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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The defending Super Bowl champions were back on the practice field for the first time this offseason on Wednesday, taking part in the team's first OTA (Organized Team Activity) workout.

Almost every player on the roster was in attendance, despite the fact that OTAs are technically optional -- Osi Umenyiora being the most notable exception. Fellow defensive lineman Justin Tuck was present though, and afterwards he defended the "dynasty" talk that he started last week at the Giants' ring ceremony.

"Why wouldn’t I feel that way," Tuck said. "I don’t need to be playing the game if I’m not thinking about winning a championship every year.

"I feel very confident in this team’s talents and this coaching staff, and I believe we have that shot [at being a dynasty]. Me saying it, is that gonna make it happen? Absolutely not, but we do have a shot at it."

In general, the Giants seemed excited to be back in action, going through a spirited practice (without pads) that lasted a little more than an hour.

"It’s just great to be back on the field, practicing," said quarterback Eli Manning. "Wear a helmet. And competing against a defense a little bit."

"I’m glad to be back out here on this field," said wide receiver Victor Cruz. "Glad to be having this helmet back on, and these gloves, and getting back out there and catching some footballs."

Neither Manning nor Cruz spoke quite as strongly when asked about Tuck's "dynasty" comments, but both sounded confident about the upcoming year.

"I think of trying to get better for next year, that’s the mindset," Manning said. "The season ended up well, but if you look at our regular season, we still lost seven games. There’s a lot of room for improvement."

"Winning the Super Bowl last year, everybody kinda looked around and understood that we have the pieces in place to be a very good team for a very long time," Cruz said. "Dynasty? Too early to tell, but we’ll see what happens as the years come along."

Giants coach Tom Coughlin has high expectations. "I think we’ve kind of raised the bar for our own performance," Coughlin said, "whether it be in meetings, on the practice field, on the game field -- that’s what I want to see."

Several rookies who could play key roles this season got their first taste of action with the veterans on Wednesday, including running back David Wilson and wide receiver Rueben Randle, the team's first- and second-round draft picks.

"The development of these young guys is real important," said Coughlin. "Just to learn the new language is really critical."

Linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka believes the team's relative youth will serve it well in 2012.

"We’re a very motivated team," Kiwanuka said. "There are a lot of guys that even though they’ve had success, they have a lot left to accomplish in their careers. I think that’s gonna work in our favor.

"From the coaching staff on down, everybody’s just hungry to win another one. It doesn’t matter how many we win, we’re always gonna want another one. We’re in a good spot. Yeah, we enjoyed the championship -- we have the rings, and they look nice -- but we’re ready to move on."

The New York Giants receive their rings tonight at Tiffany & Co. and here's the official look at what the front of the ring will look like.

It appears that the design Steve Weatherford tweeted yesterday is indeed the ring designed with input from team ownership, general manager Jerry Reese, head coach Tom Coughlin and captains Eli Manning, Justin Tuck and Zak DeOssie.

"After a few meetings, Tiffany came up with several different options that they showed us and you kind of picked from there," Manning said in a news release by the team. "We wanted it to be little different than the last ring."

The captains also gathered input from teammates to come up with the white gold ring which has blue in it. The top is covered in round diamonds that are pave set and there are four Vince Lombardi trophies for the Giants' four Super Bowl victories. Each is set with a marquis diamond representing the football.

The four trophies surround a Giants NY logo set with round diamonds that includes an outline of blue enamel. There are also 37 blue sapphires channel set on the outer bezel of the top of the ring. It says "2011 WORLD CHAMPIONS NEW YORK GIANTS" around the bezel.

"I think all of us wanted to have some blue in the ring, from the ownership down," Tuck said. "We wanted to make the ring different from the ring we had earlier. The '08 ring had no color in it -- it was just white diamonds. We wanted those to sparkle a little bit more and stand out a little bit more. We talked to guys on the team and the consensus was a lot of guys wanted to see more color in the ring."

On one side of the ring, there's the Giants logo, the Lombardi Trophy, the NFL shield and "Super Bowl XLVI" with the final score "NYG 21 NE 17." The opposite side has the player's name, the Giants' circular logo with the player's number in the center and the year 1925 (when the franchise was founded). The lower palm side of the ring lists the four seasons the Giants won the Super Bowl in 1986, 1990, 2007 and 2011.

