The Giants have a master plan to earn the respect of the skeptics, and it is called Dee-Fense. It involves stirring the echoes of Huff and Robustelli, of Taylor and Carson.
Big Blue doesn’t want to stop you. Big Blue wants to dominate you.
Jessie Armstead has played on eight Giant defenses and he considers this one, when healthy, the best. “Absolutely it’s the best,” Armstead said. “You look around, we got so many people who make plays out there. It’s not like you’re looking at two or three people no more. We went through fighting this fight for a long time with just a few people. I look at the defense. . . . it’s no weak links.”
Michael Strahan is excited. “But,” he says, “I don’t like to look at stuff on paper . . . so when we do it, then I’ll say, ‘Great.’ But until then buddy, we’re just another defense trying to stick a claim in the league. Last year we were second against the run, I don’t know what we were ranked overall (fifth), and this year we want to do better.”
What’s your view of better? “Being No. 1 in the league,” Strahan said. “Dominating. Imposing your will on the other team. Not worrying about what their offense is gonna do, have them so scared of what you’re gonna do to them. And usually defense reacts to the offense; we want the offense to react to us. That’s what I consider dominating defense.”
And this defense is capable of that. “Yeah, we did it last year and we’ve got better guys this year, hopefully we can do it even better.”
Armstead talks about each one of the 10 Angry Men who will surround him Monday night in Denver:
DT Cornelius Griffin replaces Christian Peter: “Griffin’s a quick, explosive guy,” Armstead said. “But it’s gonna be his first year starting; he’s got a lot of things he’s gonna have to prove. He’s gonna have to sit there and take on that double-team consistently, and he can do it. He’s got all the potential to be probably one of The premier or THE best defensive tackles in the league as time goes on. It’s gonna be a step for him and Brandon [Short], but they got a good supporting cast around them, and it’s gonna help them elevate faster than a normal guy will elevate.”
OLB Brandon Short replaces Ryan Phillips: “Brandon’s a young, active guy,” Armstead said.
FS Shaun Williams: “He came and defined himself in the league last year,” Armstead said. “If he’s not the best safety in the league, it’s hard to see that there’s too many in front of him.”
MLB Micheal Barrow: “Barrow’s special,” Armstead said. “He runs sideline-to-sideline. It’s kinda like you got two Armsteads out there, that’s how I look at it. If I’m not making the play, he’ll make the play.”
DE Strahan: “Anytime you’re an All-Pro and everything and all the accolades he got, there’s nothing you can say about a guy like that,” Armstead said.
DE Kenny Holmes replaces Cedric Jones: “You got a guy with a motor that can play the run and the pass,” Armstead said.
SS Sam Garnes: “Old throwback,” Armstead said. “The guy comes in here as a first-year guy, been fighting in the fire with us for the last five years. He’s an old guy. He’s young but he’s old.”
CB Jason Sehorn: “When he’s out there, it’s like you got one side you don’t even have to worry about,” Armstead said.
CB Dave Thomas: “People say what they want to say about Dave,” Armstead said. “Dave’s a fighter. And that’s why I said before the season started, Dave will be there and he will be the starting cornerback for the New York Giants, ’cause you can’t get rid of a guy that’s got the fight that he’s got in him.”
DT Keith Hamilton: “Hammer’s Hammer,” Armstead said. “He’s gonna sit inside and fight and push and make his plays and push that pocket back for us.”
“Hopefully we can make it something that years down the road people will be writing about how great this defense was,” Holmes said.