In addition to the 15 players on the roster who faced the Patriots four years ago, the Giants have four players who have played in Super Bowls with other teams. And all of them lost. The group includes safety Deon Grant (2003 Carolina Panthers), defensive tackle Rocky Bernard (2005 Seattle Seahawks), offensive lineman Tony Ugoh (2009 Indianapolis Colts) and Rolle (the 2008 Arizona Cardinals).
"I was on the other side of it, the losing side of a Super Bowl, and I can tell you right now there's just not too many other feelings that can feel worse than that," Rolle said. "To be so close and have a hard fought game, I think that actually eased the pain a little bit, as opposed to going out there and just getting your butt whooped. But I definitely don't want to feel that again."
Rolle said he not looking to impart any wisdom from that game to his current teammates.
"I never speak of any type of losing situations," he said. "That's not in my mind, that's not what I'm made up of, and that's not what this team is made up of and neither do we need to hear that. I think we're fully aware of what's at stake and we understand what kind of preparation it's going to take for us to go out there and be victorious."
*Rolle has a vivid memory of viewing the last Giants-Patriots Super Bowl.
"I was actually watching that in Brazil," he said. "There was only one place in Brazil showing the game, and I was standing on top of maybe like two bar stools and probably a midget was under me, who knows. I don't know. It was extremely crowded, everyone was stacked on top of each other. It was a small place in Brazil, probably no bigger than this restroom, and there were a million people in there. It was the only place showing it and I had to watch the game."
Rolle's recollection of that game seems better than Justin Tuck, who had two sacks of Tom Brady among his six tackles.
"A lot of the guys that were not a part of that game came up to me and we were talking about watching it and seeing how I played in that game," Tuck said. "I really don't remember much about it until I go back and watch the game. I remember the sack and things like that but how I beat him and what happened within those plays, I don't remember much about them. That is the type of game that you are so into playing it, a lot of the small stuff just goes by the wayside."
And then there's linebacker Michael Boley, who will not only play in his first Super Bowl, but get to see one for the first time in memory.
"I actually don't watch the Super Bowl if I am not in it," Boley said. "I just have been like that since I have been in the league (since 2005). If I am not playing in it, then I won't watch it."
*Because the Giants have had so much success as visitors, Rolle was asked if it's fitting the Giants will be wearing their road uniforms in the Super Bowl.
"It doesn't matter what we have on," Rolle said. "We could go out there bare skinned, you're going to get the same outcome. We come to play ball, and all those other intangibles really don't matter when you're talking about a game of this magnitude, which is the Super Bowl, and we're extremely blessed to be in this situation."
*Manning threw a franchise-record 58 passes in the Giants' victory in San Francisco. It was the first time in Giants history they won a game in which they threw at least 50 passes. Their regular season record in such games is 0-18, including 0-16 in games in which one quarterback threw all of the passes. Manning was the quarterback in two of those games, Nov. 27, 2005 at Seattle and Dec. 16, 2007 vs. Washington. He threw 53 passes in each of those Giants defeats.
*Lawrence Tynes kicked the game-winning 31-yard field goal in overtime, four years and two days after booting a 47-yarder to win the conference title game in overtime in Green Bay. Tynes is the only kicker in NFL history with two postseason game-winning field goals in overtime.
*The 49ers converted only one of 13 third-down opportunities in the game (and that was on the final play of the fourth quarter). It was the second season in a row the NFC Championship Game loser was 1-for-13 on third downs. Chicago converted just once last year against Green Bay. The last Giants postseason opponent to succeed on no more than one third down on at least 13 opportunities was Washington, which went 0-for-14 in the 1986 NFC Championship Game.
For more exclusive coverage, follow the Giants on Twitter and LIKE US the Giants on Facebook!
