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The defending Super Bowl champions get back to work this weekend, as the New York Giants hold their rookie minicamp in East Rutherford, N.J. Repeating is hard work, though, and there are good reasons why only one team this century has been able to do it.

You lose players. You lose coaches. You become the No. 1 target for teams that have identified you as the biggest obstacle standing in their way of getting what they want. The people who run the Giants, and many of the people who play for the Giants, were in this position four years ago, and they know all about the challenges that face the defending Super Bowl champs.

But this year's Giants are not your ordinary defending champ. They were, speaking strictly in terms of winning percentage, the weakest Super Bowl champion in history. They didn't even secure their playoff spot until the final game of the regular season. With two weeks to go, they were 7-7 and in real danger of finishing under .500.

All of these things are facts, just as much as the title they won. So as they get back to work this spring and summer, the Giants face the seemingly incongruous dual task of maintaining the magic that brought them their title while also improving a 9-7 team.

They have some things going for them, and I'm not just talking about Eli Manning, Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz, Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul. The Giants run their franchise as one that's perpetually in transition.

Rather than wait for problems to present themselves, or roster holes to open, the Giants constantly churn the middle and the back end of their roster, developing players in their system so they're ready to step in when need arises. There are running backs and wide receivers on the roster who have been waiting for the opportunity created by the free-agent defections of Brandon Jacobs and Mario Manningham, and those players will get the chance to do what Cruz and Pierre-Paul did last year when presented with similar chances. The Giants never allow themselves to get so thin at any one position that they don't at least have options for replacing those who leave or get hurt or decide to sit out training camp.

That said, this Giants team does have holes to fill and problems to solve. They finished 32nd in the league in rushing offense -- a fact that, while mitigated by the improvements the run game showed in December and January -- didn't sit well with their running backs and their offensive linemen. They will need to get better there, and to do so they'll need Ahmad Bradshaw's feet to stay healthy for the first time in years. Plus, they must find someone to replace the 167 touches and eight touchdowns Jacobs contributed to last season's cause.

They'll need to shuffle the offensive line again. While Kareem McKenzie was not what he used to be, he was the starting right tackle on a team that won the Super Bowl, and they did not replace him. They hope that Will Beatty (a) comes back healthy from his eye injury and (b) plays better than he did at left tackle in the first 10 games of last season.

David Diehl isn't around to slide over and bail him out this time. Diehl's got to play right tackle in place of McKenzie. The Giants have some offensive linemen they like for the long-term, but this looks like another transition year on the line. While they have enough good veterans in place to pull it off, that's a tough tightrope act to try too many years in a row.

They have bodies at linebacker, with Keith Rivers brought in as a good veteran reinforcement and some of last year's promising rookies hopefully ready to take a next step, but they have no clear man for the middle. They have bodies at cornerback, but they have question marks there, too.

Corey Webster was awesome in 2011. Can he repeat that performance? Is Terrell Thomas fully recovered from the preseason knee injury that cost him the whole season? Will Prince Amukamara make more of a contribution?

Don't think for a second that GM Jerry Reese isn't concerned. He used each of his first three draft picks on positions at which he lost a player in free agency -- running back (David Wilson for Jacobs), wide receiver (Rueben Randle for Mario Manningham) and cornerback (Jayron Hosley for Aaron Ross). And he's smart to be concerned, because while these Giants rightfully consider themselves a championship team, they're also a team that won one less regular-season game in 2011 than it won in 2010. Had someone in the NFC East won 10 and the Giants missed the playoffs, their offseason narrative would have been that of a team moving in the wrong direction.

Instead, the Giants have a two-front problem to solve. They have a division and a conference and a league full of teams that saw what they did and now consider Super Bowl glory more attainable than ever. And they have an internal mandate to be better this year than 9-7, because they know first-hand that it's not usually good enough to get you the chance to make a Super Bowl run.

They're capable of doing it, and they'll deservedly enter the season among the favorites to win it all again. They have superstars at quarterback, wide receiver and defensive end, and in this day and age that can carry you a long way. But as far as defending Super Bowl champions go, these Giants have more issues than most -- and more work to do.

