No. 1 D? Rhodes might want Giant mulligan on that one

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Jets are feeling pretty good about themselves, and why shouldn't they? It's June, and nobody has seen Tom Brady. Nevertheless, when Kerry Rhodes proclaimed the Jets as the best defense in the NFL it got me thinking: I'm not so sure they're the best defense in New Jersey.

There's still that other football team -- the one that shares a stadium with the Jets; the one that built its reputation on defense; the one that produced some of the game's best and most disruptive pass rushers; and the one that ended a string of 18-straight New England wins with -- with else? -- defense in the most important game of the 2007 season.

Pity the fools who have to line up across from the healthy Osi Umenyiora. (US Presswire)

I'm talking about the New York Giants, who shrugged off Rhodes' remarks Wednesday and made it clear they're not interested in challenging his scouting reports. It's a different climate and a team with a different personality. Besides, as defensive end Justin Tuck pointed out, "If anybody's saying they have the best 'anything' right now, they're sadly mistaken."

He's right, of course. There are injuries, unexpected setbacks, losses and four months of football waiting to happen. Nevertheless, you can't help but marvel at the possibilities for the Giants when they don't have the football.

Their head coach is not as outspoken or as colorful as the Jets' Rex Ryan, and they haven't had anyone declare themselves No. 1 in anything yet. But look around the locker room, and tell me this might not be the best defense in New Jersey.

"When I look around," said defensive end Osi Umenyiora, "I see good football players."

Start with Umenyiora, who is back from a knee injury that sidelined him all of last season and who suffers no lingering effects. The last time he was healthy he ranked third in the NFC in sacks and set a team record with six in one game. He's healthy again, and pity the poor left tackle who draws him as his next opponent.

Then you move to Tuck, one of the game's premier defensive players. When I consider preseason choices for the 2009 Defensive Player of the Year, I start with Tuck, and I won't be alone. He was named All-Pro in his first season as a starter. The guy is relentless, overpowering and better than any defensive end with the Jets, Patriots, Eagles, Redskins -- OK, virtually everybody.

There's also Mathias Kiwanuka, back at defensive end for good after a one-year trial at outside linebacker. Kiwanuka, who replaced Umenyiora last season, led the club in quarterback hits and was second in sacks, hurries and tackles for losses. Now he serves as a backup in a rotation of defensive ends that is as good and as deep as anyone anywhere.

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Former Dallas starter Chris Canty is here, too, and while he could serve as a defensive end, the Giants have him working inside while tackles Fred Robbins and Barry Cofield recover from injuries. I haven't even mentioned defensive tackle Rocky Bernard, a starter in Seattle who produced a team-high four forced fumbles last season and has battled through injuries since a stellar 2005, but I think you get the picture.

"There's a lot of talent," said Tuck. "We pretty much have eight starters on the line. We've got guys who might be on the bench who could go almost anywhere else and start. I don't think there's any defensive line in the league that is better than that."

That is not a shot at Rhodes. In fact, Tuck had no idea what the Jets' safety said until he was notified. It's simply Tuck acknowledging the obvious, with the Giants loaded on their defensive line. When Umenyiora started two years ago the Giants led the league in sacks, and I'd expect something similar this year, particularly with the versatile Canty able to act as a swing man.

"You know what I like about this organization?" said Canty. "It's a team concept instead of a collection of individuals. That's something you can't help but notice from the outside. And I figured, 'Hey, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.'"

Solid play by Antonio Pierce is key to the Giants' success. (US Presswire)

If there's a concern, it's still the linebackers. Acquiring outside linebacker Michael Boley should help. Boley excels in pass coverage, which is important in a division where pass-catching running backs Brian Westbrook and Felix Jones play. He's young. He's fast. And he led Atlanta in tackles in 2007. But Boley must adapt to new teammates and a new defense, so there are no guarantees. Nevertheless, the Giants addressed a position of need when they signed him.

"This is a team with a great history of championships and great defenses," said Boley. "It's a good group of guys to be around because, across the board, it's a group that can make a lot of plays for you."

Critical to the return of the Giants will be the play of middle linebacker Antonio Pierce, whose performance tailed off the end of last season. My recurring memory of Pierce has him chasing Westbrook into the end zone in a late-season loss to the Eagles, a defeat that signaled the beginning of the end for the NFC East champs. The Giants need Good Antonio back. Critical, too, is the development of rookie linebacker Clint Sintim, who before this year's draft seemed a perfect fit for Ryan's 3-4 defense and now adapts to the Giants' 4-3.

But maybe the most important element to the whole thing is the introduction of Bill Sheridan, and don't look for him on your depth chart. He's the Giants' new defensive coordinator, and he got there after serving four years as the team's linebackers coach. Sheridan will stick with former coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's defensive philosophy, adding -- as he put it -- "a few wrinkles." That seems logical. The question is: Will it produce similar results? Rhodes, you can't answer.

"Everybody in here knows [Sheridan] already," said Tuck, "so he knows what buttons to push, and he's pushing them. More or less it's just a matter of timing."

More or less, this is a good -- no, a very good -- defense waiting to happen, and that's not exactly news. If it's the New York Giants somebody is making a reputation with stellar defensive play. What I don't know is if this is the best defense in the league. Heck, I don't know if it's even the best defense in New Jersey. But I do know it can be, and it should make a case for both.