Niners coming after Giants quarterback Eli Manning

• Manning was sacked six times in NFC Championship Game
• Giants quarterback was hit 12 times, according to stat sheet
• Niners coach Jim Harbaugh gives Manning "10 out of 10, in terms of respect"

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The San Francisco 49ers' defensive players will tell you they already respected Eli Manning before last season's NFC Championship Game, when he took one of the worst poundings in a big game in recent NFL history.

They'll say they didn't need to see that image of Manning – with the left side of his shoulder pads sticking out of the neck hole of his jersey, mud on his left forearm, his chinstrap knocked up over his mouth and grass in his face mask, while still having the sense to call a timeout – to appreciate his toughness.

Truth is, he surprised even them at times. And earned their respect.

"One time when Aldon (Smith) got him, I didn't know if he was going to get up. But he did," safety Donte Whitner told USA TODAY Sports last week, referring to the hit that led to the rearrangement of Manning's helmet and pads. "He finished the game and did a good job of moving the football, getting it to the open guys and allowing them to make plays. You respect the fact he was able to get up and lead his team to a victory in that game.

"You always have to respect the guys that go out there, take a couple of hits, go through a little adversity and are still able to pull it out."

Before the focus of Sunday's rematch shifted to the flap between Giants offensive coordinator and 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh over how Gilbride thinks Justin Smith "gets away with murder" via on-field holds that aren't flagged, much of the talk was about the physicality of the Niners' defense and Manning's hanging in there in January.

Manning was sacked six times and hit 12 times, according to the official stat book, but he was unaffected. He kept bravely taking shots while attempting to throw passes into tight spots on a cold, slick, rainy afternoon at Candlestick Park. In the end, it was a forced fumble by Jacquian Williams on punt returner Kyle Williams that made the difference, but Manning's outstanding throw to Mario Manningham for a 17-yard touchdown was one of the big plays that led to the victory and the trip to Super Bowl XLVI.

The 49ers' defense couldn't break Manning. They'll try again on Sunday.

"Man, I told them, 'You're going to have to keep hitting Eli. He's going to get his (butt) up,'" Manningham, now a member of the 49ers after four seasons with the Giants, said the other day. "I've never seen a time he's stayed down there. That's not in his blood. He's going to get up."

Manningham said in his short time with San Francisco, he's already seen the Niners' defense affect quarterbacks.

"There are quarterbacks out there where if you keep hitting them, they're going to be looking at the sideline for the backup to come in," Manningham said. "Not him though."

Manningham wasn't the only one in the Niners' camp complimenting Manning leading up to this game.

"He's a magician," head coach Jim Harbaugh said. "The things that he gets out of, gets into, throws that he makes, things that he sees and the way that he's able to execute. That's one of the words I would use to describe him. Also, just a football player. That's pretty much the highest compliment you can give a football player."

When asked specifically about the toughness Manning showed in January, Harbaugh said, "From a respect standpoint, I have the highest respect for him. Ten out of 10, in terms of respect."

Even during an otherwise comedic, tongue-in-cheek four-minute session with reporters on Friday, during which he discussed Gilbride's comments, Justin Smith got serious for a moment while discussing Manning.

"He's a good quarterback. A lot of people don't give him the respect he deserves," said Smith, who had a sack and three hits on Manning in the NFC Championship. "I think he's definitely one of the top three or four quarterbacks in the league. It's going to be a tough game. He's going to do what he's coming here to do, move the ball, move the chains and score some points. We're going to have to have the same philosophy going into this one we had the last one to hold him down."

Respect goes both ways in this one – aside from Gilbride's comment on Smith, of course.

The Giants' offensive players know they're about to again face arguably the most physical defense in the league, one that Manningham said will leave opposing players sore "for 3½ days" after a game. However, the Giants' players appreciate how a defense that plays so fast and physically does so without an abundance of illegal hits and with minimal chirping.

"From experience, I know there are some guys who can talk a little bit. But it seems with the changes (to the coaching staff) that have been made there, there's not a whole lot of talking," said tight end Bear Pascoe, who had a touchdown in the NFC Championship. "They're about showing up and hitting you in the mouth and they've hung their hats on that the past couple of years."

Said guard Chris Snee of the lack of yapping, "I'm sure that's a product of their leaders, Justin Smith and Patrick Willis, guys who take pride in what they do and don't feel the need to talk. And I'm sure their head coach as well. They've definitely play football the way it was meant to be played, which only makes me respect them even more."

Pascoe said it'll be a game in which each player will have to "buckle his chinstrap – twice, maybe." Perhaps it would be wise for Manning to do so, in order to prevent it from sliding up to his mouth once again.

"We also had 64 drop-backs last year. You throw the ball that many times, you're going to take hits," Manning said. "Hopefully, we can have a good balance of the run and pass.

"You're going to get hit sometimes playing quarterback. You don't worry about that."