And engraved on the inside of the ring are the words "Finish" and "All In" which were the team's inspirational mottos this past season.

"We kept our teammates' best interests in mind, so we wanted something that would appeal to everybody in the locker room," DeOssie said. "We gave some thoughts on the design and then Tiffany came in with five or six models. They were beautiful."

"We wanted something a little more modest, but at the same time you can't help but notice it is a championship ring," DeOssie added. "The owners deferred to us as the players and we got everything we wanted. We went back and forth three or four times in an email chain. I think everyone was on board with the one we picked and couldn't be happier about it."

Manning likes the blue in the ring.

"The blue makes it a little different," Manning said. “We wanted some blue -- the Giants are Big Blue. We definitely wanted to get a little blue to spark it up a little bit."

"We wanted to get a few things that were significant to this season –- 'Finish' on the inside," Manning added. "Things like that make the ring special."

The Giants will receive their rings tonight at Tiffany & Co. as they walk on a blue carpet as they did in 2008.

"[Michael Strahan] talked about the 10-table ring," Tuck said of the ring from Super Bowl XLII. "He wanted a ring you could see from 10 tables away. I talked about the restaurant ring. I wanted one that was big enough to see throughout whatever restaurant you go in and see it from each corner."

Justin Tuck went through the most painful season of his career last year.

He dealt with shoulder, neck, groin, ankle and toe injuries. He persevered and won his second Super Bowl and now he thinks he has to work even harder not only to remain a champion but to also stay healthy.

Tuck says that he may have not worked as hard last offseason as he usually does, due to the uncertainty with the lockout, and he thinks that may have played a part in his injuries.

"I am just working harder," Tuck said. "I think last year with all the uncertainty around football, I might've 'laxed' a little bit with my regimens and I guarantee you that won't be the case this year."

"They say that fatigue can make a coward out of all of us," he continued. "When you get fatigued you start 'laxing' on technique, things like that. I think part of the reason why I got hurt early in the year is because I let my guard down and I don't see myself doing that this year."

Tuck suffered a neck/stinger injury in a preseason game against the Jets that lingered throughout the season. The defensive end had shoulder surgery shortly after the Super Bowl. He hopes that working hard will keep him focused, healthy and help the Giants repeat.

"Stay healthy," Tuck said of what he learned in 2008 when the Giants tried to repeat as champs. "Always is [the key to repeating]."

"I think I said this the last time we won the Super Bowl," Tuck added. "When you get to the top of the mountain, you don't want to go back down."

So can the Giants repeat?

"Sure we can," Tuck said.

And already, Tuck has found some added motivation for this coming season.

"I'm not the odds makers," he said of hearing a prediction for the Giants to fail. "Obviously, the experts say we won't even make the playoffs so … a lot of people have told me about it."

Could Brandon Jacobs return to the Giants? Justin Tuck hopes so.

"I hear there's still a chance that he might end up being back and you cross your fingers about that," Tuck said on Tuesday evening before he was honored at the Chabad Center for Jewish Discovery’s Founders Dinner Gala in Manhattan. "But you understand the business part of this football that we play. (If Jacobs signs elsewhere) it will be a void that Jerry Reese and the staff needs to fill and I'm sure they're working on that now."

Jacobs was released last week because he and the Giants could not agree on a pay cut to restructure his deal.

Tuck also says that he's feeling good after shoulder surgery.

When asked about the Saints and Bounty Gate, he said, "No comment. I don't pay for the Saints and we don't have bounties."

DIEHL: I'LL PLAY ANYWHERE The Giants are likely going to let right tackle Kareem McKenzie walk in free agency. Will Beatty has been cleared to return at left tackle. All of this means David Diehl could move to left guard or right tackle next season. Since Kevin Boothe played well at left guard, Diehl may find himself at right tackle next season.

Speaking Tuesday evening in Manhattan before he was honored at the Chabad Center for Jewish Discovery’s Founders Dinner Gala, Diehl said he's open to playing any position that will help the Giants.

