LINEBACKER NAVORRO BOWMAN
(on if he believes this could be one of the most physical Super Bowls ever played) “I don’t know about ever, but I think it’ll be a pretty physical matchup. Those guys definitely demonstrate physicality, and I would like to think that we do, too. So, I’m excited about the matchup and I’m really looking forward to it.”
FULLBACK BRUCE MILLER
(on how Head Coach Jim Harbaugh inspires him to play well) “He inspires me, but other guys do it too. For guys like Frank (Gore), when you see the way they practice you don’t have a choice but to block as hard as you can for them. It’s much more of a respect thing for them.”
GUARD/TACKLE ALEX BOONE
(on quarterback Alex Smith being a great teammate) “That could have gone sideways in a hurry, absolutely. I think a lot of people forget how great of a teammate that is. I applaud him every day for making Colin (Kaepernick) better and teaching him and still practicing as hard as he does. That’s a tough situation. I love Alex to death. He’s like a brother to me. He handled it well.”
DID YOU KNOW? Miami and San Francisco are the only two teams to rank in the top five in both rushing and rush defense.
GIANTS-PANTHERS: WR Hakeem Nicks, RB Ahmad Bradshaw, RT David Diehl and WR Domenik Hixon have been ruled out for Thursday's game, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
DID YOU KNOW? The Giants are the second team in NFL history – 1951 Los Angeles Rams – to have a 500-yard passer and two 150-yard receivers in the same game. Also, the Giants became the first team in NFL history with two receivers (Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks) with at least 10 catches and 175 yards in the same game.
GIANTS: Ahmad Bradshaw (sprained neck) is unlikely to play Thursday against Carolina.
EAGLES: From Sportspickle.com's "Honest NFL Headlines" — Eagles probably the crappiest 2-0 team ever.
REDSKINS: OLB Brian Orakpo (torn pectoral) and DE Adam Carriker (torn quad) will reportedly miss the remainder of the 2012 season.
DID YOU KNOW? "Madden NFL '13" ranks Eli Manning as the fourth-best quarterback (97 overall). He trails only Aaron Rodgers (99), Tom Brady (98) and Drew Brees (98).
HE SAID IT: Giants senior VP of medical services Ronnie Barnes: "Terrell (Thomas) reinjured his ACL. At this point, he will most likely
undergo an arthroscopic procedure to determine the extent of the injury
to the ACL. However, no decision has been made at this point. Terrell is
going to consult with Dr. (Arthur) Ting, who performed an allograft
reconstruction of the ACL in September (of 2011)."
HE SAID IT: Giants QB Eli Manning to the New York Post on Amani Toomer's comments: "I saw Toomer not too long ago at the ESPY Awards, and I went up to
him and I said, 'Hey, I think Willie Ponder and Ike Hilliard were better
receivers than you were for the Giants.' Just kind of laughed and joked about it. I don't get upset about those things. Amani's
been a good pal of mine. I don't think he was trying to be mean to me
in any way or try to hurt my feelings. That's just
the way things are now, with so many different talk radio shows and so
many different things talking about football year-round, there's only so
much you can say."