Kevin,

You know I would love to see Jenkins featured in the game plan. I've been eager to see the team find ways to use both him and James since the beginning of the season.

And here's a really good reason.. As you mentioned earlier, Manningham, Williams and Hunter are all absent from the offense. Three mid-sized yeomen ball carriers/catchers with fast legs. Gone.

So now Grandpa Moss is being used like a true #2 receiver. And Ted Ginn is being inserted for plays. And I suspect you know as well as I do that the first thing the Falcons will want to achieve in this game is to render Michael Crabtree a non-factor, as the New York Giants did last year at this stage.

That means that the tight ends Davis and Walker become necessary targets, or that a new, unexpected wide receiver threat has to be found. Jenkins is the only real candidate for the role.

Hey at least it's not in the same category as looking for the likes of Swain or Hastings to save us, but this is not going to be an easy game, and if the 49ers find themselves down 14 points early - which I fear is highly possible given the receivers Ryan has to throw to - we are going to need some serious heroics from anyone who can catch the ball in our offense.

Scary stat: the 49ers' record in the last 6 NFC championship games it has appeared in - 1-5.

We're going into a lion's den this Sunday, and you can never be totally sure that you can beat the lion.

So yeah, I'm trepidacious. I'd like to be giddy. Victories like last week's tend to make one giddy. The way I was giddy after last year's divisional round. And then...the Giants. They didn't look like much of a threat last year coming into SF, and neither do the Falcons, at first glance, waiting down there in Georgia.

Well... forewarned and all that. I hope our heroes go march through Georgia and lay awesome waste about them.