Eagles win over Giants: What they're saying

The first question to nearly every defensive player was to ask for their thoughts on the two 4th and 1 stops.

"When you get put in that position, you have to feel like you can make the play," Quintin Mikell said. "You kind of sensed that maybe New York was, I wouldn't say desperate, but there was some reason they felt they needed to do that. We took it as a challenge. We took it as disrespectful to us. We showed what we're about on those two plays."

"We honestly don't have to say anything to each other (before those plays)," Brian Dawkins said. "Those days are kind of behind us. You know the situation. You know what you have to do. Everybody do your job. Dominate your gap and let's get off the field."

"That play was just confidence," Gocong said. "Just knowing you're going to stop them."

Andy Reid paid tribute to Jim Johnson

"People say every once in a while that I like to throw the ball around and coach on the offense side," said Reid, whose 10 postseason wins are 14th-most in NFL history. "I know that you win games on defense and if you don't play good defense, you're going to struggle. I'm partial, but I've got the best defensive coordinator in the National Football League (Jim Johnson). The guys believe in him."

Darren Howard had some nice things to say about Mike Patterson

"I think Mike Patterson has had a Pro Bowl year for the last 2 or 3 years," Howard said. "I think if you look at players' quotes, he probably gets a lot [of credit]. But he's not a guy who's going to get up and do a [bleeping] dance after a great play.

"He just lines up and does it again."

You know we always like to hear what Sheldon Brown has to say

"Isn't it funny that early in the season we couldn't get an inch on fourth down?" Brown said. "And today, we didn't give up an inch on fourth down?"

Yesterday was extra special for Asante Samuel, who had been waiting to pay back the Giants for the superbowl

"This feeling is indescribable,'' Samuel said. "Being a free agent coming from the Patriots everybody doubted me, hated on me, told me I couldn't play man, I need help in coverage. To come out and prove everybody wrong and show them what I'm worth what was given to me is a definite blessing.''

"I'm always trying to get in the end zone, but Eli made a good tackle,'' Samuel said. "I tried to run him over but Eli had his big boy pads on and he kind of stopped me from getting in the end zone. The next time I'll try to jump over his head.''

Donovan McNabb was asked about his infamous "phone call" incident

"It was just me coming out and having a great time,” McNabb said. "It’s something that as a veteran I shouldn’t have done. I kind of got caught up in the moment a little bit. We were talking on the sideline and just having fun. But you know what? It’s just something I can’t do. And I apologized to the team and the coaches for that.”

Tra Thomas, who has been here 11 years, says this defense is the best we've ever had.

"This is by far the best  defense that we've ever had," said offensive tackle Tra Thomas, who has been here for 11 seasons. "Just looking back in the past. Especially our front four - those guys out there are just relentless. They get out there and get after the quarterback and allow our corners and safeties to go out there and make big plays."

Giants' guard Shaun O'Hara sounded despondent.

"After this," center Shaun O'Hara confessed, inside the funeral-parlor still of the Giants locker room, "you almost wonder if it isn't better to not make the playoffs than to play the way we did out there today."