EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Buffalo Bills interim coach Perry Fewell has been hired as the New York Giants' defensive coordinator.
 Coach Tom Coughlin announced the move late Thursday evening after Fewell spent the past few days weighing offers from the Giants and the Chicago Bears.
 Fewell also interviewed for the vacant Bills coaching job but he has said for a while that he felt he was a long shot for that position.
 Giants rookie defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan was fired the day after the regular season ended.

The Giants gave up more than 40 points in each of their last two games and 427 points for the season, ranking third from the bottom in the NFL. Only the Detroit Lions and St. Louis Rams gave up more.
Fewell and Coughlin have known each other for years.

The Giants' pass rush returned with a bang Monday night, flattening Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell five times for sacks.

''Coach always tells us to continue to pound that rock and one day, it's going to break,'' Justin Tuck said of persevering through a stretch of eight straight games without more than two sacks in any of them. ''One thing we've always had the last couple of years is a game that signified the start of something good (for the pass rush).

Hopefully, this was a game that gets the ball rolling for us on the pass rush.''

The return of the sacks and quarterback pressure was obvious to anyone who watched the game. But a more subtle defensive difference might well determine if the Giants get into the playoffs, and how far they can go if they make it.

-- Since we last tuned in to the New York Football Giants, they have changed their look significantly, for better or worse.

Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg and the players believe the Giants (7-5) are better. The Giants' record and the way they have performed in losing two of four games since the Eagles (8-4) humbled them 40-17 on Nov. 1, suggests they are much worse.

Here's what we know for sure: Their defense has undergone a significant facelift due to a season-ending injury sustained by linebacker Antonio Pierce and the depth-chart adjustments that have made defensive tackle Chris Canty, defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka, linebackers Danny Goff and Michael Boley and safety Aaron Rouse starters.

By Michael Eisen, Giants.com MARCH 3, 2009

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ -The Giants upgraded their defense with three free agent acquisitions over the weekend. They also created what appears to be a traffic jam on the defensive line.EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - The Giants upgraded their defense with three free agent acquisitions over the weekend. They also created what appears to be a traffic jam on the defensive line.