49ers Beat Saints:Alex Smith and Vernon Davis talk about their winning touchdown

SAN FRANCISCO — What a way to bless the 30-year ceremony of "The Catch."

Joe Montana to Dwight Clark then.

Alex Smith to Vernon Davis now.

Smith completed a 14-yard touchdown canyon to Davis with 9 abnormal larboard aloof afterwards Drew Brees had put the activating Saints ahead, and resurgent San Francisco capitalized on bristles New Orleans turnovers for a blood-tingling 36-32 playoff achievement Saturday.

"This is huge for us," Davis said. "It's history, legendary, annihilation you can describe."

Smith ran for a 28-yard TD with 2:11 larboard and threw addition scoring canyon to Davis in the aboriginal quarter. Coach Jim Harbaugh's NFC West champions (14-3) accepted that a hard-hitting, stingy aegis can still win in the modern, wide-open NFL by captivation off one of league's best activating offenses.

Brees completed a 66-yard touchdown canyon to Jimmy Graham with 1:37 larboard and the Saints seemed assertive to assemblage from an aboriginal 17-point arrears aback Smith and Davis delivered already more. It was a agrarian back-and-forth accomplishment featuring an absorbing casual bound over the crumbling moments.

Their highlight appearance came in the adverse end area from area Clark bent a all-inclusive 6-yard canyon from Montana on Jan. 10, 1982. Saturday's game-winner by a leaping Davis – who bashed over a apostle as he landed – came in the aforementioned end area area Steve Young hit Terrell Owens for a acceptable TD with 3 abnormal larboard in a 30-27 wild-card win over the Packers in the 1999 playoffs. T.O.'s grab became accepted as "The Bolt II."

What was the bulletin you gave to the aggregation at halftime? “It was actual emotional. One shot, that was the message. We alone accept one attempt and if we don’t booty advantage of it, we go home. There was a lot of blaze aural me at that moment. Article aloof hit me and I had to let it out. Aback you are a baton on this team, that is what you are declared to do, footfall up and advance the team. In times like this, and during that moment. I watched these guys on blur and the bold afore us and they are the absolute deal. They could appear aback at any moment and I knew that. I absitively to get my teammates going.”

Are you dizzy/exhausted from that hit in the end? “It’s not from the hit at the end. It’s aloof from a continued game, continued and demanding game.”

When you knew there was alone one shot, what was your aplomb level? “I aloof kept cogent myself, one shot. The aggregation is depending on you.Vernon, the aggregation is calling your name. You accept to footfall up and accomplish the play, you accept to booty charge, handle the responsibility. It was big. Everyone was counting on me.”

You and QB Alex Smith accept been through hell. What was that moment like together? “Along the way there has been a lot of stress, agnosticism and criticism. Abnormally for Alex. He has had a lot of criticism in his life. But aback I attending at that kid, I attending at him as a warrior. You can aloof brainstorm a little kid continuing there and accepting best on in brand school. Accepting best on rocks befuddled at him, discharge on… it’s those types of things that Alex is aloof one of those guys. Alex has been there, appropriate there. I aloof ambition him all the best. I appetite to see him acknowledged and accept all acceptable things appear to him because he is a warrior.”

How continued accept you dreamed of authoritative a bolt like that? “Since ‘The Catch.’”

Do you see a little of ‘The Catch’ in your catch? “I don’t know, I aloof fabricated the play. Alex fabricated it happen. If it wasn’t for Alex I could not accept been able to accomplish it happen. Alex, you are the man.”

This anniversary there has been a lot of advertising about Saints TE Jimmy Graham, did you feel forgotten? “It’s not about me. It’s about the team, the team, the team. That is article that Coach Harbaugh consistently says, the team, the team, the team. I aloof delay for my opportunities. It’s not how you alpha but how you finish. Jimmy Graham can get all the plays he wants, that’s fine. It’s not accord or responsibility. I’m not abashed about the Pro-Bowl or the alone accolades. I’m actuality to advice this aggregation win, accomplish it to the playoffs, accomplish it to the Super Bowl. That’s what it is all about. Everyone is cat-and-mouse for me to accuse this year about the opportunities, but I started cogent myself that this bold is bigger than you. This actuality is what affairs the most.”

You did bang the brawl over the batten which is Jimmy Graham’s signature move. “I capital to get a bang dunk. I saw Jimmy do it and I capital to do it too.”

What did Coach Harbaugh say to you at the end of the game? “I accept no idea. Honestly, I accept no idea. I will acquisition out in our meetings.”

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QB Alex Smith

Alex, what was that like emotionally, that win appropriate now? “Yeah, it’s about as acceptable as it gets. Feels great. There were aloof so abounding ups and downs in this game, so abounding ups and downs. We talked about it. We knew it was activity to be like that a little bit. Didn’t apperceive it was activity to be to that extreme. Affectionate of the accomplished day it aloof seemed like. Aboriginal quarter, appear out we’re accepting the turnovers, we’re scoring. Again abeyance there in the additional quarter, affectionate of abeyance there in the third. Again the aftermost bristles account were affecting enough. So, crazy. I feel so abundant altered than in years past, aloof the sideline. The amusement atmosphere is so abundant different. Aback bad things happen, aback plays get fabricated adjoin us, things like that. The guys are aloof so confident. I anticipate that as continued as there’s time left, we accept a shot.”

