a tight end almost mandates a safety covers him, but word is the 49ers will try and handle him with Willis, one of the league's best cover linebacker. But you can bet the 49ers will also put a safety on him in other situations.

49ers defensive end/tackle Justin Smith vs. Saints guard Carl Nicks -- Smith is a 3-4 defensive end, but when the 49ers go to a sub-package, they put Aldon Smith next to Justin Smith, and he moves inside. That could put Justin Smith him on Nicks, one of the best guards in the NFL in a lot of passing situations. That's force vs. force.

Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey vs. Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski -- At times in his career, Bailey has played a lot of man coverage on tight ends. He is used to it with Antonio Gates in his division. I would imagine that the Broncos would put Bailey on Gronkowski some in this game in man coverage. I know I would.

Patriots corner Devin McCourty vs. Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas -- The Broncos have one real receiving threat, and that's Thomas. He is coming off a 204-yard receiving game last week against Pittsburgh. McCourty is a good player who had a bad year. He isn't a great man cover player, and was torched some early playing it, but he might be asked to come up big here. Kyle Arrington might also spend 

Texans receiver Andre Johnson vs. Ravens corner Lardarius Webb -- Johnson didn't play in the first meeting. This time, you can expect him to challenge the Baltimore corners down the field. Webb, who has had a good season, will likely spend a lot of the day on Johnson. That's a tough challenge for any corner.

There was chatter going around the NFL the past couple of days that the Atlanta Falcons were considering firing offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey.

Now he's the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

I don’t get it.

What is the attraction? What's the selling point?

Was it his stint as a head coach of the Buffalo Bills, where his record was a sterling 14-18?

Or was it seeing six of the 10 offenses he's led in the past decade as coordinator or head coach finish 10th or lower in points, including four at 15 or lower?

Or was it the two points the Falcons scored in Sunday's NFC playoff loss to the New York Giants, those coming on a safety, meaning his offense was shut out?

I do know that Jaguars general manager Gene Smith was fond of Mularkey. And Mularkey must have wowed new owner Shahid Khan in the interview. One other selling point could be that Mularkey is willing to keep on defensive coordinator Mel Tucker, who was the team's interim coach. Smith is also high on Tucker.

"I don’t get it," one league coach said. "He quit at Buffalo and he quit on the Dolphins because he didn't like Nick Saban. What's the attraction?"

Mularkey, a former college tight end at Florida, did have early success as a coordinator in Pittsburgh when the Steelers finished second in points scored in his first season running the offense in 2001. But the highest ranking since was fourth by the Falcons in 2010.

Khan has said the league is a passing league and that the Jaguars need to move to being one of those teams, especially with quarterback Blaine Gabbert. In Mularkey's 10 seasons running an offense, his teams have been in the top-10 in rushing attempts five times.

In Atlanta, he was considered too conservative for the talent he had on offense.  Several times players privately wished that the offense were more open. The Falcons were a more up-tempo offense when Matt Ryan called the plays at the line of scrimmage and they had more success.

The word "predictable" was one that was heard when the Atlanta offense was mentioned.

It's a risky move for the Jaguars for sure. One bit of advice for Gabbert: Practice those rollouts. You now will be running plenty of them.

Firing Hue Jackson is a mistake by the Oakland Raiders.

Do we expect anything other than that?

Jackson had one year to show what kind of head coach he could be, and then he's gone? I know he might not be the handpicked choice of new general manager Reggie McKenzie, and I know he can be volatile and outspoken, but did he really get a fair shake?

The Raiders missed the playoffs at 8-8, but they had a ton of injuries decimate the speed on offense in the final six weeks. That showed up. It's why Carson Palmer never looked like the player the Raiders expected he would look like when they traded premium draft picks to land him.

Yes, the Raiders led the NFL in penalties, but when have they not?

Jackson deserved at least another year. I don't know he would have turned into John Madden or Tom Flores or any of the other successful Raiders coach. But he needed at least another year to show if could have done so.

To borrow from Raiders-speak: Just stupid, baby.