Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell, who has his unit humming in the postseason, faced the media yesterday in Indianapolis three days ahead of Super Bowl XLVI against the Patriots.

Q: Can you rattle Tom Brady?

A: I would like to.

Q: I know you would like to . . . can you? Can this group?

A: I think this group can. I really believe this group can. I think any quarterback can be rattled.

Q: You think the ’07 group rattled him?

A: Oh no doubt. Yeah. Just watch the tape,

Q: Similar concepts?

A: Similar concepts, yeah. We got the guys up front, yeah.

Q: What did you notice about how they rattled him in ’07?

A: Was it the first play of the game, Jay Alford broke through, and hit him, and knocked him down? And, if you recall, during the ’07 season, there was a picture in Sports Illustrated where Brady was just sitting back in the pocket . . . he almost went untouched during the whole ’07 season. The offensive line did a great job of protecting him, and he was very comfortable in his pocket. And the Giants in ’07 made him uncomfortable in the pocket.

Q: Did you make him uncomfortable enough in the first game this year?

A: I think we were able to make him move around and do some things that he didn’t want to do.

Q: You didn’t rattle him?

A: You have to ask him that (laughs).

Q: Off the 49er game, it looks like you have the tougher quarterback.

A: I like the guy that I’m playing with, yeah. He’s a tough guy. And I tell you something, I didn’t realize how much he got hit until after the game. He never showed the effect of it. He just kept getting up and coming back, and I think that’s the maturity of Eli Manning.

Q: Defending Brady now versus four years ago . . . how is he different?

A: I don’t think he’s that much different. He doesn’t scramble as much, but he picks his spots to scramble. But he’s still smart, he still runs the offense, he still has complete control back there as a quarterback, so I don’t think he’s really any different.

Q: Describe Osi (Umenyiora) right now as a player.

A: Explosive . . . electrifying . . . hungry . . . extremely knowledgeable . . . and I’m glad he’s on my team.

Q: Justin Tuck?

A: He’s our Captain. That’s the biggest compliment I can pay him. As he goes, we go.

Q: JPP?

A: The most consistent performer that we have at this point in time on the defensive line.

Q: Chris Canty?

A: He’s been playing great football for us the last half of the season, and I think he’s gone kinda unnoticed and unappreciated, because he’s really been a force in the run game, and he’s done a great job in the pass game.

Q: What effect did Chase Blackburn have?

A: Big effect on me, because now I had a guy I could communicate with, that had prior knowledge of our defense, and brought credibility. So that when he talked to the defensive line and Michael (Boley) didn’t have to do that, Michael could talk to the back row, we became one. Chase is kinda that guy that was the missing link so to speak in our defense from the first half of the year to the end of the year.

Q: Do you remember watching Super Bowl XLII?

A: Oh, no doubt.

Q: What did you think of Steve Spagnuolo’s game plan?

A: I thought it was brilliant. I thought it was absolutely a work of art from a defensive standpoint.

Q: Specifically why?

A: If you had to attack the Patriots at that time, because I’d played them twice during the year in Buffalo, he had the weapons to attack ’em with, and he used those weapons in the right manner to attack them with. I knew his philosophy going into the game, and it was a good philosophy.

Q: How did you know his philosophy going into the game?

A: You just know.

Q: Do you ever compare how you would have done it back then to how he did it?

A: When I saw what they were doing, and with what he had to work with, it would be very comparable.

Q: Do you have a work of art ready for this Sunday?

A: (Laughs) We’re just gonna try to win the football game. I’m just gonna let the players have fun. I’m gonna let the players play. I’m not gonna try and bog ’em down with too much information. We’re gonna go out and have fun and win a football game.

Q: What will your message to your defense be tomorrow night?

A: No more media. It’s time to play football. We came here to win a world championship. We’ve worked all year to get to this point. Let’s capture the moment.

Q: How do you prepare for (Rob) Gronkowski?

A: You have to have a plan with him, and without him.

Q: It’s a lot easier without him, I guess.

A: No (laughs).

Q: What problems does (Aaron) Hernandez present?

A: A lot of problems from a matchup standpoint, because he’s labeled a tight end, however he has the skill set of a wide receiver.

Q: The Patriots’ game plan changes from game to game.

A: They have so many different combinations and weapons and the way they deploy and use their people, it’s very difficult to put a handle on it.

Q: How much of a headache is (Wes) Welker?

A: He plays the game hard and fast every play. You know, when watching a game, if a wide receiver jogs off the ball, it’s probably a running play. Well Wes sprints off the ball every play, so you don’t know if it’s a run or a pass. And then he’ll knock your (butt) off, OK?, if it’s a run. And so his tempo of the game, the way he plays the game, is really second to none.

Q: How is he similar or different from (Victor) Cruz?

A: So much more experience, so much more knowledge. He’s very crafty in how he comes in and runs his routes, his sync with Brady, more experience from that standpoint.

Q: Your coaching style?

A: I’m a teacher. I’m a communicator. I get excited about what we do and how we do it.

Q: Do you still harbor head coaching aspirations?

A: Definitely.

Q: You think you’re ready right now?

A: I think that I’ve gained more experience with this Super Bowl experience, and I prepared myself better now to lead a team to a world championship.

Q: The draft room when Jason Pierre-Paul was drafted?

A: I can remember Jerry Reese saying how talented the guy was and what we all thought of him. I can remember they asked me, “Are you OK with this?” And I said, “Hey, I’m perfectly fine with this.” I said, “Mr. Mara and Jerry, I just want you guys to understand, he may not start opening day. He may not start Game 1, 2 or 3.” And that really gave me a lot of confidence that they felt like “Hey, we can bring this guy along, we can groom him, and we don’t have to rush him into being something that he isn’t.”

Q: The tumultuous time when there was speculation you and Tom Coughlin might not survive it.

A: I’m a bunker guy, OK? So when all that’s swirling around me, I just want to try to help our team improve. I probably didn’t know what was going on, because I just go to work.

Q: What does it mean to you personally to be at a Super Bowl playing for a Lombardi Trophy?

A: It’s accumulation of all the work you’ve done in college football and professional football through all the years. It’s very gratifying to have the opportunity to win a Lombardi Trophy because that’s the pinnacle in your profession. And then, because of the journey that we had this season, the ups and downs, it’s personal gratification.

Q: Did you have any dreams as a kid of playing in a Super Bowl?

A: Oh yeah, you always have dreams of playing, or being able to coach in a Super Bowl, definitely.