Antrel Rolle fully expects the New York Giants to play in Super Bowl XLVI. And if they don't make it there, Rolle knows who'll be to blame.
The only way the Giants don't beat the San Francisco 49ers in Sunday's NFC Championship Game is if they beat themselves, Rolle said Monday, one day after New York ended the Packers' hopes for a second consecutive NFL title with a 37-20 win in Green Bay.
"We are not going to be denied," Rolle said. "We are not going to be denied at this point. We understand what we have as a team. It's not all talent, it's about chemistry, and we are jelling at this point. Coaches and players being one the same page at the same time. We have one mind, to win a championship."
When asked if the Giants were unstoppable following their 24-2 wild-card win over the Atlanta Falcons and their divisional-round throttling of the Packers, Rolle didn't hesitate.
"We don't want to say we are unstoppable," said the six-year NFL safety, who appeared in a Super Bowl with the Arizona Cardinals in 2009. "Our mindset is extreme at this point. We are not going to be denied. That is our mindset. I may be a little biased, but in our minds, we know we can't be beat. That's the approach we are taking week in, week out."
In the past four games, the Giants have outscored their opponents 121-50. Opponents have been limited to 22 points in the postseason, and that total might need an asterisk. The Falcons scored two points when Giants quarterback Eli Manning was called for illegally grounding a ball in the end zone, and the Packers' two touchdowns came on drives that were kept alive by questionable officiating calls.
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"We believe the only people who can stop us is us," Giants punter Steve Weatherford said. "I'm just speaking from the mood in the locker room, from the confidence we have. As a punter, it's not like I control the game as much as these guys, but as a punter, I have more time to notice things and, for me, it's a confidence thing right now. We have incredible personnel, and that incredible personnel is being very productive right now. It starts with our D-line and quarterback, when those guys are rolling, it's tough to stop us."
Like Rolle, linebacker Michael Boley believes the Giants control their destiny.
"No doubt about it," said Boley, who had nine tackles and two sacks Sunday. "That has been shown throughout the course of this year. All the games we lost, we lost. It's not like one team came in here and absolutely killed us or there was no way we were going to beat them. We beat ourselves."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