"Whether it's at left tackle or right tackle, it's no difference to me," Diehl said.

NO DOUBTING THOMAS: Tuck said last season that Terrell Thomas could be a Pro Bowl corner. He believes the same is true for this season.

"(He) gives me a lot of more time up front to go to work," Tuck said of Thomas, who resigned with the Giants on Tuesday. "He's a heck of a corner, heck of a football player, so I'm excited."

New York is in the midst of Linsanity, but don't forget the Big Apple is the home of the Super Bowl champions.

To honor the Giants -- and make your computer monitors look smashing -- we've put together a set of four desktop backgrounds. We've posted one of them a day, ending with today's Canyon of Heroes Edition.

Here are the direct download links, for the resolution of your choice:

1900x1200 | 1680x1050 | 1440x900 | 1280x8000

1600x1200 | 1280x1024 | 1024x768 | 800x600

NEW YORK -- Justin Tuck knows that he probably won't sleep much over the next week or so in the aftermath of the Giants' Super Bowl victory.

Tuck said, after serving a few sandwiches as part of Subway's Footlong Nation Mobile Tour at a Fifth Avenue store on Thursday, that once the festivities are over, he can finally rest his ailing body and give it at least a month before even thinking about football again.

What he does not know, however, is if his friend and teammate Osi Umenyiora will be back with Big Blue for next season's run at back-to-back championships.

"I would hope so, obviously," Tuck said. "We had seven great years together being kind of that 1-2 punch on the line. We had [Michael] Strahan early in our careers and JPP [Jason Pierre-Paul] now. It's fun to play with that guy, man. I'm hoping that he can come back but, more than that, I'm hoping that he can do what's best for him and his family."

Umenyiora started the 2011 season wanting either a new contract or a trade. As the season progressed, the 30-year-old defensive end, with one year and $4 million remaining on his contract, was pushed to the bench. He was also required to play both sides of the defensive line because Pierre-Paul had a breakout season playing on the right side, where Umenyiora would normally play.

Umenyiora missed the first three games of the regular season with a knee injury. He missed another four with an ankle injury. But Umenyiora was dominant when he did play. He recorded 12 sacks in 11 games, including two on Tony Romo to clinch the NFC East. He recorded another two on Aaron Rodgers when the G-Men beat Green Bay in the second round of the playoffs.

"I know he loves New York City and I know he loves the fans and this organization," Tuck said. "He did his part. He came out and had a brilliant year. [Giants general manager] Jerry Reese is a brilliant guy when it comes to things like that. He knows how to put together a team and he knows what's best and until that happens we're all just taking a shot in the dark."

Tuck doesn't have to deal the pressure of free agency or contract negotiations like Umenyiora or Mario Manningham do, but he will have to worry about his body.

Asked about the numerous injuries he battled throughout the season to his neck, shoulder, toe and groin, Tuck said, "You can add a couple more to the list if you want."

Distracted by a ticker-tape parade and public appearances, Tuck hasn't yet had time to assess the status of his health. He said he would know by next week whether he will need offseason surgery on his ailing shoulder. Tuck said he played with more pain this season than at any point in his career.

"It was rough man," he said. "But I think our trainers did an excellent job of getting me ready for Sunday. That’s all I asked for. Football is a contact sport. You’re going to get some bumps and bruises and some hurts here and there, but I think mentally, I was in a good space those last couple games this year and that allowed me to just go out there and focus on helping my team."

Considering the Giants' 7-7 start this season, GM Jerry Reese may need to tweak things a bit. Do you have any recommendations?

Vote here in our Take 'Em or Trash 'Em poll.

All Justin Tuck could do on on the final play of the game was watch.

"I was about at the 50-yard line and the ball seemed like it was in the air for four years," the defensive end said after the game on ESPN. "I'm so glad to see that ball hit the ground. … It was up for a while and you never know how those things are going to turn out. You play a great game collectively and it's just a bounce of the ball with that thing."

That bounce would hit the ground and give Tuck his second title in four years. The defensive end once again had a stellar game in the Super Bowl, recording two sacks, including a big sack on the final drive. The defensive end recorded both of the Giants sacks in their 21-17 win.

