Packers hope to rattle new, more poised Eli Manning

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By CHRIS JENKINS / AP Sports Writer
Thursday, January 17, 2008 10:44 AM CST

GREEN BAY - Green Bay Packers defensive players sound fairly confident in their ability to rattle New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning. Then again, so did the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and they're watching the playoffs from home.

Can the Packers force Manning to make mistakes in Sunday's NFC Championship game at Lambeau Field?

"Of course," Packers safety Nick Collins said. "We've got to pressure on him, make him nervous in the pocket and stop the run and make them one-dimensional."

But unlike Buccaneers cornerback Ronde Barber — who caused a minor media stir when he suggested Manning can "be had" before the teams' first-round playoff game two weeks ago — Collins said he isn't singling out Manning for criticism.

"Eli, everybody makes mistakes every now and then," Collins said. "He's a great quarterback. He's hot right now. So we've got to take him out of his game plan and just go out there and put pressure on him and, hopefully, it'll turn out to be a great game for us."

By showing more poise in the Giants' two playoff victories, Manning is just beginning to shed the "inconsistent" label that has made him a target for criticism in New York. With that in mind, Collins said pass-rush pressure would be critical for the Packers on Sunday.

"You can rattle any quarterback if you get pressure on him," Collins said. "It's just if he's going to be poised, if he can take the pressure. They're going to rely on him. It's up to us to put pressure on him. He's been in the two playoff games, so he's got the feel of how the playoff games are going to be."

Packers cornerback Charles Woodson said it's "no secret" that the Packers have to get to Manning and try to flush him out of the pocket.

"There's only a few quarterbacks that can play through the pressure situations," Woodson said. "I think we have one of those quarterbacks. I think you look at a Tom Brady, that type of guy — but for the most part, across the board, if you can get to quarterbacks you can get them rattled, you can get them out of their game plan."