Q. From a quarterback's standpoint, is it you're concerned more about the wind?  In other words, if there's no wind, you can deal with the cold?

        ELI MANNING:  I think so.  I think our mindset this week is ­­ the weather will be what it is.  You can't control it, you can't worry about it.  Our focus is on getting ready for Green Bay, studying their schemes, studying what we have to do to prepare for them.

        If it's cold, if it's windy, then you can make adjustments.  You can deal with that when that time comes.  Again, we've played in cold weather, we've played in wind, we've played in snow, we've played in rain.  We've played in pretty much anything they've thrown at us this year, and I think whatever the conditions are on Sunday, we'll be okay.

       Q.  You said a couple of days ago that you hadn't spoken to Peyton since the Cowboys game, but have you spoken to him in the past couple days about being in this moment since he was there last year?

        ELI MANNING:  I've talked to Peyton, but it wasn't really a whole lot of just being in the moment.  He said, you've just got to go out there and play.  It's nothing ­­ don't do anything differently this week that you weren't doing the last two weeks.  Just go out there and try to get a win.

        Q.  How comfortable were you with the glove this week and are you set on wearing that on Sunday?

        ELI MANNING:  I wore a glove on my hand this week.  Yeah, it felt fine, it felt good.  I think it's mostly just to try it out, get some work on it and make a decision whether I want to wear it or not.

        I think really the main purpose of that is just securing the snap.  If it does get cold, if those balls get slick and whatnot, just having that little extra grip on your left hand just so you don't drop any snaps or drop any balls.

        Q.  Are you worried about wearing something for the first time in a game, that you would do it in the biggest game of the year?

        ELI MANNING:  No, I don't think because it's my left hand.  Hardly ever is the ball in your left hand throwing­wise.  If anything, it just gives you some more grip on the ball.  I think if it got wet or if conditions or rain or anything got it slick, I could always take it off.  I could always take it off, that's not a problem.

        It's just something I tried out where if I do want to wear it on Sunday, I've practiced it, I've had some reps in it handing the ball off and doing whatnot, so I don't think it'll make a big difference if I do wear it.

        Q.  So many questions this week about you, your maturity, your growth, your development, articles, you see stuff on TV.  Do you absorb any of that?  Do you digest it?  Does it mean anything to you or do you just go your own way?

        ELI MANNING:  No, it doesn't mean a whole lot to me because I've learned that it's all what have you done for me lately.  What about this next week?  That's going to be the most important thing.  What's happened the last two weeks or three weeks or last year, it's important for me and I take it all in.  But what's being said about me, how I made a dramatic change or anything that's happened in the last three weeks, it doesn't affect me, doesn't concern me.  My focus is on Green Bay and trying to prepare myself for the best for this game.

        Q.  There are a lot of similarities in the way you've played the last few weeks and the way Simms played here during some of the big runs.  Are you old enough to have any recollection of Phil Simms and the way he played, and does that have any effect on you?

        ELI MANNING:  No, I don't have ­­ I know Phil and I've talked to him and been around him.  I wouldn't say I remembered him playing games and grew up watching him play in cold weather games and those type of situations.  To say that that means a whole lot, it doesn't mean a whole lot to me.

       Q.  How prepared were you for that game in Week Two?

        ELI MANNING:  I was mentally prepared.  I didn't get much reps that week.  The only day I practiced was on Friday, and even then was limited to certain throws.

        But during the game I felt good.  I made some throws down the field.  I thought really that game, we started off pretty well.  We moved the ball decently.  We got into the red zone a few times, and we just had to settle for field goals, had a miss, we missed a field goal, just didn't get many touchdowns.

        We did some good things, just didn't finish drives.  So hopefully this time if we get down there, we can get in the end zone and get touchdowns.  It's going to be a new game, it's going to be a whole different feel.  I think both teams are playing better football now than they were at the beginning of the season.  So we've just got to go out there and see what kind of game it's going to be.

        Q.  Can you characterize how you think coach Coughlin's game plans have evolved over the years as far as you're concerned?  How have his demands on you have changed?

        ELI MANNING:  I don't know if they've changed a whole lot.  I think he probably has ­­ between he and Coach Gilbride probably more confidence in me. Hey, we're going to call a play.  If they show certain looks or have faith in you to check out or get us into a better play where you have more command of what's going on, and that just comes with having a better feel for the game, having a better understanding of what your offense is.

        This will be my fourth year in the same offense.  That helps.  And it's not only me, but having the offensive line, having a lot of the receivers, tight ends, being able to understand your checks and being able to get on the same page.  We don't do a whole lot of checking, but certain times, certain looks, it's put on my responsibility to get us into a good play.