Jason Pierre-Paul stopped by Bristol on Tuesday and talked about winning the Super Bowl; having his father, who is blind, at the Super Bowl; his improved play, and; what his advice to players getting ready for the draft would be.

Pierre-Paul was asked why he improved so much from his rookie season to his second year.

"I started jotting down things, then the players started talking to me more, then I just took it from there and kept on coming in asking Coach questions and took it from there and ran with it," Pierre-Paul said. "I just try to do better than last year and try to get more than 16 [sacks this season]."

The Madden NFL Cover Vote campaign is on again and Giants fans can vote in the play-in round for which Giant they want to compete for the Madden NFL 13 cover vote.

The Giants competing are Victor Cruz and Jason Pierre-Paul. Cruz currently leads JPP with the deadline for voting on Wednesday. JPP fans have to come out in force if they want the defensive end to advance to the round of 32.

Fans can visit the SportsNation Facebook page to choose among the 64 candidates in a play-in round to advance to the official tournament or you can vote for which Giant you want by clicking on Cruz or JPP's picture above. Winners of the play-in round will be unveiled with the official seeded, 32-player bracket on March 21 on ESPN’s “Madden Cover Vote Special” from 5-6p.m. EST.

Fans can vote daily and tweet their picks using #MyMaddenCoverVote on Twitter. In addition to the SportsNation Facebook page, fans will be able to vote in the play-in round via the open Web through widgets embedded on blogs, websites and more.

But do you guys really want to see a Giant on the cover of Madden and if so, who do you want it to be?

The NFL released it's top-selling jerseys from April of last year through the end of February.

Eli Manning finished as the highest-ranked Giant with the third-highest selling jersey. Victor Cruz's No. 80 had never been in the top 25 list until January when it was ranked ninth through the end of January. It moved up to sixth by the final list. An NFL spokesperson said to go from not being on the list to finishing in the top 10 was comparable to Tim Tebow.

Jason Pierre-Paul was the only other Giant to appear in the top 25, finishing 21st. Here's the top-25 list. Tell us what you think of the list and what your favorite Giants' jersey is in the comments list below.

TOP-SELLING NFL PLAYERS JERSEYS
April 1, 2011 – February 29, 2012

1. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
2. Tim Tebow, Denver Broncos
3. Eli Manning, New York Giants
4. Tom Brady, New England Patriots
5. Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh Steelers
6. Victor Cruz, New York Giants
7. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
8. Clay Matthews, Green Bay Packers
9. Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles
10. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys
11. Miles Austin, Dallas Cowboys
12. Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots
13. Patrick Willis, San Francisco 49ers
14. Wes Welker, New England Patriots
15. Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys
16. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys
17. Ray Lewis, Baltimore Ravens
18. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts
19. Brian Urlacher, Chicago Bears
20. Darren McFadden, Oakland Raiders
21. Jason Pierre-Paul, New York Giants
22. Mark Sanchez, New York Jets
23. Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers
24. Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers
25. Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens

I recently gave my report card for the Giants 2011 season position-by-position. But because there was only so much space to discuss each position, I wanted to go more in-depth on each position and spin it forward to next season.

Today we look at the defensive line. On Monday: Linebackers.

DEFENSIVE LINE
Grade: A

It was a roller coaster-like season for the defensive line last season.

Osi Umenyiora opened camp refusing to practice over his contract, temporarily was allowed to seek a trade before coming back for three practices only to opt for surgery on his knee. But this might’ve been the biggest blessing in disguise for the Giants. While Umenyiora was missed, his absence allowed Jason Pierre-Paul to get valuable first-team reps in camp and the second-year stud took off, emerging into a superstar with 16.5 sacks.

He carried the defense on occasions during the season and, of course, even found time to block a field goal to help save the Giants’ season in Dallas.

The season was a battle for Justin Tuck, who suffered a stinger in the preseason and wasn’t himself until late in the season. Tuck battled through injuries and personal grief with the death of relatives throughout the season. But he finished the season strong with 5.5 sacks in his last six games, culminating with a two sacks in the Super Bowl.

After his turbulent start to the season, Umenyiora returned after missing the first three games and was sensational early on. But a high ankle sprain cost him four games later in the season and the Giants struggled without their speedy pass rusher.

