Justin Tuck and Mathias Kiwanuka made the long walk from their team hotel to “NFL Total Access” set Monday, fans fawning along the way. One NFL.com reporter was embedded in the Giants players’ entourage.

In the NFL, defensive coordinators wish stopping a team was as simple as stopping one guy.

One could argue there’s a perception building that the role of free agency will be an afterthought in how teams build their defenses to get after the quarterback next season. But that perception might be wrong.

The Giants have benched a number of defensive starters Sunday’s game against the Cowboys, including DE Osi Umenyiora and DT Fred Robbins.

In their past five games, the Giants have a mere seven sacks. This might not be so alarming were it not for the fact that New York rung up 30 sacks in its first eight games this season.