"It feels awesome, man," Tuck said. "All glory goes to God for putting us together as a team. Another Giants team win. I had a pretty good game individually but the secondary did a great job of playing the coverage that we called and giving us time up front to go to work and we just continued to play together and when you have 11 guys that go out there and play as one, you're going to be tough to beat."

After a rough season for Tuck that involved injuries and a down season for him, as he had just five sacks during the regular season, he turned it on at the end of the year. In the biggest game of the season on Sunday, Tuck was looking like himself with his pair of sacks and plenty of other pressure on Brady in the game. He forced the safety on New England's first drive that gave the Giants a 2-0 lead which they quickly boosted to 9-0.

Tuck's effort was part of a Giants defense that kept New England's high-powered offense to just 17 points in the game and did not allow the Patriots to score over the final 26:20. While the Giants pass rush took some time to get going, it turned on in the fourth quarter and was able to keep New England from making plays down the field. Tuck also had two sacks in the Super Bowl four years ago.

"We knew that (Tom Brady) was going to a number on trying to get the ball out, trying to hit his guys on some slants, some quick digs, things like that and not allowing our rush to get to him but we didn't feel like they could beat us this way," Tuck said. "We just continue to be persistent, continue to be patient. Coach (Robert) Nunn does a great job of getting us prepared and his favorite thing to say is to go out there and put the bat on the ball, not try to hit home runs there. You just keep chipping at that rock, it's going to break after a while and basically it was. It was our game plan coming into it."

Sunday, Tuck and the Giants executed that game plan well. And they won their second ring in four years for their efforts. Tuck didn't want to talk dynasty, though. He'll just enjoy this win.

"That's for you guys," Tuck said. "We don't really care about that. Hopefully we continue to win those things. That's for you guys."

This memory will never leave.

"You'll never forget this, no matter how long you live, no matter what happens, they can never take that championship away from you," Giants defensive end Justin Tuck told ESPN's Rachel Nichols after the game. "We're sketched in stone now."

For the second time in four years, Tuck won a title as the Giants beat the Patriots, 21-17, in the Super Bowl. Tuck credited a team effort, crediting him team for staying together and believing in one another.

Like it has all season, the game came down to the fourth quarter and once again, Eli Manning came through in the clutch. Not that it surprised Tuck.

"I couldn't have written a better script for us," Tuck said of Manning's game-winning drive."We just knew it was going to happen this way. We knew it was going to come down, basically the last drive. We had done it so many times this year, so when it happened, when it started unfolding, I just told everybody to get ready to go back because I knew they were going to score and I knew we were going to go into the lead. Honestly, it never occurred to me we wasn't going to win."

INDIANAPOLIS -- Quick thoughts on the first half:

1. Great quarterback play by Eli Manning and Tom Brady. Neither player is taking many chances, mostly underneath stuff, but they've been very accurate and in command. Manning is 13-for-17, 120 yards, and one TD pass; Brady is 15-for-18, 147 yards and one TD. Manning started 9-for-9, but Brady heated up after a slow start (a safety on intentional grounding in the end zone). Brady went 10-for-10 on the Patriots' final drive, a 96-yard gem that may have been their best of the season. Two terrific quarterbacks are playing their best, and it's a treat to watch.

2. This one's for all the "Rudy" stories out there. The only touchdowns were scored by Giants WR Victor Cruz and Patriots RB Danny Woodhead, neither of whom was drafted out of college. Like they say in the scouting business, it's all a crapshoot. It's great to see two guys like this shine on the biggest stage.

3. After a fast start, the Giants' defense started to encounter problems with TE Aaron Hernandez and WR Wes Welker, who have combined for nine receptions. The Giants are mixing up their coverages, but Brady has stayed one step ahead of them, finding the best matchup.

4. Where is the Giants' vaunted pass rush? Jason Pierre-Paul has a couple of bat downs and a tackle-for-loss and Justin Tuck pressured Brady on the safety, but the four-man rush isn't nearly good enough. On the 4-yard TD pass to Woodhead, the Giants actually dropped Tuck and Pierre-Paul into coverage, which made no sense. Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell also made a couple of other ill-advised calls earlier on the drive.