But like Tuck, Umenyiora came on strong when the Giants needed him most at the end -- he had 5.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in his last five games -- and the pass rush came to life during the Giants’ final six-game winning streak.

Coinciding with this was the solid play of Chris Canty, Linval Joseph and Rocky Bernard inside. All three plugged the inside and even provided an added dimension to the pass rush.

The Giants’ depth at pass rusher is pretty much unmatched. Mathias Kiwanuka got more comfortable with his hybrid linebacker-defensive end role as the season progressed. And Dave Tollefson was another one of Reese’s underrated offseason moves. Re-signing Tollefson, who is popular in the locker room, was big and the veteran provided incredible depth at pass rusher.

The future, though, remains a bit hazy on the defensive line. Umenyiora still wants a raise and is under contract for this season at just under $4 million. He also still views himself as a starter and JPP is now the starting right defensive end. Tollefson, Bernard and DT Jimmy Kennedy are free agents.

The Giants will have second-round pick Marvin Austin returning after missing all of his rookie season due to injury but Austin still hasn’t played any football now since the 2009 season.

The Giants also have young developmental players like defensive end Justin Trattou and DT Dwayne Hendricks.

Draft-wise, do not discount Jerry Reese from taking another defensive lineman. He will always subscribe to the best player available theory and this year should be no different since the Giants are Super Bowl champs.

Tell us what your assessment is of the Giants defensive line and what you think the Giants should do this offseason below.

QUARTERBACK: Eli Manning completed 30 of 40 passes for 296 yards, one touchdown and a 103.8 NFL rating. He did not turn over the ball, which was huge for the Giants during their 21-17 victory. Manning's 38-yard sideline strike to Mario Manningham showed the raw arm talent that made Manning the first player selected in the 2004 NFL draft. Not many quarterbacks can make that throw. Manning made it when the Giants trailed, 17-15, with less than four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Manning completed his first nine attempts for 77 yards and a touchdown, staking the Giants to an early lead as they dominated time of possession to begin the game. Manning made effective use of his running backs and tight ends, executing a mostly conservative game plan. But the Giants settled for field goals too frequently. Both teams had trouble striking on pass plays down the field until Manning found Manningham in the clutch. The two had failed to connect deep down the right sideline earlier in the fourth quarter. Manning's pass was a bit wide. Manningham could have done a better job getting his feet down. Grade: A-minus.

OFFENSE: The Giants came to life in the fourth quarter, a theme for them all season. They also avoided turnovers, a huge key. That excused their earlier offensive struggles, but we'll cover them anyway. New York twice committed drive-dooming penalties after crossing midfield. A first-half holding penalty against guard Kevin Boothe on a third-and-1 play proved pivotal. The infraction wasted Brandon Jacobs' 10-yard run, setting up third-and-1. The Giants went from driving toward likely points and a potential 16-3 lead to watching Tom Brady execute a 96-yard touchdown drive as New England pulled in front, 10-9. Then, with the Giants trailing 17-15 in the fourth quarter, a penalty for illegal procedure left the Giants in another third-and-10 situation, leading to another punt. The Giants did enjoy success early in the game. They were fortunate to recover their own fumbles, especially when Ahmad Bradshaw lost the ball deep in Giants territory. Losing tight ends Travis Beckum and Jake Ballard to injuries left New York with only one available tight end, Bear Pascoe. Grade: B

DEFENSE: Justin Tuck's pressure on Brady forced a safety on the Patriots' first offensive play. That was a sensational start for the Giants. Tuck closed out the game with a third-down sack with 39 seconds remaining. The Giants failed to get enough pressure between those plays, allowing Brady to shred their defense for stretches. But Brady averaged only 6.7 yards per attempt. The Giants held the Patriots to 17 points, about two touchdowns below their regular-season average. Jason Pierre-Paul was effective batting down passes. Chase Blackburn made his presence felt with a de-cleater hit on BenJarvus Green-Ellis. He also picked off a deep pass for Rob Gronkowski. The Patriots' quickness in general and Danny Woodhead's in particular gave the Giants problems, especially with Brady having time to operate. The Giants caught a break when Wes Welker got wide open and dropped a pass that would have moved New England into field-goal range while leading with about four minutes left. Grade: B-plus

