Amani Toomer has accepted his role as a father figure of sorts in the Giants’ locker room, along with Michael Strahan. But it should be noted that Toomer, 33, ranks as only the fourth-oldest player on the Giants behind Strahan, Sam Madison, and punter Jeff Feagles. So Toomer’s youthful burst the past few weeks in helping the Giants win two road playoff games shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, he says.

“I guess when I was younger, I didn’t really appreciate what was going on,” Toomer said yesterday. “Things happen so fast when you’re playing. The finality of the playoffs is something that you don’t really understand as a young player because there very few times you get into a situation where if you don’t win, you’re done, the season is over. You’re packing your bags and talking about what you’re going to do in the off-season.”

In their first game of the playoffs (the win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Toomer got the Giants’ scoring started after three straight three-and-outs, catching a short pass and turning it upfield for 17 yards and the touchdown. He later scored the touchdown in the fourth quarter that put the game on ice — and fulfilled his patriarchal duties of chewing out youngsters Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, who were taunting the Tampa fans with time still on the clock.

Having been at the bottom — and many Giants and their fans would describe that as the playoff loss in San Francisco in 2003 — Toomer knows how quickly it all can evaporate. And considering the hard-to-believe fact that he, Strahan, and Rich Seubert are the only guys who will play Sunday (with Jeremy Shockey out) that were on the team during that 39–38 loss, it’s worth reminding the younger guys to keep it in check. But that age and experience is also why Toomer is having so much fun lately. After last weekend’s upset win in Dallas, in which he caught a 52-yard touchdown pass to kick off the scoring and led the way with four big catches for 80 yards, Toomer said the team’s recent success has put things in perspective and that he appreciates it more now that he has gone around the block a few times.

“It’s definitely special,” Toomer said. “I’ve been in the league 12 years, and I’ve been in this situation twice. It’s one of those things that you never really can take for granted because it might be everybody’s last time doing this no matter what year it is for you.”

Strahan and Toomer, likely doing their best Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman impressions, were holding court the entire way back on the plane from Dallas, just talking, reminiscing, looking back at the game. Just like old times. Next on the Bucket List: Beat Green Bay. After that: Get back to the Super Bowl.

“I sat behind Amani on the plane coming back and he was really wired,” head coach Tom Coughlin said. “He is excited, and it is a great thing to see him enjoying it.”

A month ago, as the Giants were struggling to be consistent, Toomer’s name started floating around. It was his 12th season. He is going to turn 34 at the start of next season. He suffered a serious knee injury last season. His production had leveled off this year and he hadn’t had a 100-yard game since Week 2 of the 2006 season. In the Giants’ lowest point of the season, a 22–10 home loss to the Redskins, Toomer was held without a catch for the first time in a game he started in two years.

But Toomer’s season turned around right in sync with the Giants, winning four of five games from that point and taking the unbeaten Patriots to the brink of their first loss. The smile is back, and even the young guys are feeding off the old-school enthusiasm.

“Toomer is an old animal; Toomer is a baller, no doubt about that,” Jacobs said.

Much of the talk has centered on the improvements of Eli Manning, who is perhaps playing the best ball of his career. If there’s anyone who can appreciate the up-and-down nature of the game, it’s the quarterback who has gone from the outhouse to the penthouse.

“The last two weeks he has had some great catches, but really, all season he’s been a guy who steps up and makes big plays for us and he has a great attitude and works hard during practice and in games,” Manning said. “He is excited about being here as much as anyone. He has been in this league a long time and he knows you don’t get these opportunities very often and you have to make the most of them.”

His recent flurry suggests that Toomer has something left before his Giants career ends — but that’s not to say that the veterans don’t appreciate what’s going on.

“The older guys understand, especially someone like [Strahan] who was on the brink of retirement this year, knowing how important it is to get to this step,” Feagles said.

And you know who will be there to keep the younger players on point.

“Yeah, if I heard anybody in the locker room that thought, oh, this is going to happen every year, I would tell them that there’s only one team a year that goes this far in our conference and the percentages of getting back here are pretty small, so they better take this like I take it,” Toomer said. “You can’t take it for granted.”

Mr. Edholm, a senior editor at Pro Football Weekly, can be reached at eedholm@pfwmedia.com.