Daily Madden: The Giants A Worthy Opponent For 49ers
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) - If the New York Giants beat the 49ers to advance to the Super Bowl and win, they'd be the only 9-7 team to do so. John Madden told the KCBS morning crew the Giants' regular season record doesn't tell the whole story.
"They've gone through some topsy-turvy times and came out of it," Madden said. "They've been playing playoff games for a long time, you know, to get to 8-7. That made the 9-7 game against the Cowboys a playoff-type game, and they won that. Then they won the wild card... They deserve everything they get."
Madden said it's important that teams continue to improve as they head into the playoffs, regardless of their regular season record.
"Sometimes that is a real plus, you know, to be the best team in the regular season and get all those wins.... But you still have to be improving as you go into the playoffs. And as you go into the playoffs if you're taking a dip and another team is on the rise, they're going to beat you."
The 49ers are among the NFL's best in turnover ratio. Madden said it's an important statistic, but not the most important.
"That's a good thing defensively to go for the ball if you have the ball stopped," John said. "But there have been guys who have gone for the ball prematurely, and in doing so they miss tackles... You miss the ball, you miss the tackle and it's a touchdown." (8:25)
Listen to the John Madden segment live weekday mornings at 8:15 on KCBS All News 740 AM/106.9 FM.
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