49ers wary of rematch with surging Giants

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- They are happy to be staying home, which is no surprise.

"You'd rather not have to get on a plane and fly to Green Bay, where you don't know what the weather is going to be like,'' 49ers safety Donte Whitner said Monday.

Yet the 49ers are not particularly happy to be facing the surging Giants in Sunday's NFC Championship Game. The 49ers held on to beat the Giants, 27-20, Nov. 13 at Candlestick Park by knocking down a pass at the end of the game.

San Francisco tackle Justin Smith, who later admitted he was "too tired to rush,'' lifted his right hand and swatted away Eli Manning's pass on fourth-and-2 from the 49ers' 10-yard line with 34 seconds remaining.

"They can throw the ball'' was Smith's assessment Monday at 49ers headquarters. "Eli's been money all year. He drops balls in [that] only his receivers can get. I'm concerned we're going against a good offense. They've got a ground game to mix with the passing. We've got to try and limit them.''

Most of the 49ers, coach Jim Harbaugh included, watched on television as the Giants beat the Packers, 37-20, on Sunday. Harbaugh said he wasn't pulling for one team over the other, even if some of his players were.

"You never really root,'' insisted Harbaugh, making an exception for the Ravens, coached by his older brother John. They'll face the Patriots earlier Sunday in the AFC Championship Game.

"It's one of those things, be careful what you wish for. I just watch two teams play. If I ever do root, it's just for the team playing harder, and it became evident the Giants were playing harder. They are a formidable opponent, a worthy opponent, a scary opponent."

Harbaugh said that in the rematch at Candlestick, the Giants are the "healthier'' team.

"Especially on the defensive side of the ball,'' said Harbaugh, who as a rookie NFL coach has the 49ers in the playoffs for the first time in nine years.

"They were down one [starting] linebacker when we played them. Now that group is fortified and playing at a high level. Their defensive line is stronger than when we played them. Eli has played at a high level all season, and their running game has been bolstered.''

Harbaugh agreed that the 49ers also have improved during the past two months.

"Justin Smith played a great game against the Saints [in Saturday's divisional playoff game]. I don't think there's ever been a tougher player I've been around,'' Harbaugh said. "He's a 10 out of 10. Can you be an 11 out of 10?''

Harbaugh, a former NFL quarterback himself, was asked to compare the travails of Manning and the 49ers' Alex Smith, who through the years have been blitzed by the media.

"You can say that for just about everyone who's played the position,'' Harbaugh said. "They've been stung by criticism, sometimes justly, sometimes unjustly, but they have the wiring, the fortitude, to

handle it.''