Giants defense hasn't lost a step

The ends wouldn't have those sacks without outstanding pressure from the middle from a slimmer, fitter Fred Robbins, whose career-high 5 1/2 sacks rank second among the NFC's defensive tackles.

It is Robbins, really, on whom defenses have to key.

"The thing that really sticks out," McNabb said, "is that Robbins is playing well, which takes a lot of pressure off of the other guys when you can be able to get a pressure up the middle."

Well, that's one of the factors. The other is in their popular brigadier general, who, these days, continually tries to deflect any win it for me sentiment.

"I think that is a little overblown now," Spagnuolo said. "Maybe that was a big thing last year."

Maybe it still is.

"We want to win for Spags," Tuck said. "If Spags weren't here, we would still want to. But, yes, we want to win for Spagnuolo."

The last time they expressed that sentiment, they got 12 sacks.

"I certainly don't expect anything like that," Spagnuolo said.

But, from this reassembled cast, he'd take it. *