By David Campbell / Dothan News

Lawrence Tynes battled the weather and the pressure, and the former Troy kicker booted the New York Giants into another Super Bowl.

Tynes hit a 31-yard field goal in overtime to send the Giants to the Feb. 5 Super Bowl against the New England Patriots. It looked easier than the 47-yarder he hit four years ago, also in overtime, at Green Bay to put the Giants in the Super Bowl.

“They’re both kicks to go to the Super Bowl and they have their own circumstance, but pressure-wise, they’re both the same,” Tynes said on Monday. “It was (shorter this year), but the weather was terrible. I saw the TV copy and it didn’t really do it justice. The rain was three different ways, the wind was howling, especially in overtime when the wind really picked up and was howling.”

Tynes, now in his fifth year with the Giants, was a bit more at ease before the kick Sunday than he was in 2008, when he had missed a kick near the end of regulation which would have won it. The end result was the same – mass celebration.

“I think having done it before really helped calm me down a little bit,” Tynes said. “It’s a great feeling, to celebrate with your teammates most important, those are the guys that do all the work, you jump up, bang heads, slap each other around, that’s the best part of it. Jerrel (Jernigan) was one of the first guys I found, so that was really cool.”

Tynes, Jernigan and Osi Umenyiora are three former Troy Trojans who now play for the Giants. The Trojan presence in the Giants locker room is a big one.

“We’ve got the most players from one school in our locker room,” Tynes said. “Well, Boston College has three and I think Miami has three, too, but we hold our own in there. We’re always talking Troy in there. For the most part, we’ve won more games than most of these other schools.”

Tynes said his celebrity rose a little bit after his first big kick in 2008. He’ll get recognized every now and then – not as much as star quarterback Eli Manning, but enough. However, his twin 4-year-old sons hear even more about him. Caleb and Jaden were only a few months old after the 2008 NFC title game, but now know that their father kicks footballs for a living.

“They go to a little private school here in town,” Tynes said. “All the kids and teachers know what I do. They’re at an age now where they know Daddy plays football. Jaden actually told me that he told people to stop talking about his daddy today because everyone was talking about me. It was pretty funny.

“They know I kick. Before a game, they say Daddy, kick it high and far. It’ll be pretty cool to have them at the game.”

The twins didn’t go to California, but they will be at the Super Bowl in Indianapolis. They attend most home games, Tynes said.

“They’ll stick around for a half,” Tynes said. “The Giants have a really nice childcare facility and they’d almost rather go down there and be with their buddies that they’ve grown up with.”

Tynes, 33, is the oldest member of the New York Giants. He spent a year in NFL Europe, two years in Canada and three with the Kansas City Chiefs before being traded to New York in 2008. Kickers, if they’re still consistently making kicks, have longer careers than most NFL players. Tynes said he’d like to play at least until he’s 40.

“I’ve had a goal to play to 40,” Tynes said. “I feel as healthy as I’ve ever been and strong as I’ve ever been at this stage, so I don’t see why not. Plus, they moved the kickoffs up five yards, so that’s been a big help.

“There’s 32 guys in the world that do this. It’s tough to get in. It’s even tougher to stick around. Once you make kicks and make big kicks and be a consistent player, you’ll last a while.”

By Matt Kawahara and Matthew Barrows / Sacramento Bee

SANTA CLARA – Colin Jones is the first to admit that dancing is not his forte. Nor, said the 49ers safety, has he fully deciphered the lyrics of the song that plays at Candlestick Park each time the 49ers' kickoff team takes the field.

But "Tony Montana," a popular song by the Atlanta rapper Future, has become a kind of pump-up anthem for the 49ers' special teams. So while David Akers tees up the ball for kickoffs, Jones bobs along with the other nine members of the coverage unit – one that ranked among the NFL's stingiest this season.

"Just trying to fit in," Jones said, grinning. "I enjoy it, though. When you see everybody getting involved, just getting hopped up, it's always good."

The 49ers' coverage teams led the league during the regular season in terms of pinning opponents deep in their own territory. On average, opposing offenses started drives just beyond their own 24-yard line against the 49ers.

That mark was even better at home, where the average starting field position of the 49ers' opponents was inside their own 21-yard line.

It wasn't until halfway through the season, though, that "Tony Montana" – a salty tune that references the main character of the 1983 film "Scarface" – made its debut at Candlestick Park.

 "In the linebacker room, Ahmad Brooks used to always listen to it," said Blake Costanzo, one of the 49ers' leaders on special teams. "We'd be like, 'Why are you listening to this song?' He'd always be getting pumped to it. It was just as a joke.

"Then we were like, 'Our special teams needs something. You know, let's do something, let's have some fun with it.' We thought it would be a fun thing to do, and it just took off since then."

Players requested that the song be played at home games starting in Week 10 against the New York Giants. It is now played whenever kickoff units are on the field and in the locker room before away games.

On Friday, as the 49ers broke their final practice before they again play the Giants in Sunday's NFC Championship Game, "Tony Montana" played from speakers on the practice field.

The song has caught on to the point that the 49ers actually flew Future in last weekend for their divisional playoff game against the New Orleans Saints – a game in which the coverage units were particularly effective.

The Saints, who ranked third in the NFL this season in yards per kickoff return, started their average drive on their own 22-yard line and fumbled twice on returns.

Both fumbles were recovered by the 49ers' coverage teams, which had forced two turnovers all season.

"You see everybody competing," said Anthony Dixon, another other fixture on special teams. "You look over to the next guy, and he's running four-flat or 4.2 (seconds). You're like, I can run 4-flat, 4.2, too."

In the spirit of friendly competition, Dixon said 49ers special teams coach Brad Seely awards points to players for various actions – such as a tackle, a forced fumble or an assist – and adds them to a "point board" in the meeting room.

"We look at that, and we argue over points," Dixon said. "We argue over half a tackle. You make it fun, but at the same time you're competing with your brothers."

It's a sentiment that, perhaps, would resonate with Future himself.

Reached by phone Friday, the rapper explained that "Tony Montana" is "… about making sure you come out on top some kind of way, even if you have to give everything."

Future said he didn't have a chance to meet any 49ers players last Saturday but hopes to this weekend. The 49ers plan to fly him in again for the NFC title game.

And as for any regrets he may have over his song being adopted by the 49ers rather than his hometown Atlanta Falcons?

"You understand that this is a business," the rapper said. "And there are certain things that business requires you to do."