COACHING: The Giants left 57 seconds on the clock when Bradshaw scored on a run up the middle to take a 21-17 lead. Bradshaw tried to sit down at the 1-yard line, but his momentum carried him into the end zone. The points were nice, but leaving that much time on the clock for Brady carried risk. The offensive plan seemed conservative and without enough play-action passing early. That was to be expected given Tom Coughlin's philosophy. That showed up when Coughlin handed off instead of taking a shot deep down the field on an early second-and-1. Grade: B

SPECIAL TEAMS: Lawrence Tynes made both field-goal attempts. The Giant did not allow a punt return. They forced New England to begin three drives inside their own 10-yard line. The Patriots never started a drive outside their own 29. No complaints here. Grade: A

This time around, Rocky Bernard would like to be on the team that gets remembered from the Super Bowl. When the defensive tackle played in his first Super Bowl back in 2005, his Seattle team was on the losing end of a 21-10 game to the Steelers.

"It still lingers," Bernard said on Friday about the loss. "No one remembers who lost the game. All the things that we accomplished that year kind of got overshadowed. It was kind of tough."

Bernard will be searching for his first ring when he plays in his second Super Bowl when the Giants take on the Patriots. The veteran is one of four players on the Giants who have been on a losing squad in the Super Bowl, along with safeties Antrel Rolle (Cardinals) and Deon Grant (Panthers), and offensive tackle Tony Ugoh (Colts).

"I know it's hard to get back to the game," Bernard said. "A lot of people can't say they've been to one of them, but this is my second time going. It's a special moment for me. Wasn't successful in my first one, hopefully this one will be different."

In his first Super Bowl, Bernard had two tackles in the loss to the Steelers. He said that he has shared his experience with his fellow members on the defensive line about what to expect and how to prepare for the game. Teammates Jason Pierre-Paul, Chris Canty, Linval Joseph and possibly Jimmy Kennedy will be playing in their first Super Bowl.

"Like physically, keeping in shape because you're not going to play this week so just doing a couple of things conditioning wise," Bernard said of the advice. "As far as mental aspect of the game, it's a long game, it's a long day, and it's a long process, just how to handle the whole day. You can't go in there and as soon as you hit the stadium go crazy because the game is played a couple hours later."

The defensive tackle in his third year with the Giants but was actually released by the team following the end of the lockout. Bernard still had two years left on the four-year, $16 million deal he signed prior to the 2009 surgery and was coming off triceps surgery.

Bernard said it was a situation in which the team did what it had to do for business and wasn't a situation in which the team cut him because they didn't need him anymore. He said he's glad he came back to the Giants and did not go to another team.

Now, he's a little more than a week away from playing in a Super Bowl and being part of a defensive line that is going to try to get after Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

"It's going to be a good challenge for us," Bernard said of the defensive line going against New England. "Usually when we're productive this team does really well. I think it's going to be another key component to our success."

Jason Pierre-Paul will be playing in his first Super Bowl.

But let's just say he won't be in awe of the moment or the quarterback he'll be chasing.

When asked if he might be wide-eyed going up against Tom Brady in the Super Bowl, Pierre-Paul said, "No, not me."

"I just say, a quarterback is a quarterback," the defensive end said of how he views all quarterbacks. "He might have speed, he might be great at throwing the ball and all that but at the end of the day, it is going to start up front with this D-linemen and the offensive line."

Pierre-Paul is ready to get things started. The defensive end is getting antsy to play with the big game over a week away. He says it feels like it has been forever.

"I am ready to play and see who is going to be Super Bowl champions," Pierre-Paul said. "It is going to be a great Super Bowl."

Of course, Pierre-Paul admits, he doesn't know what a great Super Bowl is since he doesn't watch Super Bowls. He did not grow up a football fan. Heck, he didn't even start playing football until late in his high school career.

But he knows this game has the potential to be great like the previous meeting with the Patriots, which the Giants took, 24-20, in New England back in November.

"First time we played them, I didn’t really know too much about [the Patriots' offensive line]," Pierre-Paul said. "But when I look at film now, they are a great offensive line but every offensive line can be beat."

"Everybody likes Brady," he added. "He is a great quarterback. He did many things in this league and he has gone to the Super Bowl [several] times. It is going to be a great Super Bowl."