5. The Giants are running the ball fairly well, but they need to put the ball in Manning's hands with three wide receivers, attacking the Patriots' patchwork secondary. They haven't exploited that matchup as well as they should be. All they're doing is playing into the Patriots' hands.

6. Former Jets P Steve Weatherford is having an excellent game, with two punts inside the 20. His first led to the safety. But he wasn't good enough for the Jets. Crazy.

Giants defensive end Justin Tuck met with the media on Wednesday morning in Indianapolis -- here are some highlights from his news conference:

* Tuck said he doesn't wear the Super Bowl ring he won four years ago, and didn't bring it to Indy. "I got nine other fingers I’m trying to fill up," Tuck said. "We’re hungry for another one."

* Tuck had high praise for his former teammate, Michael Strahan, lauding his work ethic and calling him a first-ballot Hall of Famer. "I learned so much from him, about how to play the position," Tuck said. "He taught me things to look at, things to watch on film," like analyzing the stances of offensive linemen, and taking note of different offensive formations.

Tuck also said he's trying to be the same kind of role model for young Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. "I just want to do the same for him," Tuck said.

INDIANAPOLIS -- What to expect from the Giants:

Work schedule: Finally, a little normalcy. Sort of. After dealing with Media Day and soaking up some Super-Bowl atmosphere on a day off, the Giants return to work for a full practice on Wednesday.

Media obligations: It kicks off at 10:15 a.m. at the Giants' hotel in downtown Indianapolis. Tom Coughlin will be the first at the podium, followed by DE Justin Tuck at 10:30. At 10:45, the remainder of the team will be available for 45 minutes. Six players will conduct their interviews from risers -- TE Jake Ballard, LB Michael Boley, RB Ahmad Bradshaw, WR Victor Cruz, QB Eli Manning and DE Osi Umenyiora. The rest of the players and coaches will be seated at regular tables.

Storylines: Brash S Antrel Rolle has been talking tough all week, coming oh-so close to guaranteeing a victory. He will draw a large crowd of reporters, all of whom will be trying to get him to channel his inner Joe Namath ... Since this is the first day of practice, the injury situation becomes a story. Unlike the Patriots (see Rob Gronkowski), the Giants don't have any major concerns. WR Hakeem Nicks (shoulder), RB Ahmad Bradshaw (foot) and LB Jacquain Williams (foot) are expected to practice ... Wednesday is an important day for game-plan installation. The outcome of a Wednesday practice sometimes sets the tone for the remainder of the week.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Madonna might be the second-most famous dancer in Lucas Oil Stadium Sunday night.

Victor Cruz and his celebrated 'Salsa' were a hot topic of conversation Monday when the Giants arrived for Super Bowl XLVI.

Teammate Justin Tuck said the Salsa is going to be the next Macarena.

"Since this guy arrived in New York City, Victor Cruz has become a household sensation," said Tuck, adding that he had an 80-year-old Twitter follower that said she does the Salsa.

Said teammate Antrel Rolle: "'Till this day, I still laugh at it. I think its the best thing that has probably happened to football this year."

Cruz, one of six Giants made available to the media, gave the national media a refresher on the origin of his dance. He said it started around Week 3, during Hispanic Heritage Month.

"My coaches were like, 'Man, you’ve got to do something special. You’re half Puerto Rican and you’ve got to do something to really get the people fired up,'" he said. "So I said all right, and whatever, as I wasn’t expecting to get into the end zone as it was my first start. So I got into the end zone and as I’m running in, I was like, 'Wow, I need to do this thing now.' It’s just something that kind of came about and then my grandmother loved it. It just continued from there."

Cruz has had many opportunities to do the dance -- nine touchdown celebrations, to be exact. He's still waiting for his first post-season touchdown.

Cruz, who turned down an invitation to "Dancing with the Stars," scoffed when told that New York dance instructors have said his dance isn't technically correct.

"This is my way," he said. "When those dance instructors get into the end zone, they can do it whatever way they want to."

Eli Manning, Justin Tuck and Antrel Rolle look ahead to the Super Bowl after arriving in Indianapolis.

Much like he did in Super Bowl XLII, Justin Tuck hopes to make Tom Brady feel the pressure when they meet on February 5th.