        Q.  The Packer corners like to press.  How does that affect you as a quarterback?  Do you have to hold longer or what?

        ELI MANNING:  Possibly.  With them pressing, getting their hands on the receivers, it can affect the timing of your routes.  We like to drop back five steps, get the ball out, where you might have to hold it another half a count just so the receivers get their depth or get off the press.  But I think we should be okay.

        I think if you think of our receivers, they're pretty physical receivers themselves, Plaxico and Amani, bigger guys where they're going to get pressed up and that's fine with us.  We have our answers, and we should be able to be physical with their corners, also.

        Q.  I know you talked about this a couple days ago, but going up against Brett Favre in a game of this magnitude, do you relish the opportunity to be on that stage with him in this environment, this game?

        ELI MANNING:  Again, our mindset as an offense is on their defense.  That's our concern.  That's what we've been preparing for.  Obviously you know Brett is on their team; that's his team and he's the leader and he's a great player and a fun player to watch.  I've grown up watching him and still like to watch him play football.

        But again, our mindset as an offense is, hey, we've got to find a way to score points.  We've got to find a way to keep the ball in our hands and keep the ball away from him and keep their offense from getting hot and having a lot whole of opportunities with the ball.

      Q.  What do you think of all the fans' focus on Brett Favre in this game?

        ELI MANNING:  I think it's great.  He's deserving of it.  He's a great player.  You know, he decided to comeback for another year and has had an unbelievable season and has led his team this far, so that's fine with us.  The more focus on Green Bay I think the better for the Giants.

        Q.  On the road we've seen what you guys have done this year.  Obviously you still want to win the Super Bowl this year, but do you see a future this team has built, not just for this year but for years to come?

        ELI MANNING:  I don't know, my focus is on this week.  We're not thinking about the future.  We're not thinking about next week, we're not thinking about next year.  Our focus is on Sunday getting ready to play the Green Bay Packers.

        Q.  You're on the road, in a big spot, Lambeau Field, the whole bit.  How do you expect your team to respond now that we're 52 hours away?

        ELI MANNING:  I think we're going to respond the way we've responded every game on the road and every game this year.  We understand it's going to be tough conditions, we understand you're playing at Lambeau Field, it's going to be loud.  You're playing against a good team.  You know, you can't ask for a much harder situation to go into, and I think we're prepared for it.

        We've been game tested and put through a lot of things this year.  And the last couple years with a lot of these guys we've gone through a lot of situations, and I think we're ready for this opportunity.

       Q.  What's it like for your family, your dad?  Every year it's Peyton playing in the big game.  Now you're playing in this game.  What's it been like for your dad, your parents?

        ELI MANNING:  My parents, my mom, my dad, Cooper, my brother, Peyton, everybody has been very supportive.  I've gotten tons of phone calls, tons of text messages.  My dad, he stays away, though.  I talked to him earlier in the week, but he's not calling every day or giving different advice.  We're staying with the same schedule, same routine.  You know, they're very supportive of me, and they're supportive of me and Peyton the same and proud that I'm in this situation.

       Q.  Is Peyton coming to the game?

        ELI MANNING:  Peyton is not coming, he's just going to watch it on TV.

        Q.  Do you have a Seinfeld DVD?

        ELI MANNING:  Yeah, a bunch has been sent, but I already had the set anyways, so it didn't really matter.

        Q.  Did it make you smile, seeing all this reaction?

        ELI MANNING:  Yeah, it's pretty funny.  You've got to enjoy it.  They said they're not playing it Saturday because they heard I liked it.  I don't think it matters.  I've seen every episode anyway, so I'm not going to miss anything on it.  Again, you take it all in, you smile at it and you don't really give it a lot of thought.

       Q.  Have you ever talked to him, Jerry Seinfeld?

        ELI MANNING:  I have not talked to him, never.

       Q.  The way Green Bay's corners like to get physical with receivers, will that change at all the way you approach the game?

        ELI MANNING:  No, it doesn't change the way I approach the game.  You've just got to know that they are going to be physical, they are going to get their hands on you.  They've been called for a lot of defensive penalties, also.  So we've just got to understand if they do get their hands on you, you can't give up, you can't quit fighting.  You've got to try to keep fighting to get open; either they're going to call a penalty or you've just got to keep working.  We have some ideas to try to take that and use it to our advantage, and it's just a matter of can we do that on Sunday.

    Q.  (Indiscernible.)

        ELI MANNING:  Predicted it?  I had high hopes for our team.  I think at the beginning of the season I knew we had good players, I knew we had talented guys.  It was just a matter of being in the right situation and catching a few breaks here and there, so I don't think this is out of the ordinary or this is a total surprise for our team.  I think we have high expectations for ourselves and think that we're a pretty good team.