Jason Pierre-Paul will have to wait to experience his first Pro Bowl. The second-year defensive end and Eli Manning, the Giants' two lone Pro Bowl representatives, were replaced by alternates since they are busy preparing for the Super Bowl.

Pierre-Paul was replaced by Chicago's Julius Peppers and Carolina's rookie star quarterback Cam Newton will take Manning's spot.

There are no complaints from JPP and Eli since this is what they wanted, to be playing for the Super Bowl. The Pro Bowl takes place on Sunday at 7 p.m.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Stuck in traffic on a bus headed for rainy Candlestick Park on Sunday afternoon, Devin Thomas had a vision. Thomas is the No. 4 wide receiver for the New York Giants, and as such he doesn't get too many chances to make plays. He's a special teams guy, mainly, and not even a return man anymore after flopping in that role earlier this season. So when Thomas has a vision of himself making a huge play to help win a game, it's a special teams play -- a frantic, full-speed crazy play that no one could have seen coming.

"I knew I was going to do it," Thomas said. "I was just thinking today was one of those crazy days where something crazy's going to turn the game. And I had a vision in my mind that I would be the guy who did it."

Thomas made two such plays Sunday. He recovered two fumbles on punt returns by Kyle Williams, the 49ers' backup return man. The first set the Giants up for a go-ahead fourth-quarter touchdown at a time when they appeared totally incapable of moving the ball against the San Francisco defense. The second came in overtime, and a few minutes later, after Lawrence Tynes kicked the second NFC Championship Game-winning field goal of his career, the Giants had a 20-17 victory and a date with the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI.

"Our guys never quit, never have any doubts," said Giants quarterback Eli Manning, who spent his night being knocked around by fearsome 49ers defenders but never flinched, completing 32 of 58 passes for 316 yards and two touchdowns. "We just keep believing and keep fighting until the very end, no matter what the circumstances are."

These Giants are as improbable a Super Bowl participant as the NFL has seen in some time. Widely predicted (especially here) to miss the playoffs during the preseason, losers of four games in a row in a tough stretch in late November and earlier December, their record stood at 7-7 after a Week 15 loss to the division-rival Redskins. They have not lost a game since. If they had -- if they'd lost even one of the five games they've played since that loss to Washington -- they would not still be playing. The defining aspect of these Giants is their toughness, but out of that over the past five weeks has grown a patience and a discipline that's rooted in intense self-belief and has propelled them to unexpected heights.

"They have grit, now," a beaming head coach Tom Coughlin said of his second Giants Super Bowl team. "We've had five straight single-elimination games. We've played an awful lot of superior football teams this year, and that has certainly helped."

But no one could have seen this coming. Not from 6-6 or 7-7 and certainly not from the preseason, when they were dealing with a major injury per week and everybody was in love with the offseason the Eagles had. Back then, there was no way to know that Jason Pierre-Paul would become one of the best pass rushers in the league or that Victor Cruz would become one of its best wide receivers. The odds against both of those things happening were astronomical.

"I think we knew, here in this locker room," said rookie linebacker Jacquian Williams, who stripped the ball from Kyle Williams so that Thomas could pounce on it in overtime. "You see the talent those guys have on the practice field and you know it's just a matter of when they're going to get their opportunity."

From October, you couldn't have seen Williams coming. But he's become a critical asset in the Giants' coverage units over the past couple of months, and as he showed Sunday, he's capable of making game-changing plays on special teams. He laughed when I asked him how this was matching up to the expectations he'd had for his rookie season.

"Rookies don't usually have an opportunity to play," he said. "Especially when you got picked in the sixth round."

But this has been an all-hands-on-deck kind of season for the Giants, and opportunities have piled up. Brandon Jacobs got an opportunity to be a big part of the running game again when Ahmad Bradshaw got hurt. Bradshaw had the bigger game Sunday, but Jacobs has been a key part of the current streak. Osi Umenyiora came back from a late-season ankle injury and has elevated the pass rush to teetering heights, terrorizing quarterbacks and forcing fumbles during this run and helping Pierre-Paul and Justin Tuck get free to wreak their own havoc.

