EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- His tone was one of anger and defiance, a complicated mix of frustration and stubbornness. Jim Fassel was in no mood to defend his Giants, not on this night, not after failing, for the third time in as many opportunities, to prove to the legion of skeptics that his team was for real.

	Jim Fassel feels the less said by his Giants, the better.

This was not the time to carry the torch for the men in blue, not after they were humbled by the Rams 38-24 in a game the Giants firmly believed would show how far they'd come. Instead, it showed how far they were from the elite. Moments after the bitter end to a four-game winning streak, Fassel was determined to make sure all who would listen got his message.

A fine 7-3 record was tainted with losses to the Redskins, Titans and Rams, who happened to be the only three power teams the Giants had played. Holding down first place in the NFC East after 10 games is not where anyone anticipated the Giants would be, but there they were, and Fassel was not going to allow the many doubters to pick apart the Giants.

"I don't care what anybody else is saying about us," Fassel said, his face reddening as his feelings came tumbling out of his mouth, the volume growing louder with each word. "I don't care. I know what our record is, and I know we've gotten better."

Fassel made sure his players and everyone else heard what came next: "I plan to play many, many more big games this year."

It is tempting to dismiss the Giants for all they cannot do and all they did not do in losses to three Super Bowl contenders. Losing 31-21 at home to the overachieving, playoff-contending Lions gives the naysayers even more ammunition. Considering, though, how lightly regarded the Giants were heading into this season -- 6-10 seemed far more likely than 10-6 -- it is difficult not to view what they've done thus far as a quantum step forward. Winning the division will seem like a minor miracle, as the Redskins were supposed to walk away with the title. Even securing a playoff spot for the first time since 1997 would be an accomplishment that would surely land Fassel the multiyear contract extension he did not receive last year.

The rave reviews, however, have hardly come rushing in. Other than two victories over the Eagles, the list of Giants victims is not impressive.

"You can't sit there and downgrade the teams we've played against," linebacker Jessie Armstead insisted, "because those same teams have beaten the winning teams."

The best case the Giants can make is, they do not lose to lesser competition. Also their success has followed a time-tested formula that worked so well for them in their glory days. There are two elements that every team wants to master, two ingredients that allow a team to build a foundation, and the Giants excel at both. They can run the ball on offense, and they can stop the run on defense.

If the Giants continue to dominate in those two areas, they figure to be a difficult opponent most every Sunday. All season the Giants have been among the best in the league in hogging the ball during games they've won. The makeover has been dramatic, as the '99 Giants were dismal when it came to establishing a running attack, averaging 88.0 yards per game to tie for 24th in the league.

	“	You can't sit there and downgrade the teams we've played against because those same teams have beaten the winning teams. ”
		— Jessie Armstead, Giants linebacker

After a drastic makeover of their offensive line, the drafting of Ron Dayne and an expanded role for Tiki Barber, the Giants made it a priority to get back to what this franchise always has leaned on. Dayne has provided the inside yards, Barber the cut-back yards, and after 11 games the Giants are a dramatically-improved rushing team. It took the Giants only 10 games to surpass last year's paltry total of 1,410 rushing yards.

On defense, the Giants have long been renowned for their ability to shut down opposing running backs, but the lack of speed and a failure to prevent big plays combined to create a problem. The Giants allowed 97.5 rushing yards a game last year, a mediocre performance that contributed to a mediocre season.

From the moment they stepped on the field, these Giants showed their rugged defensive ways were back. They toyed with the Cardinals in Week 1, limiting them to 43 rushing yards -- and a trend had begun. The addition of Mike Barrow at middle linebacker was a major upgrade as far as speed at the heart of the defense. It also helped that DT Keith Hamilton, in the best shape of his career, became a force on the line and Shaun Williams, starting for the first time at strong safety, emerged as a solid run-supporter.

More than anything, the ability of the offense to move the ball and keep the defense off the field was a unifying force that cleared what had been fairly noxious air inside the Giants' locker room. Defensive players who in the past grumbled about the constant three-and-outs from their offensive teammates came to appreciate the ability of Kerry Collins to generate first downs and of the entire offense to, at the very least, stay on the field.

"The last time I felt like this was '97," Hamilton said. "We've got a chance this year because our offense can score. If they continue to hold up their end of the bargain, the sky's the limit. I feel if this team comes ready to play on both sides of the ball, we can beat anybody."

The marriage works, although like most relationships, it is far from perfect. The Giants and Collins have yet to show they can produce big numbers with their passing attack, and the word "dynamic" is rarely used when describing the Giants' offense. Teams considered to be true playoff threats can mount a game-winning drive fueled by the quarterback, and the Giants have rarely been in position for such heroics. Their lone comeback victory was a 19-14 triumph over the Cowboys, and it marked the only time the Giants won a game this season when they trailed entering the fourth quarter.

Still, this is light-years ahead of anything the Giants have enjoyed since '97, and even that season, when they were the surprise team of the NFL and won the NFC East with a record of 10-5-1, it was a ferocious, turnover-crazed defense that set the tone.

"One of the things that's important in this league is the fit you have between the offense and defense," offensive coordinator Sean Payton said, "and I think we have that. I kind of like where we're going, the direction we're going."

Paul Schwartz covers the Giants for the New York Post.

Material from Pro Football Weekly.
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