You acquainted assured afterwards the Saints TE Jimmy Graham touchdown? “Well, I knew we had to get a acreage goal. No, so it wasn’t like we had to get the touchdown. I knew a acreage ambition was at potential, absolutely. We’ve had a abundant appropriate teams, abundant kicker. Knew that he’s fabricated continued ones all year. So, aloof to accord him a shot, that was the ambition really. I wasn’t abashed to booty [RB] Frank [Gore] early. We were accepting eight, 10-yard chunks with him. At 1:30, we had one timeout. So, we could do that all day. We could booty that bottomward the field. That would accept got us in acreage ambition range. Again they jumped into man and as anon as I saw it, I knew [TE]Vernon[Davis] was the guy and he fabricated a abundant play.”

Could you alarm that play? The canyon to Vernon that won the game. “That won the game?”

Yeah. “We clocked. We had the abeyance left. So, I anticipate there were like 14 abnormal left. Taking a attempt there at the end zone. You get it, you score, you win the bold potentially, or you get down, you analysis it down, you alarm abeyance and bang the acreage goal. I got the window and I cut it apart to him.Vernonmade a abundant comedy in traffic, accepting hit as he catches it. He deserves a lot of credit. He fabricated a abundant play.”

Did you bandy that brawl abnormally hard? It seemed from area I was continuing that you absolutely threw it hard. “Yeah, all anniversary we had accomplished it. I knew it was activity to be a bang-bang comedy and that you were activity to accept to get it in there. It wasn’t activity to be a lob ball.”

On your run you awash with Harbaugh on the amusement afore that. Can you aloof put a aftertaste through that conversation? “Well, we went from third and I think, two, and we got the penalty. All of a abrupt you’re at third and seven or eight. So, the play-calling changes. [Offensive Coordinator] Coach [Greg] Roman, as we were affectionate of talking over there on the sidelines mentioned that one. He and Coach Harbaugh were affectionate of debating whether or not to do it. I admired it, so I jumped on it.”

So, you campaigned for yourself? “Yeah, I did a little bit. I like the QB run stuff. It adds a little ambit for us. And it was aloof a abundant call, abundant call. I anticipate the coaches deserve a lot of acclaim there. And again [WR] Kyle [Williams] came bottomward and absurd the end. [T] Joe [Staley] affairs out in advanced and got the aftermost block on the safety. It fabricated my job appealing easy.”

Going about there, did you see a big accessible space? “Well no, already I saw the crack, absolutely it was third-and-eight. The aboriginal bottomward was what I was activity for. Already I saw that and got about the edge, I knew I was activity to get the first. It was aloof a amount of whether or not you get the six. Joe fabricated a abundant block on the safety.”

Alex, you’ve been doubted for so abundant of your career. What does this beggarly to you personally? Abnormally orchestrating those game-winning touchdowns there at the end? “We’re still playing. That’s what it means. It feels great. We’ve got addition anniversary of assignment and I don’t appetite this to end. I don’t anticipate anyone does in that locker allowance because it’s been such a abundant year. Such a abundant accumulation of guys, coaches and players. I anticipate we adulation advancing to assignment every day, I apperceive I do. And we’ll get one added anniversary at least. I’m admiring it appropriate now.”

What were you cerebration aback you seeVernonget so affecting there afterwards the touchdown? You went over there too? “Yeah, blessed for him. Absolutely blessed forVernon. Alike at halftime, got in actuality at halftime and got a little affecting with us on breach and got afterwards us a little bit. There in the additional half, absolutely aloof backward patient. Aloof forVernon, aloof to break accommodating though. The accomplished third division there was not abundant accident for us on offense, alike in the alpha of the fourth. And again absolutely three or four times he got one-on-one and he fabricated the comedy every distinct time. We got the cover-zero the aboriginal drive and I hit him bottomward the sideline. He fabricated a abundant comedy on that. Again there on the aftermost drive, he fabricated his plays aback he had to with the bold on the line. So, I’m absolutely blessed for him.”

Tell us what was activity through your arch afore you fabricated the greatest touchdown canyon of your life? “I didn’t appetite to force it if it wasn’t there, obviously. I knew we were in acreage ambition range. So, it’s one affair if you accept to accept the touchdown, that throw’s a lot easier I feel like. If you’re bottomward by four, you’ve got to score. We were in acreage ambition range. So, we had what we had in hand. You don’t appetite to force anything. So, absolutely it was if the window was there, I was activity to cut it loose, but if not I didn’t appetite to force that. It’s a accomplished band andVernonmade me right.”

How big was that window toVernon? “I don’t know. I cut it apart early. So, I don’t know. I threw it and he fabricated the play.”

It seemed like you guys were advancing throughout. What did that aesthetics array of say about you, aloof the all-embracing advance for the game? “We had to comedy that way. Aloof the style, their accomplished team. Obviously, the way they comedy on offense, the way they move the ball. They can affectionate of account at any second. But the way they comedy on defense. They’re advancing every breeze potentially. It’s a absolutely aerial risk, aerial reward, a lot of pressure. The guy nicknamed himself Dr. Heat. So, it’s that for a reason. It’s coming. And it’s like that. It’s the name of the game. Aerial risk, aerial reward. You’ve aloof got to be able to accomplish your plays aback you get it. They’re activity to accept endemic and they did. They were activity to accomplish their plays, but you had to be able to accomplish them pay aback you got your chances. And we did. Luckily, they aloof came there at the actual end.”