"I love these guys. They've had my back the whole time," said Umenyiora, who's transformed from cranky contract complainer to peaceful, happy team player in a span of a few months. "So I wasn't going to come back and be selfish. I just wanted to come back and do what they need me to do, whatever that is. That's what I've done and it's had an impact."

This Giants team may have led the league in surprise clutch performances. You may be able to say you thought Cruz would be good, or that Pierre-Paul would come on quickly, or that Umenyiora would put his personal stuff aside for the good of the team. You may be able to say you knew Manning was going to play turnover-free football in the conference title game against a team that forced 43 turnovers in its first 17 games. You may be able to say you knew Mathias Kiwanuka was going to change positions and be a critical part of the defense, or even that you believed Williams and Thomas would be making key plays in the biggest game of the season.

But to say you saw all of that coming? You'd have to be crazy to expect anyone to buy that. These Giants represent the reason we watch sports -- to be surprised and amazed, to see human beings push their own limits and achieve things few expected of them. These Giants are overachievers, a team that has found ways to win all year when it didn't appear they should. And you can't be that without getting big-time contributions from every corner of the roster.

"I think we always believed -- in ourselves, in our coaches, in our plan, in each other," wide receiver Hakeem Nicks said. "And that's the reason why we're here."

There are so many reasons, and they range from the obvious to the obscure. Nobody picked Thomas to make the plays that won the NFC Championship Game, because Thomas is the kind of guy you have to work hard to remember is still on the team. But as the Giants left their locker room late Sunday night, Thomas carried the ball he'd recovered in overtime and got right back on the bus where he'd envisioned himself doing just that. It may have been a surprise to the rest of us, but it wasn't to Thomas, and it wasn't to the Giants. There are many, many people who are surprised to find the Giants still standing. But the Giants are not among them. They may not have known how they were going to do this, but they always believed they would. And it's quite a varied and remarkable collection of players that has found a way.

Michael Strahan understands the comparisons between this Giants team and the 2007 squad that won the Super Bowl.

But this team is much different in Strahan’s eyes and that’s because of the way Eli Manning is playing.

“I think these are two totally different types of teams,” Strahan said in a conference call previewing this weekend’s playoff games. “Our team in 2007 was led on the defensive side of the ball. We realized defensively and especially up front, we had to get after the quarterback and had some good secondary play. This year, you can lean on the offense to put points on the board.”

Strahan, now a Fox analyst, said Manning was just coming into his own during the Super Bowl run.

“At that point in 2007, Eli finally started to get his confidence in himself,” Strahan said. “We were still a little unsure every game about what was going to happen with him. I understand the comparisons but I wish this team would have their own history. This is a good team and they’re hoping that the defense hits the same hot streak that the offense hit back in 2007 when they needed it the most.”

One thing the 2007 and 2011 teams have in common is that players had to buy into Tom Coughlin’s system. Safety Antrel Rolle admitted that he became a Coughlin convert this season after not seeing eye-to-eye with the head coach’s old school methods in 2010.

Few understand this better than Strahan, who butted heads with the coach early on as well.

“A perfect example of a player taking on the personality of their coach is Antrel Rolle,” Strahan said. “He’s said, ‘I was forced to play for a coach like this and it’s ridiculous,’ and now he says that he wouldn’t want to play for any other coach. Tom Coughlin tests you to a point and it happened with me.”

“You have to ask yourself -- do I want to be a part of the problem or a part of the solution,” Strahan continued. “When you start to buy in and want to be a part of the solution you realize that he’s a very good coach whose only focus is to win. It seems like the main guy that needed to buy in, the guys who are the leaders, like him and Chris Canty, believe in it now.”

As for the defensive line, Strahan sees potential problems for the Packers. The future Hall of Fame defensive end loves what he’s seeing in Jason Pierre-Paul.

“Jason Pierre-Paul has been an absolute monster this year,” Strahan said. “There have been times that they’ve needed a play and he’s been that guy to give it to them. He is mainly working on raw talent and natural ability.”

Strahan said Justin Tuck has fought through injuries and has “a great ability to slap your hands away and beat you around the edge.”

“Having Osi Umenyiora back is a big plus and he showed that with nine sacks in nine games and the big sack at the end of the game last week,” he said. “He’s a potential game-changer because he’s one of the best at creating turnovers on strips of the quarterback.”

