On defense, Giants are bottom-feeders

There are 32 teams in the NFL. Being ranked 30th in anything is pretty bad.

But that's exactly where the Giants' defense finds itself, giving up yards like a discount fabric store and hovering near the bottom of the league's statistical totem pole. It's not a place any team would like to find itself. For a franchise that has had tremendous defensive pride -- and was ranked seventh last season -- it's embarrassing.

"It's ugly," defensive tackle Chris Canty said. "I don't like it. I don't think anybody on our side of the ball likes it."

Cornerback Corey Webster said it's "very hard" to digest that ranking and the 391.6 yards per game his team is giving up. "You have goals,'' he said, "and everybody wants to be in the top."

What makes it strange is that the Giants also are at the top . . . of the NFC East standings. But they are in first place despite their defense, not because of it.

Safety Kenny Phillips said the only numbers the Giants care about are wins. But when told of the 30th-place ranking, he smiled and said, "I guess that means we [stink].''

The thing is, they don't. Most of the big plays they have given up have come not from getting beat but from leaving opposing receivers wide open. That's what happened Sunday when Dez Bryant caught a 50-yard touchdown pass as Dallas took a 34-22 lead in the Giants' 37-34 victory. When they are in position, the Giants are rarely scorched.

"You don't mind a guy like [Larry] Fitzgerald or whoever, a guy like Dez Bryant, whoever the receiver is, going up over you and catching the ball because you know what it was," Webster said. "[The miscommunication plays] sting.

Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell said injuries have played a big part in his unit's disappointing results.

"We haven't been a complete functioning unit this year," Fewell said. "Sometimes we play well and sometimes we have lapses . . . We haven't played a solid, complete game, in my opinion."

Fewell said the Giants' defensive ranking "should be better" and said it will be if they can eliminate the big plays. They have given up 56 pass plays of at least 20 yards this year after allowing 44 last year. But with only three regular-season games left, there isn't time for the Giants to make any huge jumps in the rankings. If they somehow did not allow a yard in the next three games -- bear with me -- they'd finish the season allowing 318.2 yards per game. That still would be middle of the pack.

So is it possible for the Giants to reach the levels of success they aspire to -- playoff team, championship contender -- with a defense ranked 30th?

"Green Bay, what are they ranked?" Fewell asked.

Thirty-first. And the Patriots are 32nd. Each of the three worst defenses in the NFL is part of a first-place team -- with a combined record of 30-9.

Said Fewell, "You can be successful, yeah."