Fewell has turned Giants defense around

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Perry Fewell navigated through the hallways of the Giants' practice facility, past tributes of the organization's finest moments, to the media room on the far side of the building. Fewell was angry. It was the first Thursday in December, 3 days after the Giants' defense allowed 49 points and 577 total yards in a loss to the Saints on national television.

The Giants' defensive coordinator had not yet publicly discussed the outing. In his first encounter with cameras, Fewell shared his outrage. He used words not fit for print, although the tongue-lashing was not reserved for just the public. His appraisal of a lack of effort also was conveyed to his players, who provided no objections.

"We knew we could get it together and we would get it together. It was just a matter of when," Fewell said yesterday. "Obviously, there was frustration. This is the era of instant gratification, so we want it to happen right now. We kept talking to each other, kept communicating with each other, kept believing in each other. I never saw any doubt."

Fewell spoke yesterday as the defensive coordinator for the NFC East champions, who are one win away from the Super Bowl, which would be reached by winning at San Francisco on Sunday in the NFC Championship Game. After the New Orleans loss, Fewell's approval rating slipped to its nadir of his two-season stint in New York.

Only a year earlier, Fewell was a hot head-coaching candidate who interviewed for four vacancies. But in the middle of this late-season collapse, fans ruminated at the possibility of Giants Super Bowl-winning defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo returning, a possibility that became moot yesterday with his decision to join the Saints staff.

So, to recap - an underachieving defense, a defensive coordinator under scrutiny, and a fan base eager for Spagnuolo. Sound familiar, Philadelphia?

Yet while the Eagles have not made a decision about Juan Castillo's future, Fewell and the Giants have won four consecutive games, including playoff victories over Atlanta and Green Bay. The defense has become as disruptive as the Meadowlands winds, turning Fewell again from the hot seat to head-coaching candidate.