With Manning and the offense playing at a high level, Strahan knows the defense will likely decide the Giants’ fate in Green Bay.

“The defense has shown their potential in the last two games,” Strahan said. “It’s definitely up to them to show up in Green Bay with that offense that the Packers have, because offensively, there is no doubt that the Giants can score.”

Jason Pierre-Paul reiterated his confidence in the Giants' chances at Lambeau again on Wednesday during his press conference.

"I think we are going to go [out] and win," Pierre-Paul said when asked about his guarantee made on Sunday after the 24-2 win over the Falcons. "If special teams and defense and offense plays the way we played last Sunday, we should come out with a victory."

Following the win over the Falcons, Pierre-Paul said, "We gonna win ... we gonna win."

"We know what's at stake, and we know it's one and done," Pierre-Paul said in the Giants locker room on Sunday. "We aren't going to let that happen. We are going to go out there and give all our effort and we are going to walk away with a win."

Pierre-Paul said some of his teammates have asked him what he said but no one gave him any grief.

"It came from the heart," Pierre-Paul explained. "If we go out and play like we are supposed to play, like we did last Sunday, we are going to win. In the right mind, who is going to say their team is going to lose when somebody asks you that question? You got to go out there and say you are going to win and we are going to to out there Sunday and there is going to be one person that wins that game and it is a playoff game so we’ll see."

New York Giants’ defensive coordinator Perry Fewell is signed through the 2012 season according to two sources.

Fewell signed the extension after interviewing for head coaching positions with Carolina, Cleveland, Tennessee and Denver last year.

Fewell’s defense struggled at times this season after losing several key players like cornerback Terrell Thomas and middle linebacker Jonathan Goff to season-ending injuries. The Giants have also had to play stretches of the season without defensive ends Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck and linebacker Michael Boley due to injuries as well.

The team's top two draft picks -- cornerback Prince Amukamara and defensive tackle Marvin Austin -- were also hurt in training camp. Amukamara missed the first nine games of the season while Austin suffered a season-ending pectoral injury in the preseason.

Former Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will be in the market for a job after he was fired by the Rams as head coach. But the Giants’ defense is playing some of its best football of the season now after holding the Jets and Cowboys to 14 points each in the last two weeks.

The Giants have 11 sacks, 13 quarterback hits and three interceptions in the last two games and Fewell now has Pro Bowl defensive ends Jason Pierre-Paul, Tuck and Umenyiora together and healthy going into the playoffs.

Eli Manning said at the start of the season that he is an elite quarterback. And his peers agree.

Manning and defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul were voted to represent the New York Giants on the 2012 NFC Pro Bowl team. Fans, coaches and players voted for players although Pierre-Paul was voted in by coaches and players since he was not on the Pro Bowl fan voting ballot.

“It’s a real honor,” Manning said in a statement released by the team. “Obviously, when you make it to the Pro Bowl it’s because your team, the offensive line, my receivers are doing a great job protecting me, getting open, making plays. Considering some of the other quarterbacks in the NFC who have had outstanding seasons, I’m really thrilled and truly honored to be named to the Pro Bowl team.”

Pierre-Paul made his first Pro Bowl in just his second season.

“It means a lot,” Pierre-Paul said. “It means I’m doing good.”

Wide receiver Victor Cruz and right guard Chris Snee were named second alternates to the NFC All-Star team. Snee has been a Pro Bowl pick the last three years.

Cruz, who was not on the Pro Bowl fan ballot either since players were nominated to the ballots by teams early in the season, said it would've been a blessing to be named to the Pro Bowl team. Detroit's Calvin Johnson, Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald, Carolina's Steve Smith and Green Bay's Greg Jennings were named as the NFC Pro Bowl wide receivers.

While it is an honor for both Manning and Pierre-Paul, both Giants hope not to play in the Pro Bowl, which is played in Honolulu on Sunday, Jan. 29. The game will take place the week before the Super Bowl so the Giants hope that they will still be playing games that count.

Manning, who joins Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers and New Orleans' Drew Brees as the NFC's quarterbacks, is the first Giants QB to be selected to two Pro Bowls since Phil Simms was a Pro Bowl selection in 1985 and 1993. Manning is enjoying his finest season as a pro, passing for a career-high 4,587 yards, 26 touchdowns and 16 interceptions entering the final week of the season.

He has reduced his interceptions, as promised, from the 25 he had last season.

“I think I have thrown the ball well, but again, I think the receivers have done a good job,” Manning said. “We had some guys step up, so a lot of credit goes to them. I feel like I improved on some things. My whole mindset is the team having success and us winning games. At this point right now we have a chance to make it to the playoffs and win this last game versus Dallas. That’s the mindset right now.”

“I’m not losing focus,” Manning said. “I’m not going to be planning any reservations in Hawaii right now. I’m trying to get ready for Dallas and get ready to play that game.”

Pierre-Paul has 15.5 sacks and 81 tackles in just his second year, after having 4.5 sacks as a rookie. Pierre-Paul has benefited from increased playing time due to injuries to Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck and has blossomed as a result. He had his best game as pro against the Cowboys a few weeks ago with two sacks, one safety, one forced fumble and blocking a potential game-tying field goal.

“With Tuck and Osi being out, it gave me a chance to show my coaches that I can perform at a high level, even though they didn’t expect me to have a breakout season,” Pierre-Paul said. “Just feel the joy right now. I’m having a good feeling even though I knew I could do it all along. I’m happy because everybody sees it now. They know that I am one of the key players that the Giants have on their team.”

Pierre-Paul, who turns 23 on Sunday, knew he was going to take a huge leap forward this season, especially after he had two sacks in the preseason opener against Carolina.

“Honestly, I told my best friend, ‘This year I’m going to do way better than I did last year because I know what I’m going into, I know what to expect,’” Pierre-Paul said. “Last year, I didn’t know what to expect and I didn’t know too much of the playbook. This year I knew that everyone was starting from scratch again and I knew that I was going to have a breakout season this year. Nobody else did. And sure enough, I did.”

“When we played against Carolina and I recorded two sacks in that game, I said, ‘Okay, this year is my year, I can do it this year,’” Pierre-Paul said. “That’s when I was like, ‘Let me just play to my full potential’ and that’s what I’ve been doing ever since.”

Manning is proud of his teammate and how far last year’s first-round pick has come.

“[Pierre-Paul] definitely deserves it,” Manning said. “He’s had a phenomenal year. It’s amazing, it doesn’t look like he ever comes off the field. Making sacks, but also making a lot of tackles, just being around the football, knocking balls down, causing fumbles, getting safeties -- he’s all over the place. He definitely deserves it.”

Maybe Eli Manning should take some more time off the clock when he scores.

Although the defense got bailed out by Jason Pierre-Paul blocking the game-tying field goal on Sunday night, the Giants defense continued its subpar play in the final two minutes of the halves on Sunday by allowing Dallas to march down the field twice.

For the season, the Giants have given up 71 points in the final two minutes of the halves, the most in the NFL, according to ESPN Stats & Information. The Giants gave up three points in such situations to Dallas.

"Just finish the game," Giants safety Kenny Phillips said. "That's all you have to do. Just finish. That's basically our motto coming into the year, we want to finish ball games and it's a simple fix, just communication and getting the job done, that's all it is."

The Giants have allowed the opposition to score in the final two minutes of each half 12 out of 26 times this season. In the last three games, the Giants have allowed points in the final two minutes in five of the six halves, with the blocked field goal preventing opposing teams from being a perfect 6-for-6.

The Giants have been worse defending opponents in the final two minutes of the first half as they have allowed 47 points this season, compared to just 24 in the final two minutes of the game.

Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell does not believe it's an issue of his players relaxing in the final two minutes of the halves.

"Again, offenses are good. They're very sharp. They're good," Fewell said. "We're trying to keep them out. Sometimes the problems are technique problems. So we have to go back and correct the technique problems. There's not a lot of mental errors but sometimes it's just technique errors and that's the thing you want to correct in football the most, is the technique errors."

The poor defense to end the halves cost the Giants against Green Bay and nearly came back to bite them against Dallas. If the Giants don't clean up their mistakes in that area, it might make Manning's late-game heroics go for naught---like it did against Green Bay.

"We obviously need to do better," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said.